All aboard for holiday open house

Men of a certain age remember when railroads were the most important means of transportation. Not in the nation, but in their basements or attics, where their Lionel trains moved mini lumber logs, tiny coal and scaled-down passengers from one station to another.

To show your grandkids a layout you could only dream about when you were young, St. James Model Railroad Club is holding a holiday open house next weekend. The club's 38-by-48-foot Lionel train layout, featuring freight and passenger trains rolling along scenic backdrops and vistas, has been a labor of love for nearly 30 years.

The open house is Friday from 6 to 9 p.m., and next Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission is $2 for adults, 50 cents for anyone 17 or younger. For more information, call 631-862-8740. The club is inside the Mills Pond House on Route 25A.