Lopez and Gould were building a bridge as part of a weekend educational program run by the Garfield-Clarendon Model Railroad Club in Uptown. They were competing against other teams of young boys and club members to see which bridge could carry the most weight with the least amount of material.

For five Saturdays in March, club members taught 10 neighborhood grade school students concepts like basic electricity, coding, power sources and bridge mechanics, while having fun with one of the biggest model railroad layouts in the United States. This was the second year for the program, which is open on a first-come, first-serve basis to kids from nearby elementary schools.

The model railroad club dates back to 1947, but moved from Garfield Park to the Clarendon Park Community Center in 1963. The current layout, on which every 3 millimeters of the model represents one foot on an actual railroad, is the largest in the club’s history — it can take 30 minutes for a train to run through the whole thing, and up to 25 independently operated trains can run at the same time. Designed to look like a cluster of Appalachian towns in the 1960s, the layout has stores, train stations, houses, schools, farms and even a family of bears in the woods on a mountain side.

The club started the educational program last year, said club member and youth program coordinator Scott Baumgartner. Last year’s classes included two girls, but this year, only boys expressed interest. BNSF provided $2,000 in funding for this year’s program. Every week featured a different lesson in a classroom on some railroad-related subject, then a session in the train room, where the students learn to control the model trains and heed the signals.

I think this is brilliant. I'm a school music teacher. If writing an "eduspeak" document is beyond the skill set of the current members of the club, then it's time to recruit a teacher. We teachers are one of the largest populations per capita in the country. Surely, some teacher near ANY club must have some interest in trains, at least enough to help out if not to join.

Tourist/historic railroads could easily pursue this, too. Just think of how many STEM lesson are waiting to be taught, beside all the history. A little cooperation could go a long way. I'd happily consult with anyone interested.

Also a school music teacher who started a mode train club this year at my elementary school. Kids love it. Some prefer operating, some prefer watching them run, others like the design aspect.