Working on the Railroad

An old steam train was spotted recently rolling into a parking lot near the intersection of Line Street and Penn Avenue in Lansdale. 

But Engine no. 2124 from the Reading Lines wasn’t able to get up ahead of steam to go too far.     

The engine, pulling out of the train barn, is actually permanently affixed to the side of a building housing and .

Bill Henning, who operates Henning Scale Models along with his father, Harry, painted the realistic mural.

“I did the project last year,” he said. 

He noted that he is not a trained artist, but “I inherited my artist ability from my grandmother”. 

Henning Scale Models shares the building with Lin’s Junction, owned by Paul and Linda Maynard, creating two stores under one roof.

Upon entering the building, Lin’s Junction is housed on the left side, and Henning Scale Models occupies the right half of the building. 

A train circles overhead at Lin’s Junction greeting visitors, and the walls are lined to the ceiling with parts and every minute detail that would be needed by the hobbyist to create a true-to-life train layout, along with expert help and advice from the owners.    

In Henning’s shop, a Lionel train is set up at just the right height for the all the young engineers to allow the experience of operating a “real train."

Lionel trains tend to appeal to young children because of their ease of operation and size. The familiar, orange Lionel boxes occupy the shelves waiting to captivate the next generation of train aficionados.  Many wide-eyed children put them on their wish list and hope to find them under the Christmas tree each year.   

Bill Henning was behind the counter on this particular day helping customers with their orders. Henning noted that he has a degree in architecture, but after working in that field for 14 years, he left the profession and started to work at the store with his father. 

“It’s enjoyable to work in the family business. I spend almost every day with my dad, and coming to work is fun,” Henning said. 

While Henning’s specializes in Lionel trains, equipment, parts and three-rail trains, Lin’s is a model railroad hobby center that houses a complete inventory of products that a model railroader would require. 

“Ours is a hobby that emphasizes prototypically correct trains which are more realistic and more detail oriented,” said Paul Maynard. 

Henning said, “We basically handle old and new Lionel trains and parts to repair old Lionel trains."

Both stores have a thriving online business, which makes it convenient for the busy lifestyles of today’s clientele. On any given day, they are kept busy with orders and the shipment of their goods. 

“The Internet in some ways killed business, but has also helped them,” said Henning. 

Linda Maynard noted that they like to introduce children to the hobby of trains which can end up becoming a life-long passion.  She noted that having trains for a hobby is multi-faceted and is so much more than it appears on the surface.

“Trains can teach history; children can learn carpentry skills; they can learn the fundamentals of physics and electronics, and there is room for creativity,” she said. "Working on the trains promotes good camaraderie between parents and their children, and it is fun creating together.”