UPDATED: Museum to close at end of July
SPARTA. The Friar Mountain Model Railroad Museum opened in 2006.
Sparta /
| 24 Jun 2024 | 10:36
Louis Molinari’s dream was to share his model railroad collection with the public. (Photos by Kathy Shwiff)
Trains run on multiple tracks at three different levels at the Friar Mountain Model Railroad Museum in Sparta.
Trains are changed throughout the year. At back left is the St. Patrick’s Leprechaun Train and at back right is the Halloween Ghost Train along with some characters from the Peanuts comic strip.
The stores along this street are the ones that Louis Molinari remembered from growing up in Ridgefield.
The display includes a cable car.
A model of the High Point Monument is atop the mountain, which was made of plaster. Each side of the mountain reflects a different season.
Louis Molinari carved the clock to mark the centennial of Newark State Teachers College, which was founded in 1855.
The Friar Mountain Model Railroad Museum in Sparta will close permanently at the end of July.
The closing date was extended from July 1 because of an influx of visitors recently.
The museum will be open from noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through July 28 except July 6-7 when it will be closed for the Fourth of July holiday.
It is closing because the museum’s owner no longer is able to operate it.
A sale of the contents is planned Aug. 31-Sept. 1 at the museum.
It opened in December 2006 after Louis Molinari and his wife, Wendy, spent about three years constructing the 26-foot-by-26-foot display, which has multiple train tracks at three levels and a mountain topped by a replica of the High Point Monument.
Louis, a retired high school teacher of industrial arts, made the more than 150 buildings on display out of wood, starting in the 1970s. He also built the trestle bridge.
Wendy created the mountain in the center of the display out of plaster, working full time for about two months. It measures 8 feet wide, 20 feet long and 7 feet tall.
The model trains on display are G gauge; they are the largest type of model trains and were designed to run outdoors. They originally were made by LGB, a German company.
Lifelong hobby
Louis began collecting model trains as a boy.
He was inspired to display his collection in a museum after visiting Roadside America in Shartlesville, Pa. It held a miniature village and railway covering 8,000 feet.
Roadside America opened in 1953 and closed in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. It never reopened.
The Friar Mountain museum also closed because of the pandemic, then reopened in late 2022.
While the basic display does not change, the trains do to reflect the seasons and holidays, such as St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween.
The museum has hosted birthday parties for young and old, school classes on field trips, and groups from churches and other organizations. Most of the visitors come during the summer and during the Christmas holidays.
The museum also reflects Louis’s interest in American history, especially the Revolution; the military - he served during the Korean War; and his religion.
Glass cases hold model cars and more model trains, and his designs for the model buildings and other structures he created are displayed on easels.
WHEN & WHERE
The Friar Mountain Model Railroad Museum, 240 Demarest Road, Sparta, is open from noon to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through July 28.
Admission is $10 and $5 for children age 4 and younger.
The museum will close permanently at the end of July. A sale of its contents is planned Aug. 31-Sept. 1 at the museum.