Model Railroading, Palomar Style

Next time you are visiting Palomar Observatory, be sure to stop in the visitor center to see this:


It is a 1/24th scale model of the railway car that brought the 200-inch mirror from Corning, NY to Caltech in Pasadena, CA. In the spring of 1936 the mirror's 16-day cross-country trip captured the attention of the nation.

The model was built by Jay Schwabe, one of the observatory's docents. Here is Jay with the model and a second model that he built of the full train:

He has done a wonderful job and we are happy to have some of his fine work on display at Palomar. The longer 1/64th scale model of the entire train is expected to soon go on display at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum.