At Grand Central in Midtown NYC, the Transit Museum's 22nd Holiday Train Show Opens Nov. 13

The New York Transit Museum's Grand Central Gallery & Store opens its Holiday Train Show on Friday, November 13. This is the 22nd annual edition of a tradition that pairs model railroading with the look of New York City, and the museum describes it as open to visitors of all ages.

The centerpiece is a 34-foot, two-level "O" gauge layout. Lionel trains run along it, including Metro-North, vintage subway sets and the whimsical Polar Express. They leave a miniature Grand Central Terminal, pass familiar New York landmarks and end up at a snowy North Pole.

This year's display adds new models by New York City-based artist Danny Cortes. They include the former Crazy Eddie electronics store, the La Borinqueña family grocery, two ornate apartment buildings and a fictional shop called Eric's Comic Books. According to the museum, weathered brickwork, intricate storefront details and detailed façades capture the character of the city's neighborhoods.

The gallery sits just off the Main Concourse in the Shuttle Passage, next to the Station Masters' Office. It is the museum's Manhattan outpost. The main museum is in a decommissioned subway station in Brooklyn, at 99 Schermerhorn Street.

For readers from Japan, the show offers a compact, indoor way to see New York landmarks in miniature without leaving Grand Central. The Metro-North trains on the layout are the same commuter line that serves the terminal.

Hours and admission details are on the museum's Know Before You Visit page.