Scout Troop 964 Hosts Annual Model Train Show, Railroading Merit Badge Workshop

Scout Troop 964 filled Lake Ridge Middle School, 12350 Mohican Rd, Woodbridge, VA, with model trains and families on Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8, 2026, running 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Saturday and 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Sunday. The troop billed the event as an annual Model Train Show paired with a Railroading Merit Badge Workshop and the schedule, venue and times were listed on Troop 964’s site.

The show’s displays covered a wide range of scales and control systems: the troop listed several large HO DCC controlled layouts, N scale and T scale displays, additional displays of G live steam and N/O/S/T/Z scales, plus a massive LEGO Train layout. Troop 964’s site also promoted collectible limited edition custom railroad cars available for purchase and a map of all displays for attendees to consult during the show.

Education was front and center with a Railroading Merit Badge workshop offered both days during the show. Troop 964’s site stated, "Troop 964 offers a workshop on both Saturday and Sunday, during the annual Train Show, where Scouts can earn the Railroading Merit Badge," and emphasized that "Scouts from ANY troop can register for the workshop." National Today’s write-up added that the workshop covered railroad safety, locomotive mechanics, and model railroading. The troop warned registrants to act quickly: "Please register early as spots fill quickly and only a limited number of scouts can attend."

Family-focused features accompanied the technical displays. Troop 964 promoted a Scavenger Hunt for families and kids to find hidden items in displays and win prizes, and the Club Car cafeteria served hot breakfast and lunch items, drinks, snacks, meals and baked goods. The site navigation advertised separate pages for Show Info, Tickets, the Merit Badge Class, Train Clubs & Displays, Club Car, Photos and Contact Troop 964.

Local and hobby vendors underwrote parts of the program: Accurail provided the model train kits used in the Merit Badge class at a substantial discount, Kadee was listed as a donor and sponsor, and RailServe was credited on the Troop 964 site as a resource, described as a guide to 19,000 railroad websites, online resources, and upcoming events. The troop’s website thanked the venue explicitly: "Troop 964 is very appreciative of Lake Ridge Middle School for hosting our Model Train Show!"

A social media post publicizing the weekend read verbatim on Instagram, "Scout Troop 964 is hosting it's 26th #AnnualTrainShow & Railroading Merit Badge Workshop this coming Mar. 7 & 8, 206 at Lake Ridge Middle School," which contains the troop’s anniversary claim and a year typo carried on the post. An earlier site note records the show’s return from hiatus with a 22nd annual event in March 2022, consistent with the troop counting forward to 2026. One original event blurb was truncated in source material and read, "The troop’s annual Model Train Show combined with a Railroading Merit Badge Workshop provides both a public exhibition of model train layouts and a " leaving the sentence incomplete in the record.

Troop 964’s 2026 weekend kept the tradition alive with hands-on merit badge instruction, multi-scale layouts and vendor support, maintaining the Dale City community event the troop described as a long-standing tradition.