George Washington Train Show returns to Clifton Forge March 21-22, 2026

The Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society will present the annual George Washington Train Show in Clifton Forge, Virginia, on Saturday and Sunday, March 21–22, 2026, as a two-day fundraiser for the society. A $5 admission grants access to both the C&O Railway Heritage Center and the Clifton Forge Armory, and the event will feature vendors, operating layouts, speakers, food and family activities.

Events will take place at two venues: the C&O Railway Heritage Center at 701 Main St. and the Clifton Forge Armory at 724 Commercial Ave. Doors at the museum will open Saturday at 10:00 a.m. with events running until 4:00 p.m.; Sunday programming begins at noon and continues through 4:00 p.m. Railfan’s event listing emphasized the two-site arrangement with the banner “TWO LOCATIONS, ONE ADMISSION!”

Model railroad programming at the show includes the C&OHS O-scale layout depicting the C&O route from the Virginia shore to the Ohio River, HO-scale layouts from the New River Valley Modular Railroad Club and K.C. Filkins, and an N-scale layout. Trains’ announcement also lists hands-on demonstrations by C&OHS member Dale Perry, participation by Colby Lowry, presentations focused on the Chesapeake & Ohio’s James River Line with special Saturday programs at the museum, and a presence from Operation Lifesaver promoting railroad safety.

Vendors will offer all scales of model trains, railroadiana and rail-related gifts while exhibitors run operating layouts and door-prize drawings throughout the weekend. Trains’ coverage highlighted family-focused elements including small ride-on trains on site; its image captions read “Family looking at a model railroad roundhouse.” and “Man handing out paper hats next to small ride-on train.” The society’s announcement told readers that “This is an event for the entire family to enjoy.”

Admission logistics are straightforward: organizers state that “A $5 admission grants access to both venues.” Listings on Trains, Railfan and Chessieshop corroborate the March 21–22 dates and the shared-admission policy; Chessieshop specifically confirms the Sunday end time of 4:00 p.m. For schedule details such as speaker times, vendor lineups or whether Saturday’s James River Line presentations require separate registration, Trains and Railfan direct readers to the event sponsor for final information.

For questions or to verify contacts, WVTF’s 2025 announcement supplied a society phone and email that remain the only explicit contact details in the collected notices: 540-862-2210 and brandy@cohs.org. Those contacts were listed in the 2025 release and should be checked for currency with the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society before the weekend.

Proceeds from the March 21–22 show support the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society’s preservation and educational work; expect layouts, vendors and safety outreach across both the C&O Railway Heritage Center and Clifton Forge Armory when doors open March 21 at 10:00 a.m.