Murphy – A group of homeschooled students from Hidden Mountain Brilliance, their parents and teachers gathered in front of the caboose at the L&N Train Depot on May 17.
Hidden Mountain Brilliance is a home-schooled group started eight years ago by founder Cynthia Marie Hull. The group organizes local field trips for students, with the Murphy caboose the latest outing.
Hull said the outing was fun for the younger students, while being more educational for older students. “It was an amazingly put together look at Murphy, N.C., in a much smaller capacity for all to see,” she said.
Thomas Urso, president of the Valley River Model Railroad Club, was more than happy to open the door for the opportunity to show youngsters the railroad and its trains.
Tiny eyes widened, and excitement shown on their faces to see the detailed replicas of the towns of Murphy and Andrews, along with a moving train operated by Bill Royse, the club’s treasurer and the day’s engineer.
Walter Fuhrer of Murphy was there with his son, “Captain,” “I’m from Switzerland,” he said, “and we know trains. I love trains.”
The caboose is open to visitors from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month from April through November. However, in June the caboose will be open on the fourth Saturday.
The Valley River Model Railroad Club started in 2006 and will assist anyone desiring to build their own. The Murphy caboose is at the L&N Train Depot, 4 Railroad St. For details, check out Valley River Model Railroad page on Facebook.