Last Chance for Rocky Hill’s Model Railroad

By Lea Florentine | Posted Jan. 30, 2025 (Updated on Feb. 4, 2025)

Anne Pate, 74, and her late husband Carlton “Carl” Pate III  — a model train enthusiast — moved to Rocky Hill in 2016 into an unusual home of sorts. An HO-scale model railroad with 3,500 feet of track takes up the entire basement.

After Carl’s death last year, Anne is ready to sell. She wants to be near her children and five grandchildren, who live in Austin, TX and the Washington, DC area.

The Rocky Hill home will be listed in mid-March as a luxury 4-bedroom home on a 2-acre lot on Washington Street. However, it gets about 1,000 visitors a year in October to see the extensive model railroad setup in the basement. It is also home to a 30-member nonprofit club that wants to keep their masterpiece intact, but cannot afford to purchase the property.

As reported in the October issue of The Montgomery News, the club has been looking for a buyer to preserve the museum-quality model railroad setup.

The search for a buyer who wants to own a large home with an extensive model train in the basement was advertised nationwide in a The Wall Street Journal article on Jan. 15.

Titled, “A Hobbyist’s Death Starts a Race to Save a Railroad,” the article states that the model train club is facing possible derailment unless a buyer steps forward who wants to keep the railroad, and the club.

The property is valued at $1.16 million according to Zillow. The home was built in 1954 and has a detached garage, which provided space for Carl’s other hobby: antique Ford cars.

Club members have gathered every Wednesday night for many years to run an extensive model railroad — a small section is pictured above — in the basement of Anne Pate’s Washington Avenue (Route 518) home. Photo by Barbara A. Preston.

Anne and Carl Pate in their 1915 Ford Model T on July 4th. Photo by Barbara A. Preston.

When PS Club members visit, there is a back entrance, and a half bathroom they can use. The 96 by 46 foot basement was expanded twice and now has a bigger footprint than the house.

Typically, 15 members come to the house on Wednesday nights; total membership is twice that number.

The club’s policy states that the owner of the house becomes the chairperson of the PS board; the board has been debating whether to change this provision.

While Anne took over as chairperson after Carl’s death at age 76 on June 23, 2024, members voted in Jeff Bernardis as chairman.

Advertisement

Anne and Carl raised their family in Connecticut. Carl’s participation in the PS Club in Rocky Hill began when he was a young man, since his aunt lived next door on Washington Street.

After Carl retired as a VP at Bank of America, he jumped at the chance to own the house. However, as the WSJ article states, Anne would not be “railroaded” and agreed — as long as the kitchen was renovated.

Carl and Anne ran shows for the public for many years.

Darko Radojcic of Bogy construction in Rocky Hill is preparing estimates of the cost and time needed to dismantle the railroad. Currently, the members don’t have a place to store their trains, tracks, scenery, computers, cameras, and other materials.

Somerset County Administrator Colleen Mahr has expressed interest in looking at the railroad and investigating whether the county could offer or help find possible sites for the railroad. Club members, including Borough Council Member Catherine Plunkett, have said that they hope the sale of the house doesn’t mean the end of the line for the club.

Interested in Purchasing this Property and the Model RR?

Contact Information for Inquiries on the purchase of this home: (Please reference 26 Washington Street, Rocky Hill, NJ)

Cynthia Fowlkes, ABR SRES

Broker / Owner

REMAX INSTYLE:  1378 Route 206, Skillman, NJ 08558

Office:  609.303.3456

Cell:     908.581.5503

email:  Cynthia@InStyleRealty.com

https://www.thefowlkesgroup.com/