An Epic Model Railroad Recreates The Gorge - In Miniature

Ever wonder what it would be like to be a giant towering over the Northwest landscape? You can find out at the Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club, where even children loom like Godzilla over all the iconic sites of the Gorge, from Union Station to Multnomah Falls to the Crooked River High Bridge.

“That's one thing that we're always talking about, walking across like King Kong or Godzilla, doing the whole Tokyo bit: it’s hilarious,” said club vice president Cynthia Leonard with a laugh, after crawling through a Portland street, her shoulders level with the tallest buildings.

Founded in 1947, the CGMRC is the biggest model railroad in the Northwest and one of the oldest in the country, and draws families every year (not to mention the occasional rock star) to gape at its epic recreation of our landscape, writ small.