Rail buffs can get their fix just in time for the holiday season by way of an open invitation to a three-level Christmas train display.

Joe Pachorkowsky and Mary Topalanchik plan to open their home at 1149 Main Road in Franklin Township to the public on a donation basis.

A lifelong train display fan, Pachorkowsky said guests can view the display in person from 5-8 p.m. Dec. 9, and 2-6 p.m. Dec. 11.

“The idea to make the display public was toyed with last year after Mary and I spent our first Christmas in our current home,” Pachorkowsky said. “We hosted a Christmas party for friends and family. All who attended seemed to enjoy it.”

However, that wasn’t the only factor that played a role, according to Pachorkowsky, who said he had an esophagectomy and spent 22 days in the hospital. For 15 of those days he was sedated in the ICU.

“At the same time, I knew I was to undergo life-changing surgery at Johns Hopkins,” he said. “During my hospital stay, we talked again about possibly having a public display.”

Pachorkowsky said another driving force is the plight of the economy.

“We knew this Christmas was going to be a struggle for most people,” he said. “The trains bring smiles to faces young and old. We thought families needed an outlet to experience Christmas without worrying about going broke.”

As longtime members of the Carbon Model Railroad Society in Bowmanstown, Pachorkowsky said they are the only public O-scale display in Carbon County that he knows of.

Pachorkowsky said planning for this year’s display literally started the minute he began to put up last year’s display.

He purchased lumber and assembling modules last December, while shopping for particular items began around the same time.

Boxes of new train items arrived while last year’s display was up and operational.

“I easily have 100 hours wrapped up in planning, design, and construction (spread over the course of the year),” he said. “Set-up takes about 24 solid hours.”

Pachorkowsky said this year’s display is over 60 square feet, and roughly measures 6 feet x 10 feet on three levels. The layout is modeled in O-Scale (1:43 -1:48) and features Lionel, MTH, Williams, K-line, Weaver, and other brands.

There are 30 buildings (most of which are lighted), two animated roadways, six animated amusement rides, an animated fireworks display, LED ambient lighting, and loads of animations including police cars, fire trucks, and helicopters to go along with a few other surprises as well.

“Everything on the display is representative of things in my life and to Pennsylvania,” he said. “Visitors will see rolling stock from New Jersey Zinc to Reading & Northern. There’s model cars/trucks from Yuengling to Gibble’s potato chips.”

Pachorkowsky explained that his inspiration stems from the first Lionel Train set (Rock Island Line Set) he received from his paternal grandfather, Joseph T. Pachorkowsky Sr.

“As I grew older, my dad’s Lionel set from the 1950s made its way under the tree,” he said. “As a child, trains were just synonymous with Christmas as much as the Nativity, Santa, and Coca-Cola. O scale 3 rail trains were in and out of my life.”

Pachorkowsky said that in 2009, he was working in Danbury, Connecticut, when he bought a new Lionel set from J.C. Penney - now with Pachorkowsky’s sister and her family in Broomall, Delaware County. He’s been collecting trains ever since.

“Roadside America was (a) magical place as both a child and adult,” he said. “Its closure was a loss of a gem that will never be replaced. I sigh every time I pass its former location along Route 78.”

Pachorkowsky explained what he enjoys most about the display.

“The most satisfying is probably the joy it brings to the faces of those that see it for the first time,” he said. “Kids love seeing all the lights and hearing all the sounds. Parents and grandparents reminisce about their youth.

“Many of today’s generation sadly never had a train under the tree. Growing up in the 1980s every kid in my neighborhood in Palmerton had a train. It was just expected.”

In return, the couple seeks donations from the public, which will in turn be distributed to the Carbon County Animal Shelter.

Pachorkowsky stressed the importance of the donations, as he believes the animals typically are overlooked during the Christmas season.

“Shelters are being overwhelmed with people dropping off pets they simply no longer can afford,” he said. “All donations for the pets in need are warmly encouraged.”