LONDONDERRY — Trains seem to run in Dave Maher’s family. He met his wife, Deborah, when he gave up his seat to an older woman on the MBTA Green Line — and asked her out when they happened to meet ...

One would never know it, but hidden in Boise’s downtown is a little train haven, featuring engines and boxcars and cabooses — all chugging seamlessly along 50 scale miles of track and 210 switches.

Since his retirement 14 years ago, Gary Scott of Midland has spent his time with model trains. Although he had never shown an interest in model trains before, he began constructing a railroad model in ...