Rails rumble for miles ahead of the roaring engine, the smell of coal fills the air from the blackened smokestacks and a whistle sounds, signaling to clear the way. These are the sights and sounds of the railroad.

A group of students particularly fascinated by these aspects of the rail want to bring them to the ISU community, in the form of a model railroad club.

Paul Duncan, junior in transportation and logistics, is heading the proposed group. He said people around campus have expressed interest in model railroading.

“Our goal is to gather people with shared interest in model railroading and railroading,” he said. “Then a goal for the future would be to open a model railroading location on campus where visitors could come to see the trains in action.”

While students have expressed interest, Duncan said the group has not been able to find a faculty advisor.

“We have contacted a few people we thought may have been interested, but have not yet found anyone to take the job,” he said.

The idea to form such a club has been something Duncan and several other students have wanted to do from a very young age.

“I became interested in railroading through my grandparents,” said Mike Endres, junior in transportation and logistics. “They lived by the railroad tracks, and we always used to go out and watch the trains go by.”