With assistance from many dedicated volunteers, the dream of owner Ken Kroschwitz became a reality in March 1998. Starting with the construction of a modern warehouse-style building located in Maryville, K-10's Model Trains began. Utilizing a space of 60' by 81' (4,860 square feet) and thousands of dedicated hours of creative involvement by Ken and many volunteers, one of the largest privately owned HO layouts took shape. This is now a regional favorite for model train enthusiasts.

Today, K-10's has an on-site public operated 60' by 70' model railroad layout and a hobby shop specializing in model train sales and services. The full-service hobby shop carries many of the most popular lines, including Atlas, Proto, Roundhouse, Athearn, Walthers, Lionel, MTH and many more. Many "HO" locomotives with sounds are in stock. The layout and the hobby store support both analog (DC) and digital (DCC). K-10's is a cash only business.

The purpose of the model railroad layout is to demonstrate new products and techniques. The layout room includes a dispatcher and observation platform that is designed to accommodate individuals with disabilities.

The layout includes three major railroads (ATSF, UP & SP) that all interchange, two short lines, and five major industries. The ATSF includes a 255-foot double track main line and a 19 track yard with an average storage track length of 23 feet. DCC operators control both loops with DCC radio-controlled throttles and are used for the East end yard, West end yard, North local, South local, oil refinery, and both short lines (2' x 55').

Except for December, adult train running starts at 7 p.m. every Thursday night with the third Thursday night being "OPS" night. Train running for kids is on Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons - provided there are enough adult volunteers to supervise and that the kids meet the height requirements. Hobbyists may run their own DCC train with their own cellphone if they prefer.

K-10's is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The night after Thanksgiving, "Black Friday," the shop is open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Non-holiday Thursday night hours are from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. K-10's is closed anytime the parking lot is covered with snow or ice. Check the website for schedule changes and updates. 

K-10's buys previously owned HO & N scale model trains and model train collections by appointment only. Call 618-288-9720 to make an appointment.