A large table that is home to scale model trains as part of the hobby of model railroading. Commonly known as a layout. Model Railroads can vary in realism from fictional (freelanced) to prototypical, and size from a simple 4x8 plywood sheet to a "basement empire". Often confused for simply running toy trains in a circle, or oval. (which it can include)
Bob: Hey Dave, you got any hobbies?
Dave: I have a model railroad.
Bob: So, you run toy trains? Dude, your 35!
Dave: *facepalm*
"To railroad" means to rig a situation such that events can only play out in a particular manner, or to a particular end. When applied to a trial, it means to manipulate the judicial system such that a defendant is virtually guaranteed a conviction. The metaphor derives from the nature of a railroad track, which does not offer a train the ability to choose its path of travel.
"The lead prosecutor railroaded Eddy into a first-degree murder conviction: she relied heavily on the testimony of unqualified experts."
"If you are hosting a murder-mystery party, avoid railroading your guests into quickly solving the case. Give them freedom to pursue tangents in the storyline they find interesting."
The Metro-North Railroad is a semi-decent commuter railroad in the New York metropolitan area. There are three lines, the Hudson Line (to/from Poughkeepsie); the Harlem (to/from Wassaic) and the New Haven Line (to/from New Haven, Conneticut). The New Haven Line has three smaller branches into Danbury, New Caanan and Waterbury. All three lines go as south as Grand Central Terminal.
I need to go home to Poughkeepsie, the Metro-North Railroad dosen't run past 1am.