I've visited and enjoyed the Treasure Coast Model Railroad Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, a few times when I've been down there. I always enjoy it.
http://www.tcmrr.org/
It's not a club, but the Franklin & South Manchester layout by George Selios is one of the legendary layouts. It's in Peabody, MA.
http://www.horailroad.com/fsm/fsmlayout0.html
http://www.finescaleminiatures.com/about.html
Visiting hours are limited for the F&SM, but it's one that's worth scheduling.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
If you get over to Phoenix, check out the Thunderbird Model Railroad Club. Their, layout is featured for the duration of the Arizona State Fair, but they have (had) open house nights once a month. Contact them for more information. I've included a link to their website.
Thunderbird Model Railroad Club
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
I have seen Miniatur Wunderland being mentioned here. It´s a fantastic layout, no doubt, but it is not a club layout. It is a commercial display layout, a miniature wonderland, just as the name implies. It is built to attract a paying public, so it includes a big number of gimmicks and gadgets, which you´ll normally don´t find on a model railroader´s layout. Trains are not the focus, but the reason.
As I live about half an hour´s drive away from it, I have visited Miniatur Wunderland a number of times in the past years and I will continue to do so. It´s worth a visit. The amount of creative engineering gone into it so far is just awesome!
Hi Tim,
My son and I have been doing the same. Some thoughts:
Greely is great. Colorado museum is just ok (older, but ok).
If you go to Golden, go to the Colorado Mine Museum at the school.
Coor's tour is the same (2014) as it was when I went with college guys in
1974. (disappointed as my son had just turned 21) Colorado prototype museum at Golden is great also. (Same as above, I think)
EnterTRAINment north of Cinci is very very very good.
Surprised no one mentioned K-10 outside of St Louis. It is absolutely awesome!
Best of all I've seen:
Prototpe in St. Louis is good.
Make sure you catch Caboose Hobbies sometime along the way.
Train ride in Chattanooga and Strasburg OK
Anxious to hear more from others.
Thought there was another large layout in MR once. Can't remember where but I think in the midwest somewhere.
Best to your travels!
doc steve
Might get to go to Hamburg in 2016. Can't wait!
While it is not a RR club, the 3.5 million dollar layout at Chicagos Museum of Science and Industry is very impressive.
Tim
Another recommendation is if you have not already done so join the NMRA - National Model Railroad Association - there are clubs all across the United states and outside the states. These are modelers who meet to learn about different aspects, some have club layouts, some set up at shows only and most have home layouts. If you join you can always contact a district that you will be visiting and see if you can visit some of the home layouts in the area while you travel. The membership is relatively cheap. I think I pay about 60 to $70 a year which gives me a montly National magazine, a local division paper ( about four times a year ), really great yearly calender ( this is worth the price alone in my opinion ) and access to the NMRA website. All in All a great deal for the money. Plus YOU GET TO MEET some really great modelers too !
MisterBeasley I'll second Paul's suggestion about the South Shore Model Railway Club. I'm not a member, but I've made the trip down there a few times to visit. On Thanksgiving weekend, which is admittedly a tough time to get away, there is a tradition here called the "Tour de Chooch." Modelers in eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire have open houses, and everyone is invited to take the self-guided tour and visit a lot of extremely nice home layouts.
I'll second Paul's suggestion about the South Shore Model Railway Club. I'm not a member, but I've made the trip down there a few times to visit.
On Thanksgiving weekend, which is admittedly a tough time to get away, there is a tradition here called the "Tour de Chooch." Modelers in eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire have open houses, and everyone is invited to take the self-guided tour and visit a lot of extremely nice home layouts.
Mr B, maybe you can check out the spring show Mar 14 and 15 http://www.ssmrc.org/springflyer.pdf
Hope to see you then, lots of great stuff this past year
A new "leg 3" is operational, quite the yard
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
Well, if you normally stay West of the Mississippi River, then you probably won't want to travel East of the Hudson River. But, I happen to think that my club, the South Shore Model Railway Club, est. 1938, has one of the biggest and best club buildings in the country at 10,000 sq. ft. www.ssmrc.org
Not to say we have the best layout, although we're trying. We're only about halfway built in our 6300 sq. ft. layout room. We didn't go crazy with multiple levels (only two) and dramatic scenery. Instead we're more focused on Operations.
Outside my club, the North Shore Model Railroad Club is very nice (www.nsmrc.org), and so is the Bay State Model Railroad Museum (www.bsmrm.org).
Outside Massachusetts, the nicest club I've personally been to is the Elmhurst Model Railroad Club in Elmhurst, IL. (www.emrrc.org) At least that one is a little closer to you. Otherwise, the best I've heard of the The Model Railroad Club in Union, NJ. (www.tmrci.org)
If you want to find some clubs, try the NMRA's webpage of links:http://nmra.org/world-7 Just scroll down to the Club links.
Paul A. Cutler III
You could contact the groups listed above, under Resources, in the areas you are thinking of traveling to. They should know of layouts and may be able to direct you to other clubs in the area that are not listed above. Historical groups might know of some too.
Have fun,
Richard
I was just about to post something about this club I visited on Saturday and recommend it to other model railroaders. The one I visited is the Durand Union Station Model Railroad Engineers. http://www.greatesthobby.com/wgh/directory/MS_219.html they don't have a web site anymore but they do have a Facebook page. Their layout represents the GTW and Ann Arbor lines through Durand and some of lower MI during the transition era.
If your in the area, another great club is the Detroit Model Railroad Club http://www.dmrrc.org/ . However don't go to Detroit looking for it because it isn't there. It is actually in Holly, MI about 30 miles away from Durand. I wasn't able to make it over there during the holidays, but they have a full schedule of open houses for the winter.
The North American Prototype Modelers layout in Milwaukee WI is large and very nicely done, pretty constantly being altered and updated. It is generally open on the Saturday night of Milwaukee's Trainfest, and it is not uncommon to see many of the manufacturer exhibitors there to check it out. http://www.napmltd.org/
Dave Nelson
Greely was great. Very well done and they have trains running all the time.
If your in that front range area, the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden is excellent. There is a club layout in the basement but, its fairly old and I think they only meet Thursday night and then they only run once a month (its been awhile though maybe things are different now). But, you can still view the layout and the museum is excellent. Afterwards you can take the Coors Tour! Cheers.
I have to say my favorite club to visit is the Northern Virginia Model Railroaders club. They usually have an open house once a month. You can stand in one place and see the entire layout. The bottom level is a hugh yard with trains coming in and out. The upper three levels are towns along the line. There will be at least 8 trains running at once, going in and out of tunnels and crossing high bridges. A truly spectacular show.
Check it out www.nvmr.org
I'm a native of southeast Pennsylvania, lived there 33 years till I moved to northern Nevada in 1994. If you do, at any point find yourself as far east as Philadelphia or Reading PA check out the Chelten Hills Model Railroad Club in north Philly and/or the Reading Society of Model Engineers in Reading...and to boot, you have the Railroad Museum of PA not too far away in Strasburg...east of Lancaster.
http://www.cheltenhillsmrr.org/
http://www.rsme.org/
http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/
Mark H
Modeling in HO...Reading and Conrail together in an alternate history.
From the videos I've seen, here , The club layout at the Greely Colorado Railroad Museum, looks to be worth a visit.
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
(I am fairly new to the forum so I apologize in advance if this has been done before)
Every summer my son and I take a road trip and are starting to make plans for this summer and I would like to incorporate a visit or two to club layouts if possible. Normally we stay west of Mississippi River, but not a hard and fast rule!
I live in SoCal and have been to a number of them in the area (really like Pasadena MRR Club and Balboa Park Museum) but looking for something new. From the many videos I have seen I would definitely like to go to Greely to see the layout in Museum there!
Anybody have recommendations as to the best club layout you ever visited?
Thanks,