although i enjoy building my own empire i find that its a lonely hobbie . i also know that there are clubs out there and i have found some . 1 is in HO and i model N so i dont really want to join that one there is another but it is 45 min to an hour away so thats a little to far to go. then there are the big clubs that are part of the museum, thats just to big for me and i dont want to compete for time . so my question is how do i start one and how do i get “friends” that enjoy what i do in my scale . the first club i mentioned is in a school. to me that would be the best rout to go since i have the feeling that modeling railroads is fadeing out among kids and there the ones we need to keep model railroading alive. i dont know if you all have noticed but hobbie shops have become far and few between. kids now a days would rather play a vidio game not model trains. although i said that there are kids modeling senery for role playing games and thats as close to railroading that i have found in my location. i have a 14yr old son that i would love to get him started in railroading but my atemps have failed he would rather go and play vidio games so my thought is to get him away from them ie. a club away from the house
so dose any one have any ideas on how to start one, how would i go about it
The clubs I’ve been associated with have almost always started with a close group of friends that shared some of the same intrests, at least to some point. That is, while they may model narrow gauge at home, they would like to dabble in modern standard gauge too. The club grows as aquaintences get involved and a few folks that “heard about” the club. Not that I’m saying it couldn’t be done, but it would be hard for an individual to start unless they had the capital and a location, or connections to get a location.
Maybe approcah the school to see if they would be willing to host, if they have the room and are willing to accept the risk. You could possibly even start as a modular group that sets up in the gym until the idea catches on.
I have been a member of a club for over 5 years now. It is about 45 min to an hour away from my home. It is an N and HO club with layouts in each scale… While I model in N, I find i’m doing more work on the HO layout. It’s an easy going club and I enjoy it. The club also has a modular HO layout that they take to several shows each year. I was at a show where I met some of the members before I joined. Then I went to two meetings before joining. I have been the club VP for three years now. Club enviorments are not for everyone and there is nothing wrong with being a lone wolf. A round robin style club my be ok if you can find other modelers and are willing to have strangers into your home. Modular may be the way to go if you can find someplace to set it up.
I help start a club once years ago…When we started there was 3 of us.Through fliers at train shows,hobby shops,grocery stores,a small pubic interest story( this was a very short interview and found on the community page) and other community bulletin boards we manage to gain momentum and our first real meeting was in a restaurant…There was 15 of us that attended and out of that 15 only 7 or 8 returned the following week.
Once we rented the space then actual construction on the layout begin and the membership started a slow growth.Of course in those early and lean years we donated a lot of money since the dues barely covered the rent-thankfully the rent was low and included the utilities…
So,the biggest thing is getting the word out,having that first informational meeting and then finding the space if the club takes root.
Do be prepared for disappointments and learn to overcome such things.
Dedication to the cause is a must.This will include time away from wifey and the wee ones and may include trips to nearby cities or towns to post fliers on community bulletin boards and new paper announcement.
I have been a member of a club for approximately 6 months now. The layout is essentially complete (museum quality) and operating the layout has become the name of the game. Unfortunately I’ve grown somewhat bored of this and find myself wanting to spend more time and energy on completing my own layout.
Have you been to DCCtrains in Cincinnati? Rob there is pretty heavy into N scale. He may be of some help. Personally I recently succombed to the narrow gauge bug and am working in On30.
While it’s very nice to be in a club that has similar interests as one’s own, it may not be necessary if you’re joining for social reasons. In my last club, we had two N scalers (we were HO) who seemed pretty happy to be there (they showed up on work nights!!!). Myself, I might consider going with On30, for example just to hang out with people I liked.
Currently, I’m investigating free-mo; and it’s looking real good to me.
If you really want to learn and socialize (the only valid reasons for joining a club) a gauge mis-match is easily dealt with. My prototype equipment wouldn’t fit ANY club’s operating scheme, so I spent a little money to acquire an appropriate locomotive, caboose and a few cars. The other clubmembers were happy, I was happy and the MZL system I installed lasted until the club was disbanded.
OTOH, if you absolutely, positively have to club up only with people who think and model exactly what you model, you can expect to either travel a long distance or resign yourself to being a lone wolf.
The last time I looked into joining a club, it developed that the membership had written a specific railroad, and museum-quality modeling, into their by-laws. Having no interest in the first, and paying only lip service to the second, I smiled, complimented them on their plans and accomplishments - and returned to being the lone wolf I am by nature. I’m sure that all of us are happier as a result.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - when not howling at the moon)
I don’t do well in a club environment because I’m stubborn, independent, and don’t enjoy politics or suffering the presence of difficult people.
An alternative is to find a like-minded buddy. That’s what I’ve done for years. We usually meet on a weekday evening to work on our individual, portable projects (rolling stock, structures, etc.) or help on each other’s layouts (when we have them). We take turns providing dinner at each meeting. This arrangement has the potential to grow into a small round-robin group with several people if there is the desire and opportunity.
I don’t know about that…but like it or not, there are more “geek, nerd” type people involved in this hobby, so its likely you’ll see quite a few of them in the club. Kind of like the Wal-Mart crowd after 8pm.
Of course I don’t fit that mold. Just look at me. I’m one of the best looking “geek” free train modelers you could find.
From THE WAY YOU ACT AND POST I THOUGHT YOU WOULD FIT SOMEONE LIKE THAT. MAN I’LL BET YOU HAVE SOME GREAT CLUBS AROUND YA. Please STOP IN TO MY CLUB AND SEE HOW MANY NERDS & GEEKS YOU CAN SPOT. IF YOU CAN FILL UP ONE HAND THAT WOULD BE ABOUT THE ONLY THING YOU WOULD LEAVE WITH THAT’S STILL IN TACT, TRUST ME MY FRIEND. ALSO, SEND ME AN EMAIL, I CAN RECOMMEND A VERY GOOD DENTIST. THEY ALMOST LOOK LIKE 'BILLY BOB TEETH"
Please do talk to a train museum to have your meetings. I am on the commitie of a train museum at an old depot. We do rent the depot out to people, but have 1 or 2 train groups that meet there for free each month. This also helps us to find more people (from talk) wanting to rent our place. Talk to a principal at a school close by and maybe the person will allow you to post notices of your meeting. Good luck. I tried to get my daughter interested in trains and took her to swap meets. Her reply was, “Looks to me like a bunch of old men here.” I scanned the area and only counted 2 kids about 5 and 7 years old. I did not notice until she brought it up.
There are formal club organizations which have dues, politics, rules, their own meeting place, and a diverse group of characters who may or may not happen to share your thoughts depending upon the particular subject at hand.
There are also round-robin informal groups that don’t have much of the above but share their hobby by meeting at a different house (railroad) every week to either work on the host’s railroad or shoot the bull, depending on their mood.
There is what I consider the best of all options, which is the beneficent dictatorship. This is the guy who has a very large model railroad and welcomes guests, visitors, and operators. He may also ask you to help on various projects. Of course, it’s his railroad, so you either go with the flow or hit the road.
The problem as I see it is that I don’t think any of these organizations will be able to help you with your goal of getting you son into model railroading. I think this has something to do with the leading a horse to water story. The trick to getting him involved is to find something in the hobby that interests him. And if you are having a hard time discovering that in your own basement, I feel it is very unlikely that you’ll have any better luck discovering it in someone else’s.
The advantage of “dictator” layouts is that they are absent of compromises resulting from when a group of people make decisions. Thus, they are commonly superior to the usual club layout.
