The Denver HO Model Railroad Club, located in the basement of the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, CO, has a new website at www.DenverHOModelRRClub.org. I have been updating the site with new photos and information. Here’s one of the more popular attractions…the Amusement Park.
If you’re in the Denver area, the Club runs the layout for the public the first Thursday evening of each month. If you can’t visit the Club in person, feel free to visit the website.
Randy, superb work, if I lived in your area, I would be a member!!!
God bless, Alan.
Glad to know you are still there. I visited your layout on a work night about 35 years ago - I was about 15 at the time. One of your members took about an hour away from his own work to teach me how to hand-lay a turnout. He was a great guy and his methods are right on. With nothing more that that one lesson I went on to build an N-scale layout with hand laid code 55 track.
I always think of your club with great fondness. You’re a great bunch, and your layout was wonderful 35 years ago, I bet it’s fantastic now. I’ll check your website.
It isn’t that easy. It is an invitation only club. I’ve wanted in for years.
That would have been Erwin Chaim. He was a true master of the craft and regularly gave clinics on the subject. Erwin, now about 80, is still an active member, but after decades of service as our president, passed the mantle of leadership on to our current president a few years ago. I don’t know what part of UT you’re in, but I’ll be at the Hostlers show in Ogden the first weekend in March judging their model contest again. Look me up if you get the chance to come…and bring a contest entry! If you’ve never been I highly recommend it. It’s really a great show with a great bunch of modelers in a marvelous venue…Ogden Union Station.
Randy,
I’ll be in Denver for a conference in April however not in time for the first Thursday of the month! [:(]
I like your site [tup] [tup] and the club sure has quite a history of success too!
Thanks for sharing!
Ryan
Zepher,
Interesting, but then, they are not the only fellow(s) in the Denver area that are hard to get to know.
Joe
My son and I visited the museum in October. We were both very impressed and thought the coin operation was a neat idea! Great job guys!
We’re there every Thursday evening from about 7-9 so feel free to drop by. We won’t be running trains on the other Thursdays, but you’re still welcome. If you’re just coming in the evening there isn’t an admission charge to the Museum, but you should plan on visiting it if you have the chance during the day.
I will definitely have to stop when I go down to see the Broncos game this fall. I have always wanted to see the museum, but I didn’t know the model railroad was in the basement, this is definitely the icing on the cake!
Please tell Mr. Chaim how much I appreciate what he did for me. I’ll never forget what an ambassador for the hobby he is. He set an example that I try to follow every time another modeler asks a question.
I’ll be at the Hostlers show; I make it every year. I’d enter my work, but I don’t feel like I measure up to the entries I’ve seen at the show. If they had a non-competing class, I’d bring something just to show. On second thought, I have this railbus that I made using a Jordan school bus kit and an NWSL Flea:
If I work up my nerve, I’ll bring it.
I followed the link to view the club photographs and there were alot of nice scenery and buildings pictured! Being interested in trains, I noticed a distinct lack of pictures showing trains, especially standard gauge trains with diesels on the head end. Do they run such monsters and if so, it would be nice to see those being that I am a TRAIN nut! 
I was just there last September when my wife and I were on vacation in our RV and on our way to Oregon and California from Texas. I really enjoyed it tremendously.
My dad took us to the railroad museum when I was about 12 years old (i’m 49 now) and they have tripled what was there years ago.
I enjoyed everything from the HO layout in the basement to the G gauge layout outside and the real stuff scattered throughout the museum. My favorite was the Pierce Arrow “Galloping Goose” and the 1880 Baldwin 4-8-0 next to the roundhouse.
If anyone hasn’t been there you really need to go! You positively won’t regret it!..chuck
Oh yes, we run diesels. So far, I’ve been concentrating on getting photos of the layout itself, and I still have only scratched the surface. After I’ve gotten the layout pictures taken and posted, then I’ll start working on the equipment that runs regularly. While members can bring equipment of any era to run during running nights, the equipment that is permitted to be on display on the layout the rest of the time can’t be newer than 1958.
Being a lover of passenger trains, you’ll regularly see my CB&Q California Zephyr, Santa Fe Chief and one or more UP City trains. Tonight, you’d probably get a chance to see all three run and maybe even a GN Empire Builder. Since most of the motive power belongs to individual club members, and they usually only bring it on running nights, we never know what to expect.
I could not agree more. The collection of narrow guage is extrodinary! And to be able to get so close to capture great photo’s is a real treat! What a help in modeling that era! If anyone is in need of some I can check what I took ( about 2 GB’s worth ) and forward them to you.
Sounds great! I really look forward to seeing action shots of the trains! I like to see shots showing some or all of a train hint hint. I own a full BLI CZ but don’t have a layout to run on atm, but I’d love seeing shots of the clubs trains, all kinds. Give us an update when you’ve post more pictures! Thanks!
Be glad too. You can see glimpses of my full CZ in a few of the shots. It is powered by a pair of P2K E7s, and sometimes another member’s D&RGW PAs. Visitors often comment about it sitting at the Calamity Station when it’s not running.
This evening different members ran some of my trains, others ran their own, one used my ATSF E6s to power his string of heavyweights when his power units failed, and for a brief time we even had a German steamer with varnish in tow. A couple of visiting kids got to run a train too. And that was just on the standard gauge. Several members were operating the narrow gauge, and one had some traction going.
Next Thursday evening will be my next opportunity for photography, so I’ll try to get some new photos up the weekend after that.
I might also add that Erwin repairs locos for Caboose Hobbies in Denver. You can see him there for info two or three day a week. He is a real Modelmaster.
Dick
Texas Chief
Joe,
Once you get an inside connection, you start to meet more people. Have you ever been to this website? http://www.drgwscenicline.org/ Thi sis the club I go to, and we always welcome visitors. Send me a PM and we can talk.
-Andrew
I once belonged to a fledgling model railroad club for a year. There were about 20 members and we all wanted to build a club layout, but we could never reach consensus on the basic parameters like era, scenery construction methods, season of the year, DCC or DC, etc. etc. The club dwindled away to nothing by the end of its first year. How does your club deal with these issues?