# Step Up, Sound Off, Where Is Your Group From?



## CapeCodSteam (Jan 2, 2008)

I have been following another thread in this group and it got me to thinking. I have been a train guy for years, the last 15+ running solo.

Two years I met a live steamer on MLS who lives the next town over. Together we (mostly him, Doug is the labor force), bounce ideas off each other and anticipate the next four phases in development. We have also joined a local RR Club, and if we can't infect them with live steam I hope we can open a few eyes to 45 mm track. 

So I will step up and say there is a core group of six on the Cape who are "G" gaugers. I'm not naming the club yet, cause I can't speak for the others.

Cape Cod/SE Mass - a small group

Next?

Start a big list and connect a bunch of 45mm guys and gals.


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## nkelsey (Jan 4, 2008)

It would be a lot easier if the profile showed city/state like it used to. Rose City Garden Railway Society, Portland Metro area, Oregon


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

WAGRS: The Wichita Area Garden Railway Society. Membership is from all over Central and N. Central Kansas.


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## Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

River City Railroaders, 
Nebraska, Kansas,Iowa. We have about 40 members.


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Big Lick Big Train Operators: Roanoke, Salem, Blacksburg, & Wythville, Virginia plus other communities in Southwest Virginia. (This area was known in colonial times as Big Lick due to the abundance of natural salt deposits, or salt licks. The salt deposites attracted large game animals, and the abundance of game animals attracted hunters and trappers.)

David Meashey


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## AndyC (Jan 2, 2008)

Gateway Garden Railroad Club... St Louis area, members in both Missouri and Illinois... Usually about 70 members on the roster.... (Members = a family membership).... www.ggrrc.org


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Kent,

There is a group of large scalers in central PA, but I've had more fun with the guys I met on MLS and the Aristo board. There are several garden railroaders within a 15 mile radius of me, but I've not been able to meet up with them for various reasons.


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm in the same boat as Mark. I live within driving distance of two groups but not truly reasonable driving distance in NY State. An hour for one one way and two hours for the other. I've made attempts at being part of the one group but have been dropped from the email list. 

Chas


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

Here is my story (4 year project of the Gauge1 Tradewinds & Atlantic Railroad Track),


A few years ago, a modular GScale sparky club use to exist and go to the big conventions when they use to have them down here(Greenberg doesn't want to drive down this far anymore :-( ), well their trailer got stolen with all the modules and a bunch of club engines and the club dispersed. Very few hobby shops in the South Florida area carried anything gauge1/gscale nether less trains period, even the train hobby shop owners would always give me this speech saying the hurricanes destroyed the garden railway down here and that gscale is dead.


Being a stubborn Irishman that I am, I wouldn't take that for an answer. Four years ago, my dad moved to the Deland area and his local shop was "The Train Depot" own by Mike Albert. He talked my dad into a Accucraft K-28 as his "FIRST" live steam engine (LOL - he still thinks he should of got a ruby for his first engine also hehehe) and my dad also bought me a Accucraft Ruby (for christmas) the same year. This also started our yearly visits to Diamondhead - I never want to miss one! (thanks for convincing us Mike!)









(no we didn't run them on the indoor layout lol)
This was one of the best Christmas's I ever had till this day was that year! Anyway, I brought the ruby home to my apartment and had no where to run it, after running it on a circle track in the kitchen (with the sliding glass door open, the fumes were still present from the butane hehe) I had to find a place to run it down here.


I knew the was a 7.5" gauge track nearby and knowing that a lot of 7.5" gauge tracks have livesteam gauge 1 tracks next to them I checked them out on their website. They did have a small, on the ground, layout that my ruby could run on but only at a slow speed it had grades, was almost "un-runnable".











The club president (Jon Hollahan) came to me and presented an idea, One little spark - of inspiration, (Is at the heart of all creation. Right at.. Que Disney figment song), about having a gauge 1 division of Tradewinds and Atlantic Railroad with a nice big club track. To start, he wanted me to rebuild the small layout to generate interest. So I did










And interest it did generate!, I set out to all the HO scale clubs and N Scale clubs to find the old members of the GScale Friends and Family Club that dispersed when their trailer got stolen. I found the club president (well known fellow that goes by the name of Bill Muzenmeier) and his partner in crime Frank Vanak, and we got the old book out and started calling in all the old club members, we got a bunch to join Tradewinds & Atlantic and the club seeing all this work committed $2000 toward our full size club track! I devised a plan with the help of MLS to create the perfect starter plan with a balance of everything (that money would allow).










I set out to get stuff donated because I knew the money wasn't quite enough but when a club offers you money and its close, u take it and run! get it built to the best of your ability and get the rest later! We did have success, I got the 2x4's donated from Bill Muzenmeier (wood was from his door shop, all pressure treated but from 1987, it was all in really good shape though! yet we have to take it apart, a lot of work!), got the decking at cost (deerfield lumber supply) because we knew the owners and a great price on track. A fellow with some OGauge live steam by the name of Micheal J Denning donate to us $1800 for some switches and a loop of dual gauge track! Some of us had to pitch in a little more (around $100 from 3 people myself included for hardware - rental equip) and its getting finished up as we speak. People are coming all out of the woodwork to join the club now. South Florida now has a great Live Steam and Electric Club Track! It should be finished by this SUNDAY!


























So thats how the Gauge1 Division of Tradewinds & Atlantic Railroad got started, a few MLS'ers belong to this club. cjsrch (already bought a lathe, built some goodalll valves already hehe), stevenj, Bruce, and a few lurkers that I don't know their names. I am putting together the list to build my first Coal Fired Boiler (for a RH Billy) (Steve Shyvers and David Bailey im looking at your designs!) and another fellow that has a scratch built British outline loco who asked me if he can run at our track.


If you build it they will come! (now I just have to convince the local hobby shops to start stocking gauge1 stuff again sheesh)


P.S. A few more diamondhead attendees should be coming this year or next, I got a few really excited about it! If ANYONE wants to come in run, we run every 3rd Sat and Sun of the month or u can come and run at any other time! (even though would like to meet you!) The track is in a public park (Tradewinds North - next to the 7.5" gauge track), Just bring stuff and run!

So Tradewinds & Atlantic Railroad - South East Florida (group of about 10 of us, growing as we speak) 

(MLS still needs to add us to their club section lol - I was voting in as a Director of the Tradewinds and Atlantic Railroad (2 Sundays ago) so I should have authority lol)


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Rusty Rails and Rotten Ties Eastern Massachusetts with members form Rhode Island. 

Some members travel over an hour to make a meeting, depending on where the open house is located. 

One meet is close to the Jamestown bridge in RI, another is in Lunenburg, MA.


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## Bob Pero (Jan 13, 2008)

FGRS Florida Garden Railway Society-Three Divisions Tampa Bay, Central (Orlando) and Southwset ( Ft. Myers)


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

Genesee G Gauge Railway Society, Rochester, NY 
http://www.trainweb.org/gggrs/ 


and Upstate Steamers, the Western NY Live Steam club: 

http://gold.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/upstatesteamers/ 

(Chas, was your email dropped from GGGRS? or the Buffalo club? 
if it was GGGRS, I will make sure you get back on the list..) 

Scot


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

Scot, I was dropped from the WNY GRS emails. You never added me to the GGGRS...I was not aware there was a email lsit for that? It's all good though!  

Chas


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

We are the Michigan Small Scale Live Steamers...


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Northern Ohio Garden Railroad Society nogrs for short. The main group is in the Cleveland area with members from as far as 70 miles away. We have a monthly meeting at members homes. There are about 60 members.


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## Bill Swindell (Jan 2, 2008)

BAGRS, Bay Are Garden Railroad Soxiety. We are located in the San Francisco bay area.


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

3 wise man group! Me, Myself,and I! I am a group of one! Hah LOL The J&B has been in operation for over 2 years, and closest group to me is I believe Del Tappero's group which is the Northern Colo Garden Railroad group. Correct me if I'm wrong Del. Haven't joined any group as of yet too far too expensive for me to travel. So poor can't pay attention!! So I guess like Blue Man Group, I am Poor Man's Group!! Hah Regal 

Whoops I guess I do belong to the online "Livestream" virtual World Wide Garden Railroad Tour website!!! Along with 8-9 others including the World Famous Noel Wilson! http://www.livestream/noelw/ No mus no fuss just broadcast from inside or outside to the whole world. 

http://www.livestream.com/crazytrainguyschannel/


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

I am the current President (until January when I will be Vice President/Secretary) of the Orange County Garden Railway Society in Southern California, about 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles. We currently have about 42 member families in the club and have a monthly potluck lunch meeting at a different member's home the second Sunday of each month.

Our web site (my wife's creation):

Orange County Garden Railway Official Web Site


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## Henson (Jan 2, 2008)

NWAGRS, Northwest Arkansas Garden Railway Society, Small membership from North Eastern Okla. and Northwest Arkansas. 

web site at www.nwagrs.org


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By wchasr on 19 Nov 2010 06:59 AM 
Scot, I was dropped from the WNY GRS emails. You never added me to the GGGRS...I was not aware there was a email lsit for that? It's all good though!  

Chas 



Chas,
im trying to send you a PM..but the PM thing doesnt seem to be working..so I have to post it here!
send me an email with the address you want to use, and I will get you added to the list.

sscotsman at yahoo dot com

Scot


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## barnmichael (Jan 2, 2008)

North Texas Garden Railroad Club serving the greater Dallas-Ft Worth Metroplex. Always eager for more members, just like any other club. 
http://www.ntgrc.org or info_at_ntgrc.org


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## post oak and otter lake (Dec 27, 2007)

NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS ALL SCALE serving Collin, Rockwall, Hunt, & NE Dallas Counties. Small group [always room for more], no dues, no rules. Visit us at www.nctxas.org 

Roger


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

N.Y. N.Y. one **** of a state 

We got the Hudson Valley Large Scalers cause we Really are great.................


HE HE HE.


We are located i the Lovely Huidson Valley of NY........

Look us Up.....


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

I'm the current president of the *BAY AREA GARDEN RAILWAY SOCIETY*. We are located in the nine counties surrounding San Francisco Bay. We now have 279 member families making us one of the largest, if not the largest regional Garden Railway Clubs in the United States.










In 2011 BAGRS will be hosting the *West Coast Regional Meet* where we plan on having 50 garden layouts open for tour. I hope a lot of Mylargescale members can make it to the meet.



















Russ Miller


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## smcgill (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Dan Pierce on 18 Nov 2010 04:15 AM 
Rusty Rails and Rotten Ties Eastern Massachusetts with members form Rhode Island. 

Some members travel over an hour to make a meeting, depending on where the open house is located. 

One meet is close to the Jamestown bridge in RI, another is in Lunenburg, MA. Ya what Dan said!!
Also the Inner City Railroad of Boston ( Module that attend show's)

Sean


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

Sacramento Valley Garden Railway Society, Sacramento CA. We've got 100+ family memberships. The group has members in Sacramento, Yolo, Butte, Placer, El Dorado, Solano, and San Joaquin Counties in California, and a few in Reno and Carson City, NV.


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## takevin (Apr 25, 2010)

Wheres IL? jeez


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

The Rio Linda Train and BBQ Group Is a small group located in Calif. that try to run trains once a month when weather is good.. Most of our train runs are on Sat. nights.. Fun running in the dark after a big pot luck..








Also, our Live broadcasts 
Our R.R. Link broadcast.
with Blueregal. 
Blueregals Link Broadcast. 







Note: Regal, Don't forget you are in our Group to.. Just send trains so I can play with them for ya.....
hehehehehe...


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## Madstang (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By Trains on 12 Nov 2010 05:44 AM 
River City Railroaders, 
Nebraska, Kansas,Iowa. We have about 40 members.


Just to expand a ilttle on what Don stated.
We have 40+ members with spouses included and they have taken an active role partissipating in the meetings. 
There are also members as far as Illinois, and Lexington Ne. Of course they are considered "honorary" members, that show up when they can.
The majority of members are from the surrounding areas of Omaha, Counil Bluffs, Nebraska City, Lincoln, and all the surrounding communities in between.
And even members that have moved into this area from other states.

Bubba


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## B.A. (Jan 13, 2008)

Central Arkansas Garden Railroad Society, not a lot of us but we are always looking for new folks. 


Bernie


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