I fully admit to being a model train aficionado. When I was a child my dad would set up our Lionel train set on a large plywood tabletop and build complete villages for the trains to encircle. We had depots, cattle and lumberyards, water towers and landscaped gardens. And the trains, oh the trains. It started with the powerful locomotive engine that spewed smoke when you dropped a little tablet into the smokestack. The cattle cars would empty onto a ramp that led to the corral and the logs car would dump its load into a fenced-in pen. It was amazing and the memories are as fresh as a newly cut Christmas tree. This time of year obviously brings out the nostalgia for many people who grew up in the age of model trains.
Fortunately for Baby Boomer residents of New Jersey there will be an outlet to relive and remember those days. The Garden State Model Railway Club will be presenting its 59th Annual Railroad Show at its incredible showroom in North Haledon. It takes place November 25-27 and continues on consecutive weekends in December. Like to know a little bit about the organization?
The Garden State Model Railway Club, Incorporated is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, expansion, and education of both model railroading and railroading. Our membership is given the opportunity to pursue, advance, and enjoy these hobbies. New Members are always welcome. We meet every Tuesday and Friday evening at 8PM. Our Annual Open House typically runs three weekends beginning Thanksgiving Weekend. Recently the Club has experimented with January, March, and April dates. Far more detail about the railroad can be obtained by taking our Virtual Layout Tour! Our Website also features a section on Railroad History! This section contains before and after photos as well as all kinds of information about real railroads that operated in our area! We have held several very successful Scout Nights during which various Scout groups have visited.
Those in the know will relish technical achievements such as digital command control, prototypical and fully functional NORAC signals, turntable, roundhouse, lighting and landscaping, and the impeccable recreations of real life railroad yards. The children don’t need to know any of this information, but they will be thoroughly entertained by Thomas the Tank Engine and the Santa Claus Express. There will be refreshments and a Grandstand for children to view the entire layout.
If my memory serves me, I cannot imagine a happier time than when I heard that whistle blow and saw the powerful engine rounding the next bend. No doubt about it, this is an excellent way to recapture the innocence of holidays past.
Garden State Model Railway Club
575 High Mountain Rd., Haledon, NJ
November 25-27
1:00PM – 5:00PM
www.modelrailroadshow.com
