A Plymouth Model Railroad Club?

[Racer]

I've been in this area for my entire life and for a main "hub" for CSX and a fairly big railroad town; I wish we had our own Model Railroad Club in the Plymouth/ Canton area. All the other areas have their model railroad clubs like Ann Arbor, Durand, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Holly, and I think Kalamazoo, too. So why can't we have one in this area? Is anyone interested in trying for a club? The theme could be like the CSX Detroit Sub !

[Garry K]

You just need to find some unused industrial building right next to the CSX tracks in Plymouth to house the layout.

I'm seriously considering moving from Ann Arbor to Plymouth and have been watching real estate near the Plymouth North Yard. There is an industrial building on the east side of the yard for sale, don't know for how much.

-- Garry K

[Racer]

It would be cool if we got a group and cluttered some money together and get that building and do a layout of the CSX lines around Plymouth and places like Rougemere, Flint, Wayne, New Boston, East Lansing, and other places around the 1990's with Canadian Pacific and other cool stuff! Preferrably HO.

[geeps]

i'm think about starting a Railroad video club. Very simple, I'll just start out with a few freinds. Bring them over, and we watch a couple train videos, a diffrent one each week-2 weeks w/e and discuss. Order dinner, or have snacks. And just have fun.

[Racer]

i'm think about starting a Railroad video club. Very simple, I'll just start out with a few freinds. Bring them over, and we watch a couple train videos, a diffrent one each week-2 weeks w/e and discuss. Order dinner, or have snacks. And just have fun.

What does it have to do with this topic?

[Stitch]

Well if the club gets off the ground this could be used as a way of raising money, membership and interest in the club. Of course the club needs to get off the ground first.

As far as a building that old tatoo shop on the corner of farmer and oh heck the street with the big field on it. Not sure what kind of square footage it has but its right next to the tracks.

[Garry K]

The building at 495 Amelia St (& Farmer St) is listed at http://www.century21town-country.com/pr ... =DetroitMI

It's 3200 sq. ft., and it looks like they're looking for $1790 a month to rent it. Don't know how much to buy it. That would still be steep for a model RR club as if you only had 10 members that's still $179 each a month. That would pretty much price out teens unless they had a wealthy patron to pay that. Of course with 20 members it would only be $89.50 a month each, still pretty steep for club dues. That wouldn't leave folks with much money to buy track/rolling stock/scenery!

There's also a building at 885 N. Holbrook in Plymouth that is right next to the tracks.
http://www.century21town-country.com/pr ... =DetroitMI

It's 5500 sq. ft for $2200 a month.

There's another building at 888 York St (next to the tracks) for $1200 a month (1200 sq. ft).
http://www.century21town-country.com/pr ... =DetroitMI

-- Garry K

[TrainWatcher]

When the club is formed... I am gonna join!! I have been wanting a close model club near me..... Great Idea guys!!

[Racer]

Is there any updates or info. that might make this a reality?

[GT1970]

There are several model railroad clubs in the Grand Rapids / Holland area. And there are some new ones poping up. The two newest ones are modular clubs, one is Free-Mo based the other one is more loosely based on the Michigan Modular group. Information on that group can be found at railsonwheels.com. I have found that for my situation (apartment) I can build a couple of modules and then meet with other people and set up or I can store them for future use (house) and work on new ones. If the modular group takes off, then think about a perm. layout.

[CAT345C]

I'm up for a modular RR, how bout HO Scale? If people would like, I could build them some bench work out of 2x4s, you could park my truck on my layout, and it wouldn't cave in. I just ripped two sheets of 1/2inch plywood, with a 2x4 or a 1x3 would work pretty good as a frame, and its easy to take apart. Anybody up for a modual layout club in Oakland/Washtenaw/Wayne County? oh yeah, and Livingston? At most a sheet of plywood 1/4 is what, 4 bucks, and 1.98 for an 8 foot 1x3 at 5 per eight foot table= $13.90 for an eight foot table. Add some foam to make it cost 15 bucks. I got a big basement, and possibily a barn we could use. I know Chris has a nice open space in his basement.

[Garry K]

Mike, modules should be built fairly light. Make them out of 2x4s and plywood and they'll be heavier to haul around. I say this as a member of Rails on Wheels. RoW hauls their modules in a trailer. To protect the modules while traveling, several modules are bolted into a frame so that nothing will hit the modules on their tops thus destroying scenery and track. When several modules are joined together that way, they can start to get heavy. RoW bolts only two yard modules together at a time as they are decked with plywood, and the two modules together are quite heavy.

I would recommend a light frame for a module. Use 1x4s for the outside frame, then use smaller pieces for interior bracing, like 1x2s. The track should be mounted on a wood subroadbed, which should probably be 1/2" plywood cut to run only under the tracks. The rest of the scenery base can be foam.

The RoW module standards are online at http://www.railsonwheels.com/modstand.shtml. Other module standards are also online. NMRA module standards are at http://www.nmra.org/standards/modules/ms_intro.html.

Garry K

[Racer]

I hate to bump an old thread, but I have been reading into the NMRA and their services lately and am inquiring if anyone on here would still be interested in co-operating in an actual club mainly focused on N scale in the Plymouth, Northville, or even Novi area? Although I am in favor of N scale, a smaller scale to model would yield to a decent-sized club layout in a "smaller building" which means lower fees for members. In addition, N scale seems to be the perfect scale and budget for many of us that have "scaled back" (no pun intended) from the crappy economy. I would like to do this formally, but cannot complete this task unless people were interested. It would be nice to find property where the tracks are visible such as part of the old PM depot that still stands in Novi. What is everyone's thoughts?

[PlymouthStationGuy]

I've been in this area for my entire life and for a main "hub" for CSX and a fairly big railroad town; I wish we had our own Model Railroad Club in the Plymouth/ Canton area. All the other areas have their model railroad clubs like Ann Arbor, Durand, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Holly, and I think Kalamazoo, too. So why can't we have one in this area? Is anyone interested in trying for a club? The theme could be like the CSX Detroit Sub !

Not to burst your bubble Chris but the buildings in those area cost $$$$$$$$$$$ it would be better if you can find a place to rent or first then raise money to buy a building. It took the Redford Club more than 15 years of flee markets to buy the building we are now in. We got lucky when stumbled across the building on Michigan ave. Don't want to go into details on the history on that building but the cops raided it a few times. The owners wanted to get rid fast so we got it cheap. like I said we lucked out, and after we got the expenses on that building is still a lot with insurance, taxes I can go on and on. So better plan ahead if you want to go they with it

[Racer]

I've been in this area for my entire life and for a main "hub" for CSX and a fairly big railroad town; I wish we had our own Model Railroad Club in the Plymouth/ Canton area. All the other areas have their model railroad clubs like Ann Arbor, Durand, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Holly, and I think Kalamazoo, too. So why can't we have one in this area? Is anyone interested in trying for a club? The theme could be like the CSX Detroit Sub !

Not to burst your bubble Chris but the buildings in those area cost $$$$$$$$$$$ it would be better if you can find a place to rent or first then raise money to buy a building. It took the Redford Club more than 15 years of flee markets to buy the building we are now in. We got lucky when stumbled across the building on Michigan ave. Don't want to go into details on the history on that building but the cops raided it a few times. The owners wanted to get rid fast so we got it cheap. like I said we lucked out, and after we got the expenses on that building is still a lot with insurance, taxes I can go on and on. So better plan ahead if you want to go they with it

I was looking online at renting a location where club fees would be used for the rent and the NMRA stuff. SONS has a similar set-up with their club (At least when they were in Royal Oak) and it was very manageable and affordable because the place was "small", but given N scale, it was a big layout for the space and the rates were cheap.

This gives me an idea for my main subject of my table at the next train show.

In regards to the club layout, it would be whatever members wanted (through a vote), but possibly focus on PM/C&O/CSX, CMGN, TSBY, AA, and other Michigan railroads including scenes of prototypical and free-lanced areas.

[Big Frank]

Ill join but only if I can be the Grand Poobar And kick ppls buttoxes when they do stupid crap like argue and try to dictate ppl and bring down the over all mood of the joint

[CSX_CO]

Ill join but only if I can be the Grand Poobar And kick ppls buttoxes when they do stupid crap like argue and try to dictate ppl and bring down the over all mood of the joint

You'd be one busy person if you hang around here on railroadfight.com long enough...

Practice Safe CSX

[Big Frank]

Ill join but only if I can be the Grand Poobar And kick ppls buttoxes when they do stupid crap like argue and try to dictate ppl and bring down the over all mood of the joint

You'd be one busy person if you hang around here on railroadfight.com long enough...

Practice Safe CSX

LOL a few ppl on here have came closer than they know

[Buster Manning]

Ill join but only if I can be the Grand Poobar And kick ppls buttoxes when they do stupid crap like argue and try to dictate ppl and bring down the over all mood of the joint

Could have used you at this stage of your life back in the heyday of the Hillsdale RR club....

[Big Frank]

Ill join but only if I can be the Grand Poobar And kick ppls buttoxes when they do stupid crap like argue and try to dictate ppl and bring down the over all mood of the joint

Could have used you at this stage of your life back in the heyday of the Hillsdale RR club....

HAHAHA Very true my friend very true