Hello My name is Jack Wade and I am looking to start a club or just a group of people to get together and work on layouts. I am in Rochester NH and I have just finished an expansion to the layout room and am ready to start working again on my layout. I am pretty much confined to a wheelchair so benchwork is not to high. I also use Kato Unitrack and have found it to be ideal for my situation. I naturally model in N scale but that should not stop people from inquiring about this group. We can learn from all scales. You can check my photo album for an idea of what I plan. Oh and I also use NCE DCC. Please contact me through this forum if interested. Thank you Jack
I like this statement.:thumbs_up::thumbs_up::thumbs_up: I am on the opposite side of the country, but there's bound to be someone in your area who'd be interested in a club or round robin or something like that. There are a bunch of modelers on the Southwest Washington coast who help each other out and they run the gamut of scales.
One thing that you might find helpful if you haven't tried it already. Your local NMRA chapter may know who has accessible layouts and who doesn't. If you have a club you form with folks who work on each other's layout, this may be helpful. I know my local chapter includes that information for the purposes of tours, etc.
Hi Jack, I'd love to join you if I still owned our family property up in Center Sandwich, Carrol County. Since I don't, all I can do is wish you the very best of luck and good fortune. :thumbs_up: Neal, down in Hampton, might know about group activities or individuals in your area? http://www.nealstrains.com/storefront/item_list.php?rt1=NEW&cat=2 Please help keeping the B&M Minute Man alive and well, at least in our memories. :tb-cool:
Good luck on starting your group! I thought about accessibility when planning my next layout. Most people don't concider it, but when you think that we are all getting older (if anyone here is getting younger, let us know what you are taking!) accessibility is a good idea. My knees are pretty rough, so standing for hours at a time is less than confortable. I was thinking of designing 1 or 2 yards at a height to be operated by a seated person. This will also be good viewing height for the grandkids. Add me to your list when you get something going. I'm getting used to living in a state where destinations are measured by the tankful (gasoline)... Seeya!
Just thought I would post an update of what is happening. Room is now complete and benchwork is up. check out my photo album for pics. Also still for a few more people to get together with. Jack
Jack Is there a LOCAL HOBBY SHOP around? If not a HOBBY LOBBY, MICHEALS, CRAFT TOWN etc. etc? Post notices EVERYWHERE that you can. The LHS is BEST, but due to the way things are lately with the economy, lots of LHS are no longer there, so just use your imagination on where to advertise for a proposed club. Posting at the LHS is where the Kentuckiana Society of N-Scalers (KSONS) first got the word out that we were forming, and that was 20+ fun filled years ago. You never know where you can find people interested in Model Railroading and N-Scale in particular. Keep your eyes and ears open. You might be surprised!
I plan on checking out our local train shop Neil's N-Gauging Trains but with the way the weather has been just haven't been able to get there yet. And we just got another 12" of the white crap. Jack
Jack, Let me give you some encouragement. What you are talking about is a round robin informal work group, and the New Haven, Conn work group is one of the oldest and most established. I helped form one back in 90, and we lasted until 2000 never missing a "meeting". We started out by all of us N scalers sitting together and joking it up at auctions back then, then realized we could be friends, and after a Regional N scale convention, we got names and phone numbers and met at a guys' house who had a virtually complete model rr layout. We originally were 6 strong, but over the years our core group grew to 12, and at the 93 Regional NMRA convention, our group hosted 8 of the 11 layouts featured on the tour. We didn't know it but the group, which we called "Tuesday Night Turntable" actually got a great rep, and we got a lot of inquiries to join. We accepted everyone. Our format was to go to a different member's home, work on the layout from 6 to 9, then meet at the kitchen table to plan field trips, design NTrak modules, bs, support each other, and plan the next locale. No dues, no rules and regulations, no officers (but we did look to one guy as our leader) and we helped, taught, worked for, and encouraged each other, making lifetime friendships in the process. We of course took some time off if a Tuesday fell on a holiday, or several of us would be out of town, etc. We lasted 10 years strong, and as quickly as we formed, we were forced to disband due to South Florida demographics - relocation, job changes, health, death, and divorce, and it all happened within a two week period. We took that message. A few of us core members joined a formal local club, but didn't last that long, because of the overwhelming rules, regulations and politics. Good luck, Every moment forming it and running it will be rewarding. Hope you picked up some tips from our example. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman
Bob The actual benchwork comes out to 26.5' by 11'. I figured that would be a good size and it is 30" deep. Jack
Jack: Your bench work is similar to the bench work I'm building for the "new" JJJ&E. My room is 20x12' and the length of the bench work will be 17'. The bench work is 30 inches wide and four feet in the two turnaround areas. I'll be usings 28 1/2 " and 19 " radii exclusively. In the area of Texas, that I'm moving to, there are no basements.
Bob As long as you have a place that is all that counts. And by the way I really enjoy the updates on the JJJ&E. Jack
Thanks Jack. BTW you can use the 28 1/2" radii Unitrack going to and from the 11' areas to your 26 foot runs. It would give you nice sweeping curves.
