From Humble Beginnings …
One of the first tasks of the fledgling model railroad club was to find a place to build
our layout. We found a good location on the 2nd floor of the Orth Realty Building,
which has long since been replaced by a bank. The Club initially used several rooms
there … most notably a 16' x 18' "Layout Room". Membership grew;
and the club wanted and needed to increase the size of the layout. By this time the
Club was only five years old, our only viable
choice was to seek larger accommodations. This need was amplified when the
Club held its first "open house" shows and large numbers of model train enthusiasts
gathered to see the display.
As this group of hearty (and zealous) members proves, not even heavy snow can prevent a Train Show
from taking place!! This band of merry men is advertising one of our traditional
late-winter shows back in the early years.
Once we determined that we needed to move to a larger home, we faced the daunting task of finding
a space suitable to our needs. Several sites were discussed, inspected, and ultimately
rejected. At one point, the Club even considered the purchase of land to erect its own
building. Finally an ideal site was discovered.
Due to several railroad mergers, the B&O Freight House (pictured on our Home page) was now owned by
CSX. the building had been vacant and unused for several years. the freight house was now owned by CSX. located at 430 North Cameron Street,
had ceased being a functioning building by the railroad and had been long-abandoned by
them. The challenging task of making this site usable and habitable by the Club
is chronicled on the next page.
As this group of hardy (and zealous) members proves, not even heavy snow can prevent a Train Show
from taking place!! This band of merry men is advertising one of our traditional
late-winter shows back in the early years.
Winchester Model Railroad Club
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