# My visit to Amersham and Chorleywood Model Railway Society



## madsjl (Jul 25, 2011)

Until yesterday I have mostly been reading about model trains, seen pictures of them and watched them as an audience. So it was nice for me to go visit the Amersham and Chorleywood Model Railway Society yesterday. It gave me a better understanding of the hobby and it gave me actual physical contact with the trains. I also felt my interest in model trains grow, a lot  

The members of the club were very open people who welcomed new people with open arms. They gave a great tour around the club and explained everything. This also gave me a better understanding of how some of the different scales looked like in real life. I also got a lecture on how the system for the station works and I tried to operate the system that controlled the trains. I guess that since I study engineering I have a natural interest in the technological aspect of model trains 

They also had some great landscapes with good and precise details in them. It all looked very good.

The club, however, was not just about model trains. I also felt that it was the community they felt together that made them come there. The club have existed since 1956 and it seems that most of the members have been there since the beginning. One of the members humorously said that he was a _new_ member because he joined in 1966  They were all very nice people.

My only regret is that I did not bring my camera. I would have loved to show some pictures of what they were working on. Hopefully I will have the time and change to visit them again and I will bring my camera then 

Here is their website
http://www.bucksinfo.net/amersham_and_chorleywood_model_railway_society/

How about you guys? What is your experience with model railway clubs?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

What! You don't have a camera phone?


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Mads,

Glad to see you've jumped in and are getting your feet wet. Enjoy!

TJ


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

My father is the Treasurer of the Lansing Model RR Club. Unfortunately most clubs seem to have an aging membership and if younger people don't get interested in the hobby they may not last.

The best part of the hobby for me is sharing it with my kids.


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## madsjl (Jul 25, 2011)

gunrunnerjohn- Yes, I do have a camera on my phone, unfortunately my phone is about three years old and the quality is very low on the camera. I am thinking about buying a new smartphone  

tjcruiser- Yes it was very fun to see what it was all about

sstlaure- I think that most younger people will be interested in the hobby if they get the right introduction to it, like I did at this club It would be a shame if the older clubs did not last, there is also something charming about having a history behind the club.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I get decent pictures with my new Droid X2, it has an 8MB camera. It's great to have a decent camera with you wherever you go.


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

No kidding about the history. 

My Dad's club is housed inside the former Grand Trunk Western Millet passenger depot. The depot would have been torn down due to expansion of a nearby Ralston Purina plant, but the club bought the depot for $12 and then moved it onto property donated by the daughter of R.E. Olds.

http://lmrc.org/depot/index.shtml

My kids are certified train nuts.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

SST,

I read the link/story. Thumbs up to Mrs. Olds-Anderson!

TJ


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

No doubt TJ....That donation has allowed thousands of people to be exposed to not just model railroading but also a piece of railroad history.


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## madsjl (Jul 25, 2011)

I also read the link and that is the kind of history that I find charming in a model railroad club I am sure that the new expansion have also given some great possibilities for building more model railways


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