Wednesday nights are sacrosanct for Memorial Drive resident Dave Stremlaw. That’s “when the gang gets together.”
The “gang” is a dozen and a half like-minded model railroaders, who make their way to the clubhouse at 1141 Maple Street in Fenwick.
It’s been part of Stremlaw’s weekly routine for close to 26 years.
“We have a broad range of ages in our membership, skewed to the older guys,” he said. “We have one high schooler currently, three or four guys in their 50s, and a few in their 60s and 70s.”
The club was formed in 1967, an amalgamation of existing groups of train aficionados. Members met in the basement of a Lutheran church in Niagara Falls, and later in members’ homes on a rotating basis. After a few more relocations, a lease agreement was struck with the Town of Pelham in 1974 to refurbish a building on the current site, previously used by the Fenwick Women’s Institute.
The Greater Niagara Model Railroad Engineers’ constitution states a raison d’etre of “furthering the hobby of model railroading in the Niagara Region," and "promoting greater fellowship among model railroaders." Like Stremlaw, who fondly remembers the Lionel train set he had in his parents’ basement in his youth, most members have their own trains running at home, in addition to working on the elaborate setup of the Fenwick Central Railway (FC) at the club on Maple Street. FC is a fictitious railroad located in the Niagara Peninsula, that includes a main room replete with a network of tracks, tunnels, wooden trestles, iron bridges, miniature towns, and natural scenery, plus simulated topography that includes the Niagara Escarpment.
For decades, club members have been modifying and expanding the layout, which currently features 300 scale miles of track, built to an HO scale of 1:87. Several trains are in operation at a time.
The club offers public open houses throughout the year, which are popular both with kids, and those senior citizens who are still kids at heart. Two Sunday open houses this month — April 23 and 30, 12 noon until 4:30 PM — are upcoming. Kids age 12 and under should attend with a parent or adult.
“We’ll have about seven or eight members present, running trains and greeting people,” said Stremlaw, adding that the club is always looking for new members. Fourteen-year-olds are eligible to become junior members. Club meetings are Wednesdays from 7 PM to 9:30 PM, and the public is always welcome to drop in.
For additional information on the model railroad club, go to www.gnmre.ca.