Welcome
Welcome! You've reached the online home of the Piedmont 'N' Southern model railroad club. This site will provide lots of information about the club and our activities, our modules (NTrak and Bend Track) and our activities. We'll of course have lots of photos and layout schematics, plus information about the electronics and software behind the scenes.
Recent Events
Mauldin CofC Train Show 2012 was held in Mauldin, SC on Friday, May 4 (noon-9pm), Saturday, May 5 (10am-6pm), Sunday, May 6 (1-4pm), Friday, May 11 (noon-9pm) and Saturday, May 12 (10am-9pm).
The show was not as well attended as expected, but the visitors that came enjoyed the show.
The layout ran well and we got to try out our new Geezer-Gate for the first time. We also used this chance to start planning changes needed for the big show in Atlanta next year.
Layout for Mauldin 2012
Central Railway Model & Historical Association Annual Show in Easley, SC was held on Saturday, February 4 (10am-5pm) and Sunday, February 5 (noon-5pm). The layout was even larger than last year's, adding Joe's city modules and our brand-new staging yard. (See layout diagram below). The layout ran well and generated a lot of interest from the show crowd. The new staging yard and entrance worked great and provided an excellent addition to the club.
Layout for the 2012 CRMHA Show in Easley
About the Club
Purpose
The purpose of the Piedmont 'N Southern Model Railroad Club is to promote the hobby of model railroading through creation of an operating modular N-scale model railroad layout built to Ntrak and/or Bend Track standards. This layout is intended to be displayed to the general public.
History
To accomplish this goal, a group of interested model railroaders formed a N-scale model railroad club in July of 2009 The decision was made to build a four foot Ntrak module with a Mountain Division. This module, along with seven refurbished modules (built for the former Piedmont 'N Southern Model Railroad Club of Greenville, SC) completed an 8' x 10' operating layout.
In September of 2009, a set of By-Laws was approved by the Club members. The name of the Club is the Piedmont 'N Southern Model Railroad Club (reviving the name of the former Ntrak club of the 1980's and 1990's).
2010 saw the construction of a new Ntrak to Bend Track transition module, including the Mountain Division. This module allows the Piedmont 'N Southern Model Railroad Club to join with Bend Track modules owned by Club members and other Bend Track clubs. We also built a Logging module to Bend Track standards, plus it connects to the Mountain line of the transition module.
2011 was spent adding scenery to the new modules, and sharing the hobby at a number of great shows.
In 2012, we have completed the staging yard, featuring power control to all 8 tracks, plus a switchable programming track. The yard entrance module was also completed, featuring two crossovers to facilitate entry and exit.
Future
We have engineered and constructed a "geezer gate" module to allow walkthrough access to the "pit" and staging yard. We still need to add relays to stop traffic on the adjoining modules when the gate is open, and we need to add scenery. This gate is a swing-in access "door" through all four tracks (including the mountain line). The non-hinged side is cut on a expanding-radius curve to provide for a tighter fit and better self-alignment.
We are also making plans to join two other clubs at the NMRA 2013 in Atlanta (July 14-20). We need to add a "bolt-on wye" to one of our corners, and make sure all modules to be used at that show are in prime condition.
Club Membership
Membership in the Piedmont 'N Southern Model Railroad Club is open to anyone with an interest in the hobby of model railroading in general and N-scale model railroading in particular. There are no restrictions based on age, race or gender.
Contact Information
Use our [Online Contact Form]
Write us at:
Piedmont 'N Southern Model Railroad Club
P.O. Box 864
Mauldin, SC 29662
or visit the club's [Yahoo Group] Note: we use the Yahoo Group to schedule all work sessions and meetings, so sign up if you're interested in attending.
Piedmont N Southern Model Railroad Club