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 and/or T-TRAK standards. This layout is intended to be displayed to the general public. We are a 100% NMRA club.
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. We have members from various Upstate SC locations, such as Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Mauldin, Easley, etc. Dues are $10/month, and include your NMRA membership!
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.
In 2013, we have engineered and constructed a "geezer gate" module to allow walkthrough access to the "pit" and staging yard. It includes relays to stop traffic on the adjoining modules when the gate is open, and we've added a good-looking campground scene. 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 also joined with several other clubs at the NMRA 2013 National Train Show in Atlanta (July 14-20). We built a "bolt-on wye" to fit the Industry corner, and spruced up all the modules to look their best. The convention was a big success.
We also purchased a new trailer for transporting and storing our club modules.
In 2015, we made some progress on the new Mountain Industry module, the new bolt-on side yard, and the turntable area. We also gave up on the Geezer Gate, and permanently sealed the movable portion and removed the relays.
In 2016, we added buildings to several modules, and improved scenery and signage on several more.
In 2017, we created new layout lighting poles for each corner module, complete with LED floods, and sceniced the turntable module. We also built a couple of T-Trak modules to go along with one of our members', so that we can exhibit at smaller shows and venues.
Future
Continue work on the Mountain Industry module, supporting switching from the Mountain Line, the bolt-in side yard and a new corner add-on with a turntable. The Mountain Industry will have a passenger station, and some sort of industrial area, accessed from the mountain line. Also add a layout-wide 12V power bus, and add building and street lights (LEDs)
Long-term, we're planning to make two NTrak reverse loops, so we'll have an option to "daylight" the pit area.
We're also going to continue the T-Trak efforts including reaching out to area extended care facilities and other groups that could enjoy running trains.
Contact Information
Use our [Online Contact Form]
Write us at:
Piedmont 'N Southern Model Railroad Club
250 Vinland Farms Dr.
Easley, SC 29640