August 23, 2010

Open House door prize winner announced

The Sheboygan Society of Scale Model Railroad Engineers announces the winner of the door prize at our August Open House. He is Jason Yeager from Valders. He has quite the collection of sets and was really excited about getting this steam version. He and his family have moved around a lot so every time he would start to get a layout going, he'd have to take it down. He's hoping to be able to get a layout going now.

August 12, 2010

Model railroad summer open house chugs into town this weekend

The Sheboygan Society of Scale Model Railroad Engineers is holding its annual summer open house train show and brat fry at the Railroad Lodge, 1001 N. 10th St., Sheboygan, on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 14 and 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.

The interior has received a facelift since the removal of the permanent display layout. New display areas will soon be created for the many railroad antiques in the group's collection.

In addition, the society's technically advanced, traveling modular layout will be on display. The society says it has the only computer-controlled modular layout in the country. This is the last chance to see the modular layout operating in Sheboygan County until next summer.

The layout has undergone an extensive face lift, including new scenery items, buildings and roads. New modules have been added since the last open house and there are working signals throughout the layout. There's an ore mine and even an ice house with a computer-controlled train moving cargo back and forth.

The meatpacking plant from the Sheboygan Society of Scale Model Railroad Engineers' dismantled layout was reassembled for the current layout. The new layout will be on display at the lodge's open house this weekend.

Future projects for the railroad lodge include depictions of railroad activity around Sheboygan throughout the years, an interactive area for youngsters, along with representations of model trains in almost every scale.

The society is now in its 33rd year of providing model railroading opportunities for young and old alike.

Admission is free free but donations are welcome. There will be a door prize of a complete model train set, courtesy of J & D's Whistle Stop.

There also will be a brat fry and bake sale.

For more information, see the society's website at www.sssmre.org or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sssmre.

April 13, 2010

Eight year old Luke Mancl from Sheboygan is the winner of the Royal Gorge train set door prize from the Open House, April 10th & 11th. His parents tell us he's an avid model train enthusiast and was so excited to find out he had won! They are working on building a layout at home and Dad says this is just what they needed. Luke was also very interested in the historical aspect of the Royal Gorge train and wanted to get right home to read about the real train on the internet. Congratulations from all of us Luke!!

The Sheboygan Society of Scale Model Railroad Engineers is hosting its annual Spring Open House at the Railroad Lodge, 1001 N. 10th St. in Sheboygan on April 10 and 11 from 10:00AM to 4:00PM . Since the removal of the permanent display layout, the interior has received a major facelift. New display areas are being created for the numerous railroad antiques in its collection. In addition, the Society’s traveling modular layout will be on display. It will look quite different from the one that was on display in January. This layout dates back to the late 1980s, but received a complete restoration in recent years and is continuing to be upgraded. It was built in sections and designed to travel to a variety of events throughout the year to promote model railroading, and is scheduled to be featured at the 75^th anniversary convention of the National Model Railroad Association in July. With its own unique charm and intricate detail, this layout has been enjoyed by thousands throughout the state.

Future projects in the planning stages include depictions of railroad activity around Sheboygan throughout the years, an interactive area for the youngsters, displays of railroad equipment from days past, along with representations of model trains in almost every scale.

The Society is now in its 33^rd year of providing railroading opportunities for young and old alike. Your ongoing support of these projects help preserve railroading for future generations. As always, admission is FREE but donations are welcome. There will be a door prize of a complete model train set, courtesy of J & D’s Whistle Stop. There will also be a brat fry for those who are itching for an early leap into summer...

February 28, 2010

The Society hosted a beginners guide to model railroading at the request of the Mead Public Library. It was attended by more than 70 people, young and old alike. Among the things demonstrated was how to set up a train set in minutes, how to make realistic trees using materials found around the house, how to make an operating layout that fits on a shelf, and how to draw trains easily. There was also an area for the kids to color drawings of engines. A great time was had by all. Our next seminar, to be scheduled, will be geared more toward adults with some more advanced topics. These are some of the things that we do for the community to promote the Worlds Greatest Hobby.

Jay and Diana demonstrate how easy it is to set up a train set right out of the box

Jeff shows kids that you don't need a lot of space to have an interesting layout

Ken teaches people how to draw trains easily

Kyle and Dick show people how to make realistic trees out of material found around the house

Kids had fun coloring the drawings of engines laid out for them

February 4, 2010

The winner of the train set door prize at our recent Open house came in to claim his prize. He is Marlyn Meinnert, of Sheboygan. He used to have trains as a kid and has thought of getting back into the hobby. He also is a leader of a Boy Scout Troup in town. I'm sure we'll be seeing him again!

September 26, 2009 The Society has acquired a large donation from an estate of hundreds of railroad antiques and artifacts. One of these is a complete cab control unit, possibly from an EMD GP9 (1959) that we will try to restore. We appreciate any help in identifying it, along with it's history. Pictures of it below. The serial # is 59E-90.

September 11, 2009 Due to the public's overwhelming response and dismay at the thought of there being no more open houses, we have decided to continue to hold open houses and events until the building is sold and a new location is obtained. Your continued support is appreciated as we venture in this new direction.

August 18, 2009 The Society has established a working relationship with Jay and Diana Ratz of J&Ds Whistle Stop, a new hobby shop in Sheboygan. Jay and Diana are eager to help us get better exposure and obtain new quarters where the museum pieces we have acquired over the years can be better displayed.

April 19, 2009 The Society held it's final Open House at the Railroad Lodge. We appreciated the thousands of people who have supported our efforts to bring railroad history to the Sheboygan community over the years and will continue to support us as we venture in a new direction.

March 15, 2009 The Sheboygan Society of Scale Model Railroad Engineers, Ltd announces the closing of the Railroad Lodge after it's April Open House. Current economic conditions were making it very difficult to generate enough revenue to keep the building maintained and open to the public. "We had also outgrown the available space with the accumulation of numerous railroad museum pieces" said president Leo Schneider. The Society will begin dismantling the main display layout and pack up all the items over the next six to eight months.