The Cincinnati Northern Model Railroad Club has its origins as the Tri-County Railroad Club with four members of the Western Hills Model Railroad Club in February 1966. The clubs first home was in the Glendale, Ohio Community House basement in April of 1966. After several years the club name was changed to The Cincinnati Northern Model Railroad Club, with no formal organization. By 1974 a formal constitution and By-Laws had been adopted. Our logo was adopted soon after and is used on all club owned engines and member owned engines as well as some rolling stock. The last meeting of the club in Glendale was held in 1987. The club moved to the Winton House in Forest Park, Ohio. Construction of a point-to-point layout was about 80% complete when we had to vacate our rooms there. The last operating session was held at the Winton house August 20 1996.
The club led a nomadic existence for the next 8 years, meeting in various club members’ homes. During this time a giveaway layout was built for a National Model Railroad Association’s, Division 7 annual show, and construction was started on the clubs show and traveling layout. It is shown annually at Division 7 shows and other places locally. We have taken the layout to three NMRA national conventions in Cincinnati, Ohio, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. At the Milwaukee National Convention the club won first place in the Modules Category and an Honorable Mention for structures. As a result of this, an article about the layout was published in the 2012 issue of Model Railroad Planning.
The club moved to its present home in the old Ross High School High School in February 2007. A two level, point to point layout was started soon after, using town names in proper sequence on the original Cincinnati Northern from Franklin, Ohio to Van Wert, Ohio.
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While building this website and going through historical documents I found this History of written many years ago. I thought it would make an interesting comparison between what we were and what we are today.
THE CINCINNATI NORTHERN MODEL RAILROAD CLUB, a non-profit organization under the State laws of Ohio, is dedicated to the enjoyment of model railroading. -By pursuing this aim, the club constructs, maintains, and regularly operates a rather large HO gauge layout and while doing so teaches new hobbyists, advances model railroading, and develops fellowship among members.
The Club was originally formed as THE TRI-COUNTY MODEL RAILROAD CLUB in February of 1966 when four members of the former WESTWOOD MODEL RAILROAD CLUB decided that the 45 – minute drive was too long and that there were sufficient interested model railroaders in the northern Cincinnati suburbs to support a club.
The first meetings were held in the basement of one of the founders until April 1966 when the first crew reported for work in the basement of the Glendale Community House (the present location). Plans were drawn up by each member with the ideas to be pooled into a club layout.
In the meantime, the basement was cleaned and the larger of the two rooms painted. After adoption of a plan, the bench work was started, but •when approximately half finished, the plan was restudied -and it was decided to go with a simpler plan.
This simpler front room plan is part of the present lay-out which depicts, with a modeler’s license, The Cincinnati Northern Railroad which actually existed and ran from Franklin, Ohio to Jackson, Michigan. The front room plan or Ohio Division has undergone various modifications so as to enhance the operating aspects of the layout. The back room or southern Division is based or the imaginary expansion of The Cincinnati Northern Railroad thru the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee en route to Atlanta, Georgia.
Composed of 1262 feet of hand laid rail on individual ties using code 100, 83, and 70 rail, the layout also has 161 turnouts, 13 crossings, three double slip switches, two 3-way turnouts, three turntables (all of the former scratch built), 14. tunnels, 18 bridges & tressels, a major freight yard (Glendale) with major engine facilities for both diesel and steam, a large passenger terminal (Glendale Union Terninal), two branch lines (Stinkin1 Creek and Lewisburg), a major division point (Bristol) with a yard and engine facilities, and four main line switching areas for local switching.
During a typical operating session 10 to 12 trains will be running at the same time, but the layout is electrically capable of simultaneously and independently running 21 trains. Controlling these many trains, is a central dispatch panel which controls mainline turnouts and 28 mainline blocks on which a total of 9 trains may be operated. Supplementing the dispatcher’s panel are 11 local panels and five sub-panels. Linking the panels together is an elaborate electrical system composed of a communication system, a train detection system with operating signals and panel lights, and miles of wire.
So as to simulate prototype operation, all operation sessions are conducted using a timetable. Movement of the Club owned 220 cars is controlled thru the use of car cards and freight way bills. During operating sessions freedom to follow trains around the extensive layout is given the operators by use of walk – around type throttles which simply plug into the layout at designated locations.
Membership is open to anyone who wants to enjoy model railroading in a congenial club atmosphere and generally loves railroading. Club meetings are every Tuesday night at 8 o’clock with an occasional meeting (for variety) in a member’s home or visiting another layout. Operating sessions are held the first Tuesday of every month. If you are interested in further information, ask any member to fill you in on the particulars.