Model Railway Club

Detail of the 0 gauge model railway system of the Thun Railway Amateuere in Switzerland, 2016

A model railroad association or outdated model railroad club is an association of model railroaders for the purpose of joint occupation with the hobby railroad and model railroad .

aims

The goals of a model railway association can be very different, from simple organized meetings to the joint construction of a model railway system to the implementation of public exhibitions. The decisive factor in determining whether a group of model railroaders who meet regularly can call themselves a model railroad association is primarily the long-term association that is defined by statutes . In order to limit liability, most model railway associations are registered associations .

The advantage of building a layout is that it is possible to build a joint, larger model railway layout that would overwhelm an individual model railway operator in terms of planning , construction, financing and operation. However, it is precisely the construction of permanently installed, larger model railway systems in the model railway associations that does less and less justice to the individual needs of the association members, since the 1980s have been increasingly establishing mobile modular systems that are variable in their composition.

organization

The club usually also has its own club assets, which can also consist of the common club facilities and the rolling stock and accessories required for their operation. In addition, for reasons of liability, the association also acts as the tenant or owner of the premises used by the association. The association is financed by the contributions of its members, donations and, if necessary, entrance fees. In contrast to model aircraft or model ship associations, model railway associations in Germany are not by definition non-profit because, unlike these, they have not managed to establish a connection to sport.

In Europe, the legally independent local or regional associations are sometimes members of one of the national associations, such as the Federal Association of German Railway Friends (BDEF), the Model Railway Association in Germany (MOBA) or the Swiss Association of Railway Amateurs (SVEA). These national associations are in turn partially affiliated to the European umbrella organization, the Association of Model Railroaders and Railway Friends of Europe (MOROP).

The supranational associations such as the Freundeskreis Europäische Modellbahner , abbreviated FREMO, the Internationale Arbeitsgemeinschaft Modellbahnbau Spur 0, abbreviated Arge Spur 0, or the Gauge One Model Railway Association, abbreviated G1MRA, which as of 2020 has around 2500 members in 30 countries worldwide, the largest association of gauge 1 model railroader, do not belong to any national association. Apart from the European countries, there are also a large number of model railway associations in the USA and Canada, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

The model railroaders in the USA and Canada, but also others worldwide, are organized under the umbrella of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA). However, only natural persons can become members there, so by definition it is not an umbrella organization. However, there are special programs for local associations, many of which are also NMRA members. These clubs can then receive certain services such as liability insurance on favorable terms.

Possible offers from model railway associations (selection)

Plant construction
- Large-scale plant construction
- Exhibition and small plant construction
- Modular plant construction
- Diorama construction
Workshop
- Repair corner
- Test track
- Programming tracks
Construction courses
- Vehicle modeling
- Landscaping
- Accessory model making
- Electronics and software courses
Library, media library
Open day
Model railway exchanges
Youth group

Company, fan or junior clubs

Company clubs, such as those offered by Märklin as the Märklin Insider Club or by Roco as the Roco Club , are not model railway associations. This is an information offer from the manufacturer, mostly combined with special models. So in this case the member is more of a customer.

General historical development in Switzerland

In Switzerland, the large urban model railroad associations emerged mainly from the 1940s to the 1970s, after corresponding groups had already existed in the 1930s and before.

In the 1980s, there was a real boom in the founding of clubs, also in the regions, mainly because the established clubs that existed at the time were not in a position to quickly implement systems in size H0 in addition to the existing systems. The baby boomers, who were literally born with the Brio, LEGO, Lima and Märklin starter sets in the 1960s and 1970s, were also difficult to integrate into the existing club structures. At that time, youth groups were not an issue, women an exception.

The booming 1980s were followed by the years of consolidation in the 1990s. The clubs stagnated. Similar to the 1980s, however, these were not due to the nominal size 0, but rather to the incipient digitization and conflicts between the 2-pipe system and the 3-pipe middle-conductor system, as well as fixed and mobile systems (modular systems). While the club members were quietly digitizing, due to the system, mainly in the 3-wire central ladder system (Märklin) on the home layouts, the construction of the H0 and N club layouts, which had begun on a generous scale, made only slow progress. The clubs are starting to age as the younger club members who were recruited in the 1980s and 1990s started families and withdrew into family life.

In the 2000s, a new phenomenon arose. As a result of newly emerging, competing leisure activities, many members resigned from model railway associations or founded smaller groups organized under private law. To counteract declining membership numbers, some model railroad clubs set up special offers for young people. Today the digital system is finding its way into many model railroad layouts, which promotes the progressive use of functions such as light effects or sound. Many model railway associations have also abandoned the ideal of wanting to create a layout that is true to the original down to the last detail, with a high investment of time and money, and are once again focusing on the fun of the hobby.

Pictures (selection) of typical activities of model railway associations

Operation of historical model railways here at an ARGE 0 gauge exhibition in Olten (Switzerland)
Mobile club module system at a local narrow-gauge exhibition in Burgdorf, Switzerland
Operation of a garden railway system and vehicle model construction . Here in Hindelbank in Switzerland in track 0 and track 0m
Presentation of a tram motor vehicle under construction at a model making round table .
Historical research and reconstruction of a railcar model of the Salève railway by a member of a model railway association
Construction and operation of a depot in the H0 gauge as it could have been for the DB in the 1950s and 1960s
Construction and operation of a large club complex, here: Winnenden private model railroading association