06/02/2026
Sorry for the length.
Some of you already know, some of you have already guessed, one of the clubs with an issue and will soon begin going through some big changes is us, the oldest model railroad club in the St. Louis area. The other club is the Lionel Club of St. Louis whose history is thanks to Jerry Brettschneider. If you are a serious Lionel collector/operator or followed articles, shows, and various events focused on Lionel, you are aware of Jerry Brettschneider and how some compare him to Johnny Appleseed with how Jerry started Lionel clubs wherever we was stationed. In 1983 Jerry formed the St. Louis club. Recently the St. Louis club faced the decision to either pay several hundred more a month for the space they are in, move to a different set of rooms with the impression that the move would only be temporary, or somehow find a new and better location for their home. For our situation, for several years we have had issues with decreasing participation from our membership. I do not remember when we had a full or nearly full crew for a run night. Near the end of last year we began losing members due to other responsibilities and activities, and that continued into this year. For a good number of years it has been difficult to recruit new members. In my forty-two years with the club I have seen many people join and a fairly high activity level. I have also seen many members move on, mostly for legitimate reasons. Not having enough active members has caused issues with operating nights and keeping up with work on the layout and depot. After successfully raising enough money to replace the seventy-three year-old roof, donations has been in a steady decline which has caused us to use more of our limited savings. Last year we barely raised two-thirds of our average amount of donations, but because of needed repairs, we ended with a deficit of a little over $6200. This brings us to an idea the board members of the Lionel club came up with; join the Big Bend Railroad Club and rebuild the layout with multi-gauge track. Our lease with the railroad prohibits us from transferring or sharing ownership of the depot. We can charge for the use of any part of the building just like how the St. Louis Railroad Enthusiasts pays us for using the meeting room one Thursday evening a month. After our open house on July 7, the current layout will begin the rebuild process and the plan to be finished enough for our December schedule. The Lionel Club members who will be doing the bulk of the work has ideas that it may still be possible to have some form of replacement entertainment for our visitors. Questions will be answered when we know more.
