Gateway Central IV (1997)
Build a project railroad
Small model railroad layouts you can build
by Richard Lake
photos by Richard Schumacher
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Gateway
Central IV
1997
"Ozark River
Valley"
Chairmen:
Richard Schumacher
Richard Lake
Randy Meyer |
I want to tell you about a project that the Gateway
Division has undertaken in each of the last years. We
call the project the Gateway Central Project Layout. It
is the sort of project that just about any division or
group of NMRA members could duplicate.
Gateway Central IV, like its predecessors, is a 4'x8'
beginner layout constructed by division members. Each of
the layouts has been used to try out a variety of
construction techniques for support, track design,
scenery and structures. The project involves a large
number of members in many different activities and
provides a tool which is used for 3 or 4 clinics at the
division’s monthly meetings to demonstrate the
techniques used.
Why Build a Gateway Central?
There are a number of good reasons to take on a
project like this one. First, it gives members who don’t
have a personal layout the opportunity to work on
construction of an operating layout. This increases
their involvement with the organization and gives them
an opportunity to learn techniques which will help when
they get around to building their own home layout. The
work I have done on these layouts will help me to avoid
some potential pitfalls when the eL & eL
finally starts construction.
 Construction
of the layout itself is not the only way our members get
involved. Many members, who can’t arrange to attend a
worksession volunteer to assemble
structure kits or even scratchbuild a structure
which will be used on the layout. These structures may
also become the focus of a division clinic on basic
assembly, kitbashing or detail finishing.
Another reason for a project like this is the
increased contact among members. Monthly meetings are
great but they do have a time limit and sometimes there
just isn’t a chance to socialize and talk railroading.
Working for 8 or 10 hours on the project layout lets us
get to know one another better and, in the process,
encourages a stronger feeling of membership in the
division, region, and national organization. We become
friends as well as members. These work sessions also let
members share their special skills and help the rest to
learn those skills in a "hands-on" setting.
 The Gateway
Central IV is also used to help inform the public about
the hobby and to encourage membership in the NMRA at all
levels. Each of our project layouts has been displayed
in many different settings. The Museum of Transportation
has an annual free admission family weekend where we
display the layout. It has gone or will go to train
shows sponsored by local clubs. One of the layouts spent
several weeks on display in an automobile dealership’s
showroom. Basically, we will take Gateway Central
anywhere that there is likely to be a group of people we
can talk to about the hobby. Whenever the layout is on
display we also do mini-clinics. The topics focus on
basics like laying track, doing basic scenery, tuning
rolling stock, building trees, etc. The layout itself
shows what the finished product looks like using the
techniques in the basic clinics. As a result people are
more inclined to ask us questions about all aspects of
the hobby and that in turn gives us an even better
chance to encourage NMRA membership as a real benefit
regardless of the level of expertise.
How We Do It
The first step is to find a chairman. The project
chairman’s responsibilities include scheduling work
sessions, obtaining materials, and getting members to
contribute materials, equipment, and time to complete
the layout. This job might be a great way for somebody
to make real progress towards getting the points needed
for AP Volunteer. A typical work session will be all day
(and often into the evening) and will have 4 to 8
members working on construction.
We fund each layout from the division treasury,
coupled with donations from members, local hobby shops,
hobby manufacturers, and finally, by raffling the
layout. We sell chances to win the layout for $1 per
chance. The winner gets a fully finished layout with a
locomotive, rolling stock, structures, and a power pack
and we deliver the layout to the winners home if he/she
lives within 50 miles of St. Louis. I wish everyone who
reads this article could have seen how high the winner
of Gateway Central III jumped when his name was called
last October at the Museum of Transportation. He
purchased tickets to win the layout for his son (2 or 3
years old) but I suspect that Dad will run the wheels
off that layout before his son ever gets the chance.
 Raffle
chances have paid the full cost of each Gateway Central
and produced some profit to add to the division
treasury. Gateway Central IV was on display at the St.
Louis GATS show on January 18 and 19 and was always
surrounded by a big crowd. We answered thousands of
questions, conducted four clinics each day, sold a lot
of chances, and on Monday, January 20, 1997, at our
regular division meeting we had the largest number of
guests that I can remember attending. One of those
guests became a member at the meeting and we hope to
convert most of the others.
I have worked on some aspect of all four of the
layouts and plan to work on the next one as well. Even
though Gateway Central IV won’t be given away until
September 7 at our annual fall meet, we are already
discussing ideas for the next one. Right now one
proposal for Gateway Central V is to build it as two
4'x6' sections. 4'x8' layouts present some
transportation problems. We have only one or two members
with vehicles big enough to hold the layout in an
enclosed space and moving it in an open pickup truck
tends to blow the trees off. Two sections also means a
layout with more operating potential.
If you are looking for a way to involve your members,
promote the hobby, and gain new members then build a
railroad.
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