“I have confirmed that you can host club meetings in that space and work on your items in there as well…”
My eyes bounced over the screen as I did a double take. I read that fragment again, then again, then one more time. After a five year vacancy, we once again had a home. The next few minutes were filled with rejoicing, then several phone calls. This semester was going to be busy.
Back in 2018, the Penn State Model Railroad Club – one of the oldest student organizations at this prestigious university – was given notice that our home in Pinchot Hall was to be renovated and our layout would need to be dismantled. A somber, yet understood, occasion, this would not be the first time that our club was removed from our space – a trend seen at model railroad clubs across all universities. However, with many thanks to the Covid Pandemic, this period would end up being the longest in the club’s history. In the interim, we would work on a community-based modular layout as our main focus, however this process would be a shadow of the club’s potential. We made do for the several years, advocating for ourselves at every opportunity.
In the Spring of the 2022, we were made aware that the facility our club materials were stored at was being reallocated, thus meaning our possessions had to be moved. At first, the understanding was the materials would be put back in storage in another university property, but thanks to our 5000-pound milling machine, all possible storage locations were unfit for us. Thus began the search for a suitable location, the location that would now become our new home.
Research Modular Lab A is not a glamorous spot. A temporary building that has been occupying a parking lot for a decade, the building is certainly far from luxury. Nonetheless, we are beyond glad to have it. Our club possessions were relocated and at the start of the semester, us officers hit the grind on moving in and preparing our former lab space into a home for a model railroad club. We have all the thanks in the world to give to the university for working with us to find a space that we can once again spread out and work in.
The past year has seen an incredible amount of progress on various projects. We’ve began reworking an old N Scale layout with the eventual hope of transforming it into a winter-time display. We’ve constructed the benchwork for a new module for our HO layout, with plans to constructed a scenery-based river module. We’ve upgraded a dozen of our locomotive with modern electronics, LED lights, and realistic sounds programmed by one of the most sophisticated systems in model railroading. All the while, our two-dozen members have learned from one another, taught each other, and shared stories, memories, and ambitions.
Our club may not be the largest at the university, but we hold a special place in Penn State’s history, and the environment we provide for our niche student-body offers a place to explore a dense hobby with support of those who are hungry for experience.
Thanks for reading and we hope to update you more with stories, projects, and experiences. Follow along for information on our Fall 2023 schedule, which will hopefully contain a display event and an open house.
-Max Harris, President, PSU class of 2024
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