Click here for new information about our recent Golden Spike ceremony.

N-Scale has become increasingly popular in the hobby, and it is estimated that 15% to 20% of all modelers are now in N-Scale.  The Club has had an N-Scale Department for many years.  N-Scale equipment is roughly one half as large as HO equipment.  Many modelers prefer N-Scale because it is possible, due to the size difference, to model a fair amount of detail in a limited space.  However, because the N-Scale equipment is small, modeling is much more difficult than is the case with larger scales.  The N-scale Department is an integral part of The Model Railroad Club but operates separately from the HO Department and the Garden-Scale Department.   A copy of the draft (unapproved) year-end 2007 Membership Meeting for the N-scale members is located here.  See what's coming-up in 2008 by reading the results of that meeting.

The N-Scale layout is constructed on two shelves (one shelf is about three feet directly over the other) that occupy three sides of a 30 by 27 foot room, and on a peninsula that extends from the lower level into the middle of the room.  The railroad was named the “Jersey Shore and Western”.  A light rail system connecting some of the larger centers is named the “Public Service Interurban Rapid Transit Co” (PSIRT).   A video of a portion of the layout is available here (Quicktime video 8,877 KB in size.)   Additional videos are available from the Videos of us button in the menu at the left side of your screen.

Additional videos shot just before our 2007 Annual show are here as Double stack traffic, Two way traffic with tankers and more double stacks, CSX traffic with a mixed freight on the bridges, and More of the ever popular double stacks headed up by UP power.   They highlight various areas of the layout with various motive power.  Keep in mind these files are fairly large - so please expect a few moments of download time before they're available to you.

The original layout, constructed many years ago, was a double tracked double hambone loop. The layout was not used much, but in about 1999 a blossom of avid N-Scalers joined the Club and commenced a substantial expansion program designed to convert the railroad to a terminal-to-terminal configuration.  This program is described in the Master Plan.  In summary, the expanded layout will occupy the peninsula and both shelves, which are joined by a six foot in diameter helix.   The road leads from its South-east terminus, at Port Reading NJ, through New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania to its Northwestern terminus at Binghamton, New York, where it will interchange with the Norfolk Southern, Canadian Pacific and other roads.   The main line from Port Reading to Binghamton is about 310 feet long.  There is about 400 feet of track on the layout at present, with more track being installed on the upper level.  Follow the link above to see photos from our Gold Spike ceremony where upper and lower levels of the layout were connected.  The entire layout is controlled by our favorite method - Digitrax DCC (Digital Command Control).  Recent photos from the layout (March 2006) are located here.  See the latest additions to the seaport and other areas of the wonderful layout.

While a few important components of the expansion program are not yet finished, the overall program is largely complete.  A timetable for operating sessions utilizing the entire layout has been proposed.  Operating sessions were suspended during the latter stages of the expansion program, but will recommence each Tuesday night beginning about July first.  The operating sessions will feature local and express passenger trains as well as freights.  Freights will include way and through trains as well a number of unit trains.

There are about a dozen N-Scale members with plenty more room for those who would like to participate in the further improvement and operation of the N-Scale layout.  Anybody interested in joining us is invited to visit the Club on any Saturday from 1pm to 4pm.  Attendance at operating sessions is by prior arrangement and can be arranged by contacting the N-Scale Department chairman.