Written by Jeff Mills – member # 94-48
The Chicagoland Lionel Railroad Club was born out of a meeting in February of 1994 at Chicago’s Union Station with eight rail-fan enthusiasts eager to share their hobby with others. The meeting was organized and conducted by Gerry Brettschneider who had also been the founder of three other Lionel clubs in Wisconsin, Missouri, and California. It was determined that the Lionel message would be brought to the Chicago area.
The first official meeting was held at Berwyn’s Toys and Trains on 28th and Harlem in April 1994. After much discussion and reminiscing, 75 people signed up on that night in the packed little store. There was definitely enough interest to be able to form a club. So, with Gerry’s blessings that small group of enthusiasts went off on their own to begin plans for the formation of one of the finest clubs in the Midwest. The Chicagoland Lionel Railroad Club was born!
The mission of our club is to bring together other rail-fans that enjoy the hobby of model railroading with Lionel Trains and maintain a club for their mutual enjoyment. We also strive to share the excitement of model trains with children of all ages and with adults who maybe have never experienced the joy of railroading, or need to be reminded of the joys of their youth.
In July of 1994, the CLRC incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. By August, the by-laws had been voted in and officers were elected. Membership cards had been created and distributed. Standards for the construction of the modular layout were being worked on. The club logo was designed and created with patches for wearing on club shirts becoming available soon after. In the fall of 1999, the club established three tiers of membership; regular, associate and honorary with different benefit levels.
Currently for 2002, our membership has grown to 832 members nationwide. Most of these members are from the Chicagoland Metropolitan area. Dues have remained relatively constant since the inception of the club.
Included in a membership in the CLRC, one would receive a newsletter published after each of the monthly run meetings.
Also included is a subscription to the Prairie State Express, which is published quarterly and averages nine pages of interesting articles and club news.
Currently, the CLRC owns and operates two O-Gauge layouts. Our main layout is modular in design. Each section measures 32”x48” and has its own internal wiring with electrical connections to the next module. Currently, we have over 20 modules with more planned for the future. There are 8 corner sections, which allow us the flexibility to set up in either a large “C” formation or to set up two completely separate layouts. Recently, 6 yard modules (totaling 24’) have been produced that feature 6 tracks with two entrances and are capable of stand–alone performance, for in the yard switching, as well as connectivity to the 3 mainlines. Two sets of legs provide for either a 20” kids height or a 40” adult height. A clear acrylic guardrail installs around the entire layout for the protection of trains as well as a complete skirting system to allow for a neater appearance at shows. The layout features many operating accessories both vintage and modern. Many scenic areas are represented on the layout including a farm, oil depot, Lionel Hobby Shop, town and industrial areas and even a fire scene complete with simulated burning building. Lionel’s TMCC Command Control system is basically used to power the layout, but regular transformer power is also supplied for the older engines. We are beginning to install the SC-1 controllers to be able to operate switches and accessories from the remote control keypad.
Our second layout is a 4’x8’ construction that was created for use at the National Manufacturing Week Trade Show at Chicago’s McCormick Place Exposition Center. This layout was built to get the maximum amount of fun in the smallest amount of space. It features 2 mainlines, a trolley line, 2 siding spurs, several operating accessories and is fully scenicked with buildings and landscaping. This has proved to be a very fun-filled layout and is easily transported and set up.
One of the ways the CLRC has been able to generate income for the success of the club has been through the development and sale of “club cars” specially designed for the Chicagoland Lionel Railroad Club and produced by Lionel Trains. To date, 15 cars and 1 locomotive have been produced.
1995 - Chicago & Northwestern boxcar
1996 - SantaFe extended vision caboose with black roof
- SantaFe extended vision caboose with red roof
1997 – Burlington Northern Maxi-Stack
1998 – Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium car featuring background graphics of the
actual coral reef display at the Shedd Aquarium
1999 – SantaFe/REA operating boxcar featuring “Uncle Herb” tossing a specially
marked CLRC crate out onto the station platform.
The Time Zone Collection began in 1999:
- Union Pacific operating “Uncle Herb” boxcar for the Mountain Time Zone
- Southern Pacific operating boxcar for the Pacific Time Zone
2000 – Burlington Route (CB&Q) operating “Uncle Herb” boxcar for the Central Time
Zone
- Atlantic Coast Line operating boxcar for the Eastern Time Zone
- Lionel Centennial SantaFe/REA operating “Uncle Herb” boxcar
2001 – Chicago & Northwestern 3-bay Cylindrical hopper in Yellow
- Chicago & Northwestern 3-bay Cylindrical hopper in Green
– CLRC Presidential Award Car with red doors personally signed by Dick Maddox
(an award car given out by the CLRC for exceptional service to the club)
- GP-20 CLRC locomotive featuring a large graphic of the club logo
2002 – Pennsylvania customized mail/cargo car featuring the same striping scheme found
on the GG-1 locomotives
Shows and presentations
Perhaps one of our most notable presentations was during the Christmas season of 1996 at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium when we were invited to set up our layout in the entryway near their huge Christmas tree. We operated trains for two weekends there to the delight of many. As a result of that experience, the Shedd Aquarium car was developed.
Local mall shows are another way to showcase our well-known display layout. Setup is usually on a Friday night after the mall closes. We run trains all day Saturday and until the mall closes on Sunday. Teardown and packing up is after that. We set up our layout at “kid’s height” on 20” legs. We also put the controls on the outside of the layout and invite anybody to come run the trains with us (first of its kind in our area). Operating accessory controls are also available on the outside. The kids absolutely love it! Most adults usually tell them not to touch anything, but we invite them to come and play.
We have also participated as a display, at kid’s height, at the National Model and Hobby shows for the enjoyment of hundreds of children and their families.
The CLRC has set up our layout at many local schools and charitable organizations including Mooseheart International, a community for families with various hardships, as the centerpiece for their Illinois Days Celebration.
National train club conventions have also invited the CLRC to participate with our travelling operating layout.
1995 - LOTS – in Chicago, Illinois
1996 - LCCA - in Grand Rapids, Michigan
1997 - LCCA – in Bloomington, Minnesota
2000 – LCCA – in Dearborn, Michigan
2001 – LCCA – in Lexington, Kentucky
The CLRC even has one Trade Show under its belt. In March of 2001, we were hired by Ausable Solutions to be the main attention grabber for their display at the National Manufacturing week at McCormick Place in Chicago. We had to build a small 4x8’ layout for the show. It had two main lines and some basic scenery. It was small, but did it ever draw huge crowds! The layout was run from 9 AM to 5 PM for the entire week.
The CLRC set up a display recently at Chicago’s Art Institute too. In January 2002, the club set up the layout and ran it for three consecutive weekends as part of their exhibit of Train Stations Around the World. The art Institute was pleased to report that attendance at our part of the display had dramatically increased.
These kinds of invitations are terrific exposure for our club. We are always proud to participate in these events.
Our layouts have quite a few miles on them. We have had to upgrade the size of the club trailer twice already to accommodate our ever-growing layouts. We are now on our third trailer.
CLRC and the Boy Scouts of America
Trains and model railroading have long been a way for fathers and sons to become closer by doing things together. The Boy Scouts of America also has a terrific program designed to promote the same kind of togetherness between fathers and sons. As part of our ongoing mission to bring railroading to young and old, the Chicagoland Lionel Railroad Club and the Boy Scouts have joined together to present the Railroading Merit Badge Camp-o-Rees. A round robin of activities and instructional classes are presented, designed around the Boy Scout merit badge requirements, in order to teach various aspects of railroading. As part of this weekend long camping outing, all the scouts get to run trains and accessories at our layout which typically runs for around 16 to 18 hours total. For this activity, we can set up 1 or 2 separate layouts as available space or attendance size dictates. To date we have participated in 6 of these Camp-o-Rees. Nearly 1000 merit badges have been earned so far.
Fall, 1998 – Sauk Trail District
Fall, 1999 – Voyageur Trace District
Spring, 2000 – Thunderbird District
Fall, 2000 – Dusable District
Fall, 2001 – Northwoods District
Spring, 2002 – Arrowhead District
Special Events
Beginning in 1997, the CLRC has held an annual summer picnic at no cost to members. Members and their families can enjoy a beautiful day of barbecue, desserts, games, raffles, and just good company. A locomotive “drag race” is held on a double track, ¼ scale mile drag strip. It’s a BYOL (bring your own locomotive) event and there are trophies for both steam and diesel classes. Our layout usually makes an appearance here too. Setup under a circus style big-top tent, the layout has weathered a storm or two with no damage.
At one of our picnics, 1999, Bozo the Clown from Channel 9 television even made an appearance! Turns out, Bozo is a big rail-fan and he had heard about our great picnics and our operating layout under the circus tent. What a great day that was for all our kids at the picnic.
This past year, we were invited to hold our CLRC picnic at the grounds of the Illinois Live Steamers Club in Lockport, Illinois. They feature ride-on size trains, using live steam locomotives. Their layout spans a number of acres of land and is beautifully landscaped with live plants and trees. This outing was extremely fun-filled for our members and their families.
The CLRC has also sponsored monthly swap meets during some of our regular meetings. More of these meets are planned for the future.
One of the most notable visitors to the CLRC has to be Bozo the Clown from WGN television. Bozo and his TV crew came to shoot a segment called “Hobby Corner” where we show how easy it can be to build and scenic a small operating O-Gauge layout. Skills shown included laying track, making roadways, scratch building trees, basic plaster techniques, and painting. The segment runs for only six minutes but took half a day to shoot! This segment has been shown many times since.
Tours and Trips
Activities with the CLRC also include various club-sponsored trips. One of the most popular activities are the club’s bus trips to the Detroit area that have included tours of the Lionel factory, Madison Hardware, the Carail Museum and other local clubs.
Some local trips have included private tours of the Electro-Motive diesel engine building and repair shops. One of these tours took place during one of the biggest blizzards to hit our area in many years. Even so, many hardy members still showed up and were treated to a great tour of this outstanding facility.
These trips provide a great opportunity to socialize and to include your family in this great hobby.
Future Plans
We, at the CLRC, are always looking for new ways to expand our club’s presence in the railroading world, our layout’s size and operational excellence, and overall fun and enjoyment for our members. More trips and activities are always in the works and should provide many interesting and fun times.
A permanent home has always been the club’s objective since its beginning. We are always working toward that goal. Through our various fund raising activities, including the sale of our club cars, and careful financial planning, we feel that we are close to being able to realize that dream. This would be a source of enjoyment for all members for years to come.
Information
Contact us for more information about our club including membership, club car information, and orders.
Happy Railroading!
Back to the Chicagoland Lionel Railroad Club Home Page