Club History

A Brief History of the

Eastern Maine Model Railroad Club, Inc.

The Eastern Maine Model Railroad Club, Inc., (EMMRC), a non-profit social organization was founded in 1976 in Brewer, Maine. Our first home was in the basement of a local church vestry. A change in pastors around the time of the first anniversary of the club resulted in losing this space. For the next two years we operated as a ‘round robin’ group, showing slides, playing Rail Baron (a railroad themed board game) and dreaming of mega-layouts. A local dentist with an interest in model railroading finally felt sorry for us and gave us the basement of one of his apartment buildings rent free. This location had low head room, no sanitary or washing facilities, was dusty, cold in the winter and subject to flooding and sewer back-ups. Successive landlords regularly increased our rent. Despite this, we built a substantial fixed layout, but increasingly longed to have a building of our own.

Meanwhile, we introduced HO-scale modular railroading to the state of Maine. Individual members built four foot long straight modules, while club members collaborated on the corner modules. By the early 1980s, EMMRC was presenting a room-sized modular layout in malls, libraries and at regional train shows. With additions and improvements this is the portable layout we are still exhibiting at our annual show and sale event in November.

Long time club member Brad Libby, who passed in 2007, was the inspiration and driving force behind the club’s production of custom-decorated model freight cars. Un-decorated equipment was combined with custom decals that Brad did the artwork for. This produced a long running series of limited-run models of local and regional cars, both prototypical and inspired by local and regional railroads. These cars were not previously available and the attention to detail created a market for these cars across the nation.

Above - Club members working on the club house, 1992 - photo by Norman Bateman

Below - The exterior of the club house in 1993 - photo by Norman Bateman

As our bankroll grew, we searched for a suitable building in the Bangor area, without success. We decided to go farther afield. In 1991 we were able to purchase a parcel of land in Orland, Maine from a member’s father. By that summer, we had a parking area, septic system and gravel in place for a concrete slab. Several club members had professional-level building skills and the majority of the labor was provided by club members. The building was occupied by the fall of 1993. Our permanent layout was constructed in a 30 by 40 foot space, the rest of the building comprises of a meeting room, our archives, an area where club members can work on equipment and storage. The layout uses Digital Command Control (DCC) and multiple trains are operated simultaneously. No model railroad is ever truly finished and scenery and track improvements are never ending.

Above - KVR 832a leads 832b, 830b and 830a towards Bangor on the layout. Photo courtesy Joey Kelley, JoeyKelleyPhoto.com

EMMRC’s railroad – the Katahdin Valley – has really come into its own since the club moved. Members are encouraged to bring their own locomotives and rolling stock, painted in a variety of schemes and eras. On any given operating day you might find a modern six axle locomotive one track over from a steam locomotive – and they might be painted in paint schemes for railroads that never existed or in the KVR’s own paint scheme.

As we approach the 50^th anniversary of the Eastern Maine Model Railroad Club we remember those who formed and worked hard to keep the club going while looking to the future of a hobby that we all hold dear. Onward for the next 50 years!