Fort Lauderdale, FL - Future Home of New Layout and Help Finding a Club

I live near the West Palm Beach FL airport and there might be a few hobby shops around but no train club in O gauge. Seems that nobody does O gauge clubs here in southeast Florida. The best hobby shop that I have found is in north Miami, Ready To Roll.

There are a few H.O. train clubs, one in Deerfield Beach and another at the South FL Fairgrounds in WPB(West Palm Beach). For Deerfield Beach it is at 1300 West Hillsboro Blvd.  at the Amtrak station. www.sfrm.org

Lee Fritz

Hey Nick,

Should be a great place for your business.

BTW, is that some left over chicken I see there?  If so, I'll take some of that, 2 Corvettes and the blue Camaro to go with nothing on them please... 

Best,

Dave

Nick,

Check out the Florida Citrus Model Train Society (www.FCMTS.org), a pretty active group with a portable G gauge layout and N gauge layout, and modular layouts in O 3-Rail and HO scale. Currently they are displaying layouts at the Plantation Historical Museum until October 25,2014. See their website for details.

bill in FtL

Hey Bill,

Thanks for the info! I did not know of this group at all and I have been here in south Florida for over 15 years.

Lee Fritz

I was amazed when moving from Illinois to Florida, and seeing the sparse amount of Hobby Shops, and/or Model Railroad clubs. Especially when its communities of many retired, who now have a chance at 2nd childhoods, and modeling that railroad. But then again, basements are rare.

What amazes me as well is with all the new rail traffic in the past few years that there are very few hobby shops down here in southeast Florida.

I have to go to Lantana or Miami for a local hobby shop anymore.

About useable ares for a train layout; I have used an upstairs room for my layout. I don't recommend garage spaces for a layout here in south Florida unless you like to have a miniature monster or lizard come to see you often.

Lee Fritz

You have the best of both hobbies, Classic Cars, NOW & Model Railroading to come, look forward to seeing the new construction & the trains moving in.....

What is the deal with those muscle cars?

Lee we have a group looking for space for a club in Martin County or North Palm Beach County.  If you come across anything let me know.

Al Galli

Thank you all for the suggestions. I did do some online research but the results were spotty. I was sort of hoping that a word of mouth only type place was around the area; unfortunately it still just seems Florida is a dead zone for train clubs with a permanent 3-Rail O layout.

Al,

Have you checked out the Martin County fairgrounds on Dixie Hwy in Stuart FL? It is across from the main school bus parking lot. Take Indian street from U. S. 1 across the railroad tracks and turn left, the fairgrounds will be on the left. If you need more info contact me here or at phillyreading@gmail.com 

They have an H.O. club that meets there.

I think that north Palm Beach might be expensive to rent.

If I could find a nearby O gauge club I think that i would join it tomorrow.

Lee Fritz

Lee

I belonged to that club in the past.  In fact I started their train show.  They want no part of an O Gauge layout.  I tried for years.  We are talking to the Parks Department but they move with the speed of dark!

Al