Largest O scale Club In PA? Need help.

How are you defining "largest?"  Feet of track, square feet of layout only, square feet of occupied facility, number of members, size of model fleet (engines, cars, etc.)?  Lots of variables to consider.

Also, do you mean "O scale" as in 2-Rail Scale, or 3-Rail O Gauge?

For number of members, TCA is the largest club in PA.  They have layouts in the museum building that are probably not the largest in PA.

@Hot Water posted:

Also, do you mean "O scale" as in 2-Rail Scale, or 3-Rail O Gauge?

Since this is posted in the 3-Rail Traditional Toy Trains section, I'm guessing the OP is NOT asking about 2-rail SCALE.

3 rail o gauge.  I guess in the terms of the largest operating track or layout.

I know the largest in New Jersey!!!

Dr. Bob and those other fine folks at Stillmeadow Crossing have a giant modular layout that filled the Black hall at York.  This was a setup picture.

@Ron045 posted:

Dr. Bob and those other fine folks at Stillmeadow Crossing have a giant modular layout that filled the Black hall at York.  This was a setup picture.

Beauty eh!

The Pittsburgh Independent HiRailers comes to mind for me.  They setup at the local amusement Park during the holidays. No web page but that is their Facebook page.

@Andy Hummell could probably tell you more.

While we (The Pittsburgh Independent Hi-Railers) do not have a large number of members (currently 12, with 1 junior member, and a few prospective future members), we have put up some large layouts.  Our current large setup is the annual Holiday Lights event at Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh (usually around 20-21 nights of operation).  They give us a roughly 5000 sq. ft. space in which to set up.  Here is a shot from our 2019 season:

It is sort of a lop-sided "U" shape, and consists of over 300 feet of track to make a full trip around.  Times 4 mainlines, that is over 1200 feet of track.

We have done larger layouts in the past, including a holiday display that occupied a storefront that used to house an Old Navy store in a local declining mall.  We also filled Black Hall at York  in 2010 at a time when the club only had 8 active members.  We have done conventions in a number of different states, and as far away as Las Vegas.  We are now in our 23rd year as a club, and hoping that train shows and displays can start returning to normal soon.

Andy

Well lets goto the beginning and list all the permanent O scale, O gauge model RR clubs in PA.

I only know of 3:

Nazareth Area Society of Model Engineers [N.A.S.M.E.] stockertown, PA 3 rail featured in OGR.

Black Diamond Society of Model Engineers [B.D.S.M.E.] both 2 &3 rail Bethlehem, PA

And the Reading Society of Model Engineers outdoor and O Scale

Any Others? Central and/or Western, PA?

@prrhorseshoecurve posted:

Well lets goto the beginning and list all the permanent O scale, O gauge model RR clubs in PA.

I only know of 3:

Nazareth Area Society of Model Engineers [N.A.S.M.E.] stockertown, PA 3 rail featured in OGR.

Black Diamond Society of Model Engineers [B.D.S.M.E.] both 2 &3 rail Bethlehem, PA

And the Reading Society of Model Engineers outdoor and O Scale

Any Others? Central and/or Western, PA?

Permant layouts?!?

There is also the layout in Merchants Crossing Mall in Allentown, a large 3-rail layout.

The NPOG Layout at Harry Hennings and the traveling modules

There is another club in Allentown area - i think the independent o group that regularly sets up at first frost/spring thaw

Choo Choo Barn in Lancaster

TCA Museum in Lancaster

Roadside America is now gone

I am sure there are others

See, this is why I asked my original group of questions.  Is a 3-rail O gauge group that assembles modules occasionally or regularly the "club" the OP was considering?  Or, are they looking only for a club with a permanent layout (even if built in modules) at a permanent location?  Or does the OP not care?  We all know that details matter!

Chuck

@Gpritch posted:

Permant layouts?!?

There is also the layout in Merchants Crossing Mall in Allentown, a large 3-rail layout.

The NPOG Layout at Harry Hennings and the traveling modules

There is another club in Allentown area - i think the independent o group that regularly sets up at first frost/spring thaw

Choo Choo Barn in Lancaster

TCA Museum in Lancaster

Roadside America is now gone

I am sure there are others

Don't forget the Miniature Railroad & Village at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh

@prrhorseshoecurve posted:

Well lets goto the beginning and list all the permanent O scale, O gauge model RR clubs in PA.

I only know of 3:

Nazareth Area Society of Model Engineers [N.A.S.M.E.] stockertown, PA 3 rail featured in OGR.

Black Diamond Society of Model Engineers [B.D.S.M.E.] both 2 &3 rail Bethlehem, PA

And the Reading Society of Model Engineers outdoor and O Scale

Any Others? Central and/or Western, PA?

Here is a list:

i. Anthracite Hi-Railers
ii. Black Diamond Society of Model Engineers
iii. Clarion Model Railroad Club
iv. Cumberland Valley Model Railroad Club
v. East Penn Traction Club
vi. Fort Pitt Hi-Railers
vii. Garden Spot Village Train Club
viii. Lehigh Valley Hi-Railers
ix. Liberty Hi-Railers
x. Loose Ties Model Railroad Club
xi. Lower Susquehanna Valley Modular Railroaders
xii. Masonic Village & Elizabethtown Model Railroad Club
xiii. Nazareth Area Society of Model Engineers
xiv. North Penn O-Gaugers
xv. Northern Central High Railers
xvi. Peters Township D.A.R.E. Model Railroad Club
xvii. Pittsburgh Independent Hi-Railers
xviii. Reading Society of Model Engineers
xix. Red Lion Model Railroaders
xx. Scottish Rite, Valley of Reading, Model Railroading Club
xxi. Stillmeadow Crossing Modular Train Group
xxii. Waynesboro Model Railroad Club
xxiii. Westinghouse Castle Museum Model Train Club

@Gpritch posted:

Permant layouts?!?

There is also the layout in Merchants Crossing Mall in Allentown, a large 3-rail layout.

The NPOG Layout at Harry Hennings and the traveling modules

There is another club in Allentown area - i think the independent o group that regularly sets up at first frost/spring thaw

Choo Choo Barn in Lancaster

TCA Museum in Lancaster

Roadside America is now gone

I am sure there are others

Ok the O.P. as for clubs, not layouts. I will give you the N.P.O.G. as a club because the public can join.

The Merchants square, choo choo barn, Roadside America are private layouts to pay and view. I donr remember them being a club that the public can join.

@NIKHIL posted:

Here is a list:

i. Anthracite Hi-Railers
ii. Black Diamond Society of Model Engineers
iii. Clarion Model Railroad Club
iv. Cumberland Valley Model Railroad Club
v. East Penn Traction Club
vi. Fort Pitt Hi-Railers
vii. Garden Spot Village Train Club
viii. Lehigh Valley Hi-Railers
ix. Liberty Hi-Railers
x. Loose Ties Model Railroad Club
xi. Lower Susquehanna Valley Modular Railroaders
xii. Masonic Village & Elizabethtown Model Railroad Club
xiii. Nazareth Area Society of Model Engineers
xiv. North Penn O-Gaugers
xv. Northern Central High Railers
xvi. Peters Township D.A.R.E. Model Railroad Club
xvii. Pittsburgh Independent Hi-Railers
xviii. Reading Society of Model Engineers
xix. Red Lion Model Railroaders
xx. Scottish Rite, Valley of Reading, Model Railroading Club
xxi. Stillmeadow Crossing Modular Train Group
xxii. Waynesboro Model Railroad Club
xxiii. Westinghouse Castle Museum Model Train Club

And these are all permanent O scale and/or O gauge layouts correct? Nice list if it is!

Didnt the Leigh Valley Highrailers disband a couple of years ago? I thought Forumite LeighLine stated they did.

I’ll toss in one more that Nikhil may have overlooked - Mifflin County Model Railroad Club in Lewistown. They have a large O gauge layout and a very large HO layout. I’ve added a link to a December 2019 post by Forest Zeiders.

https://ogrforum.com/...-model-railroad-club

Curt

@prrhorseshoecurve posted:

And these are all permanent O scale and/or O gauge layouts correct? Nice list if it is!

Both the Fort Pitt Hi-Railers and the Pittsburgh Independent Hi-Railers are modular clubs and do not have permanent layouts.

Also, the Westinghouse Castle layout is now gone.  Several of our members were involved with it, and our club (PIHR) even did a setup there. It was a nice little layout.

Andy

The Lehigh Valley HiRailers stopped displaying 3 years ago. We did not have a permanent layout. Rather, we met in member's homes to enjoy the individual layouts. We were best known for taking our modules to the Spring Thaw Train Meet in Allentown. We are currently meeting virtually until this COVID mess blows over.

Chris

LVHR