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Hello All, I'm new to O Scale and what started off as just wanting 1 O Scale train set and some tracks to run it on has become more than I had anticipated.  I live in San Francisco and have primarily N Scale and which I have a fairly large temporary setup to run them on but translate that to O Scale and it's a small space.  Again, I thought this was just going to be a novelty item that I would set up on the floor and run every so often but was quickly bitten by the bug.  I love trains as I also have HO scale but now I have a nice fleet of O scale locomotives both diesel and steam and freight and passenger rolling stock.  I love the heft and the detail of O scale.  So now, I'm looking for a place to go run my trains.  Are there any clubs in the Bay Area that allows folks to bring trains and run them.  I don't mind paying a membership fee and or monthly dues to be able to run trains but unfortunately I really can't commit much time to a club as I know that is usually a requirement.  Thank you for any information.

-Junior

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AFLORES59 -- I assume when you say O - scale you mean three-rail O gauge (easier to "set up on the floor...").  If that's the case, you might want to check out the Carquinez Toy Train Operating Museum, which is located in Crockett - website:  http://cttom.org/  They have a fairly large three-rail set up for O gauge and a smaller amount of two-rail S gauge trackage (American Flyer, etc. - which is what I have).  I visited their layout a couple of years ago and they are a membership organization where members are encouraged to bring their own trains to run.  Interestingly, they are in the same building in Crockett as the Carquinez Model Railroad Society, which has a massive HO layout spanning two floors of the building (CTTOM is upstairs from that).

The previous poster mentions the club in Richmond, which is the Golden State Model Railroad Museum - http://www.gsmrm.org/ - which has three scales - O, HO and N.  The O is two-rail O-scale - I'm fairly certain they don't have any three-rail.

I just rediscovered this very nice web listing of various clubs, etc. in the SF Bay Area -- https://just-trains.com/rxr-links/clubs -- put up by the Just-trains hobby shop in Concord, CA (nice folks).  In addition to the clubs noted above, you'll see a listing for the Golden Gate Lionel RR club, who has a modular layout they set up at various shows.  I've seen it at the several O-Scale West annual shows I've attended and its nicely done.  The folks at O Scale West might know of other O-gauge clubs - https://oscalewest.com/

- Rich

Thank you gentlemen for your responses.  For clarification, yes it is 3 Rail O Gauge.  Hi John, I'm not a LCCA member but will look into that and possibly becoming a member.   Hi Rich, thank you for sharing the different resources - I will be paying the Carquinez Toy Train Operating Museum a visit at their next Open House. I will definitely look at that resource guide and see what else is around here.  And yes, the GSMRM is a 2 Rail O Scale layout.  Hi Ameen, I will email you about the South Bay Historical Railroad.

-Junior

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