Trainstock 16 and an END of an era at the NJ Hi-Railers

Oh WOW! Thank you for all the great years of train creations and friendship.

I just joined last January.  These are some of the best people I have ever met in my entire life.

The work they have done at the club is breathtaking.  They have put their hearts and souls into it along with countless hours of dedication and work.

There has to be a future for this wonderful club.

John

Talk about good news/bad news. I’ll have to make a major effort to get back down in January. I really hope you can find a new venue for your club and amazing layout

WOW, talk about bad news!  I'm going to make a special effort to get up there this year, that is a sad state of affairs!

Ouch! We were just there last month for your open house and everyone made us feel really welcome. This is such sad news.

Sad news indeed, but if anybody can come up with better future plan, it will be the NJ Hi-Railers.

Wow, the thought of moving it all is earth-shattering news! I really hope you guys find another facility to let you set up the incredible layout you have.

On a brighter note, our own train club signed a 50 year lease agreement with the township of Lakewood last month for $1.00! The town is very happy that moved to a township building. In effect, we pay 2 cents a year for 50 years until October1, 2074! I’ve told my younger members that they can negotiate a new lease with the town then.

So this isn't an April fools joke?

Sorry  for sad news,always had a great time,great people and fantastic layout.Let's hope for the best....Keep the faith Ben...

This is bad. Hopefully just for now. Fantastic club, layout and people.

Sad news and I'll be there!!

I feel bad for you guys all that moving and rebuilding. It's like moving a piece of art but in little pieces. I hope you can find a bigger place to expand!

Unbelievable! The workmanship that was done by club members to create and now must be taken apart. This is a great group of individuals who I am sure will find another site. Looking forward to finding a way to visit Trainstock-16 in January.

Nothing short of tragic. An absolute icon in the world of model trains. Neil Young should buy you guys a building! Hard to believe. The amount of joy and wonder NJHR has brought to its visitors and guests cannot be overstated! 🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁

My sympathies and best wishes for survival,  and prospering, wherever you go next.  Thanks for all you and your club have done over the decades.

Wow, this is very distressing news. More like a punch to the gut.

This reminds me of a story I saw on YouTube. IIRC it was the Winchester model RR Club. They had become a main stay in their town and were synonymous with having incredible open houses for the holidays. They drew crowds and there were long lines to get in. Everyone in town enjoyed seeing the trains at Christmas time. I forget exactly how it happened but they needed to purchase the building they were in so they tried to buy the B&O freight house from CSX. They couldn't get up enough money and some lady from a non-profit organization got the building and promptly kicked them out. She needed the building for storage. A big loss for the town as there were no more open houses to coincide with the holidays. Please correct me if I got anything wrong on the above story.

A big heartfelt thank you to all the NJ Hi-Railers members who put so much effort into so many events there over the years from TCA events to open houses to Trainstock. Thank you for all the hours of hard work you put into making your layout probably the best 3 rail layout in the world. I never had a bad time there. I enjoyed every minute of my time there from Vinnie's cooking to watching the trains go. I sincerely hope they can find another place to move their layout and that the club will live on. I can't tell you guys how much I appreciate all the good times and all the good memories I have had there.

And remember it's not just the 3 rail layout. The NJ Hi-railers also own layouts of historical significance like the Tom Snyder standard gauge layout and the layout from the Sopranos. All of these layouts need to be saved.

Very sad…….however, I am privileged to have attended 3 of them

Peter

Ah, that's a kick in the pants, Ben and gang. I wish you all the best in finding a new roost; I would love to be part of such a club, but being chronically sick and still having to work beats me to a pulp every week. Now if you guys set up near me in PA, I'd head out on crutches and lend a hand

22 years! Holy time-warp, Batman. I have two DVDs of the NJ Hi-Railers layout and enjoy them very much.

Sorry to hear this news about you having to leave your current place in Patterson.I have always enjoyed coming to see your layout in previous years and I will definitely get up there this year.I hope your group will be able to find a new place to host your layout so we can continue to have future Trainstock meets.

What a buzzkill.   I have to fix it at work so I can make the 18th.

So sad when great places like this close. Happens often these days. And up goes another gas station / convenience store or something. And now ... self-service storage.

County over from NJ Hi-Railers was the Chatterbox Drive-In. Cool place. Bike nights. Hot rod nights. Classics nights. Now it's a friggn' WaWa gas station.

Lets make Trainstock 16, the biggest and best Trainstock we've ever had.

Before you know it, we'll be celebrating Trainstock 17 in a new location, with this situation far behind us!

Thank you all for the love and support.

185 6th Ave, Paterson NJ will forever be a special place to me and my family, and our extended train family.

I can't wait to make new memories wherever we land!!