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!!

I’m sorry to read this. A fantastic layout and an even better group of people who always are welcoming. I’m positive that the rebuild will be even better than ever!  Hopefully there is a new location soon.

Hmmmm, still having Trainstock on January 18th? I may have to fly out for that.

So sorry to read about this on the Forum this morning!!!!

Benny, you were so gracious in letting Sue and myself come and see the clubs layout on that Saturday afternoon, when we were in New Jersey earlier this year. Then you let me "test run" my new MTH RailKing SD-40 diesel that I just picked up that morning from Pat over at E-Z Catch Trains on Staten Island, even putting smoke fluid in it for me, to test the smoke output.

We were joined by Mark Spadaro, and later by Bob Shipley (birthday boy), both very good friends I have made on the OGR Forum.

You guys are just the greatest, and I wish you the best of luck in finding somewhere else to set-up again. I have never seen, or been able to operate my trains on such a grand layout.....we have nothing even close to that here in Australia.

All the best Ben from your two friends from "down-under"

Peter......Buco Australia.

Here's to #16! I'm sure the last will be the best, and I sure hope to be there.

Shocking to say the least.

My family is so happy that we had the opportunity to see the club and its incredible layout last year. Even my wife was blown away…😜. Ben was such a gracious  host and made us all feel like long lost friends reunited. Junior was equally amazing in showing my boys all of the nooks and crannies of the layout. It was so cool to see the boys pop up out of the top of the mountain! A very magical couple of hours.

I wish you all the best in locating a new home and with Matt’s always positive approach as quoted above “before you know it” I’m sure you all will soon!

We may have to clear the calendar and make a boys trip in January!

Wow! January is stacking up to be a really lousy month! Trainstock 16 will be a bright light in our lives, then it's all downhill from there!

It's really disappointing when we hear about a fellow OGR member selling a house and taking down a layout, but this is a loss that will impact many people, the OGR community, and I'm sure, the members of the NJHR crew.  The hours of dedicated work that has been done in that building by so many members over the years, is immeasurable.   Rest assured that the thousands of  visitors to NJHR have appreciated the work done there, and  we'll all look forward to a future Trainstock at a new location!

Of course, the date is already on the calendar, and we look forward to enjoying the treasures of the New Jersey HiRailers one more time!

So sorry to hear this news. Enjoyed the visits over the years with Steve Tapper and Trainpop to view the layouts, and visit with everyone. Best of luck in your new home that I’m confident you will find.

My grandson will make the trek in January

My best wishes to all the New Jersey Highrailers. The layout is the finest O gauge model railroad I've ever seen. I was fortunate to have been able to visit during the OGR 50th anniversary celebration and on one other occasion. The hobby needs you to continue in another location. I hope you can.

MELGAR

@bluelinec4 - this is terrible news. I am sorry to hear!

What can we do to help and support? Fundraising, promoting awareness of the club, you name it. Let us know and we are here to support our fellow Hobbyists, especially your crew.

You all have a strong team in the club and I still wanted to offer any support that I can.

Obviously disappointing news.  I am confident the club will find a path forward based on the enthusiasm, work ethic, and quality of the people involved in it.

What would be helpful is if anyone in the NJ area knows of any other opportunities like the one Ted references above.  If so, send to Ben because while the logistics and work to move and rebuild a layout are considerable, the real key question is finding out whether, and if so, the extent to which, the club's economics (i.e., rent) can be replicated in a new location.  Get that settled and you can rebuild the layout, even if there are short term costs.  Or if there are folks that know a friend or family member that is a commercial real estate agent in NJ and would be willing to help out a great group of people to suggest leads.  Those types of things would be helpful to the club, I would imagine.

Have a good day everyone.  TGIF.

Oh darnit Ben! I'm so sorry to hear this! You have definitely been an advocate for the club and I appreciated you taking the time to give me a private tour of the layout. It was a bucket list visit that I was hoping to see again.

Dave

WOW! That's terrible news.

As Peter @Buco mentioned above, I made my first visit to the NJHR Club last May when he and his lovely wife Sue, were here on his pilgrimage across the USA. Ben and the guys were beyond gracious hosts giving my son and I a tour of the whole layout. Ben was especially proud of the effort to rescue the original GCT Control Board from a certain death in a land fill. Undoubtedly a piece of railroad history that deserves to be preserved.

We also met up with @Mark V. Spadaro and we all had a great time.

The Jersey Boys know how to do it right. Definitely clearing the calendar for Trainstock in January!

Bob

In the only words I can sum up, "That really blows 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

I have only seen the NJ Hi-Railer display on this forum and YouTube videos.  It is magnificent.  I am sorry that I won't be able to see it in person.  I could never find an excuse to visit from CA.  

I hope that the club will be able to purchase and build a permanent home.  It seems that the only way model railroad clubs can control their destiny is by owning their real estate.  Rents always go up and buildings are eventually sold.  This has happened to several SF Bay Area clubs.  

Good luck and I wish the club and its members a bright future.  NH Joe

I am going to convince my brother that he should come with me to Trainstock. I definitely think he should just for the wonderment of what they have built there.

@Mark V. Spadaro posted:

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! 🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁

Actually Mark,

Bruce Springsteen is a model train enthusiast and from New Jersey.  Maybe Ben can contact him.

John

John,

As much as I would love to hear Dancing in the Dark live without having to deal with Ticketmaster, it's definitely a reach.

Needless to say, I'm at a loss for words about the news...

Visiting has been on my "hopefully next year" list for awhile.  Looks like I gotta pull the trigger.  Going to check on flights.

I echo all the sentiments expressed by others. I've made 3 trips to Paterson. The first was on my own, but the subsequent trips were with others to share the experience. Even after describing to others what they'd see, it wasn't until they walked into the layout room that they had that "Oh, my!" moment. Add to that the welcoming atmosphere and breaking of the bread together and these folks had a magic formula for an enjoyable day with the trains. And here's the thing, the people I brought aren't even into model railroading. Unique experience. Not sure what is in store for us in January, but I've got a placeholder on the calendar.