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.

There will be two, possibly three, of us coming out for Trainstock.

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 we 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 ambassador and 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.

Thank you everybody for all the kind words  Looking forward to seeing everybody   Beers on me

Im in for this shindig one mo time!

Ben I am so sorry to read that you have lost your space I sincerely hope you and your fellow members can find a new affordable location l have such fond memories of enjoying the warm hospitality of you and all of the NI Highrailers  at your spectacular layout  

@bluelinec4 posted:

Beers on me

Oh my goodness, Ben!  You must be soaked!  Need a towel?

@Traindiesel posted:

Oh my goodness, Ben!  You must be soaked!  Need a towel?

LOL Brian   You know me I would do the backstroke through a pool of beer

@bluelinec4, having never visited the NJ Hi-Railers, I will have to make a point to fly up and attend Trainstock 16 in 2025.  That way I can see in person what I've only seen in images and videos over the years, not to mention see some of the OGR members in person.

Hi Ben et al.

Beyond disappointed to hear of your upcoming eviction. I hope and pray you'll be able to find a suitable, and affordable, place to begin a new layout soon. And to save all the one-of-a-kind items you've got there, from Tom Snyder's layout, the Sopranos layout, the GCT board, the posters along the window wall, etc.

Kathie and I are planning to be there.

Our best wishes to you and the other club members for a bright future together.

Chris (and Kathie)

I am going to try to make one of the open houses as well as Trainstock. It's very sad to lose this great ambassador of the O gauge hobby.

Will there be any merch for sale at this Trainstock such as T-shirts or hats?

Ben,

I'm sure that someone may have already thought about a way to work with this.  What are the chances that the storage facility might consider leaving the third floor as-is and renting it to the NJHR?  That, coupled with a state or federal grant for funding might be do-able.  Our club in CT (BMRS) has benefited from 2 state grants that allowed us to do some major (for us) projects that donations at the door just couldn't cover.  The NJHR is a state and national treasure!

  Myself and other members of the High Plains 3 Railers plan to fly out from Colorado for this bucket list event !

Hi Ben Very sad. all the best finding new quarters.

PS I saw 16 on the pad live in 1972.

This is sad news.

It calls to mind the lyrics from Joni Mitchell's song, "Big Yellow Taxi":

They paved paradise                                                               And put up a parking lot.

Another possibly apt Joni Mitchell song - "Just Like This Train," from "Court and Spark."

Sorry to hear about the loss of the space. When I lived in Brooklyn, I and a friend had the pleasure of visiting. Hope you're able to find another location. How transportable is the layout?

David

Can you get there by train?  How far from the Hawthorne NJT Station?

@Bruce Clouette posted:

Can you get there by train?  How far from the Hawthorne NJT Station?

I did that six or seven years ago - walked from the Hawthorne station. Maybe a half-hour. All good. Others with more recent knowledge, please chime in.

David

@NKP Muncie posted:

I did that six or seven years ago - walked from the Hawthorne station. Maybe a half-hour. All good. Others with more recent knowledge, please chime in.

David

I'm not sure I'd want to talk for half an hour through Paterson, NJ.

@bluelinec4 posted:

   Beers on me

Now I’m definitely making the trip! 😜

I believe the 190 NJT bus from Port Authority NYC goes near.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I'm not sure I'd want to talk for half an hour through Paterson, NJ.

You can get Google directions which will give you a walking time.  As far as the neighborhood it a low income tired area but entirely walkable.

@necrails posted:

You can get Google directions which will give you a walking time.  As far as the neighborhood it a low income tired area but entirely walkable.

We are on the outskirts of Paterson in the Bunker hill section  The walk from Hawthorne train station isnt bad  Straight shot down river   You pass the Sealy mattress factory on the way.   We are the black dot in the pic

@NKP Muncie posted:

Another possibly apt Joni Mitchell song - "Just Like This Train," from "Court and Spark."

Sorry to hear about the loss of the space. When I lived in Brooklyn, I and a friend had the pleasure of visiting. Hope you're able to find another location. How transportable is the layout?

David

Not transportable at all  It was built in phases that were all add ons to a layout that was purchased from somebody 

Hi Ben,

This is sad news for such a beautiful layout to have to be dismantled after so many years. The NJ Hi-railers is a great train club and i'm sure everyone will come together and rebuild a new layout and keep the tradition going !  

Thanks, Alex

Thank you.  The Hudson Valley Railroad Society will be there!

@CHOO-CHOO MIKE posted:

  Myself and other members of the High Plains 3 Railers plan to fly out from Colorado for this bucket list event !

Working on plane reservations from Indianapolis.

Hi Ben really sad to hear this Is the January session still going to take place?

Alan  and Anna

All I can say is WOW!!!

I though the building was owned by one of the clubs founding members.  What happened?

Wow Ben sorry to hear this. My older son is just getting involved in trains and I've been telling him about the hi railers layout. Guess ill have to make it there with him. This must be heartbreaking to you and the rest of the club after all the awesome work you guys pulled off. But next one will be even better!!!

Wow Have I been out of touch!!!!!    My all time favorite public layout.  Terrible news!   Hope you gentlemen can ride it out and  find a new home.  I will be there to see it one more time.  Phil

I've always wanted to visit, now there is no excuse. Count me in!

Although our days might be numbered in our location we are always adding new things to the layout   This is our latest addition  The Daily Planet

@bluelinec4 posted:

Although our days might be numbered in our location we are always adding new things to the layout   This is our latest addition  The Daily Planet

Very cool 😎 Ben.

The only thing that would have topped that would have been a train rolling by when the "more powerful than a locomotive" line was said. Great addition to the layout.

I'm definitely flying up in January to visit this wonderful train exhibit that you all have before it's gone.

Awesome. Well done.

I believe that almost anything can be negotiated.  Will the new owners even talk about possibilities?  IF your Club is a recognized [IRS  Section 501(c)(3) ] charity the owner could write off the value of the third floor at the number of units per year, I would think.  You need to contact a Tax Lawyer for a consult. 

How about this under [IRS  Section 501(c)(3) ] :  A private foundation ??

That is SUPER!!!

That is really cool! I loved it. The Daily Planet globe at the top of the building is incredible. Maybe next time a Baxter Building for us Marvel fans? I get it, the FF is just not as popular as Superman. Great job, NJHR!

By the way if the layout does get torn down please do not post pictures of it. I don't ever want to see it.

Very sorry to read of this.

Though the possibility of me ever attending is essentially zero, I always looked forward to the pics and stories that led up to, then followed a Trainstock event.

From all the years I've followed Trainstock postings, I'm of the opinion that the N.J. Hi-Railers appear to be a group of very creative, hard working, and friendly individuals. (Well... sort of friendly! LOL!)

I do hope the N.J. Hi-Railers find solutions to this situation.

Andre

Flight and car are booked.  Arriving Friday, leaving Sunday morning.

What are the hours on Saturday?

Suggestions for other places to visit?

A very Super-Edition to the layout Ben. You guys always amaze us all.

@Mallard4468 posted:

Flight and car are booked.  Arriving Friday, leaving Sunday morning.

What are the hours on Saturday?

Suggestions for other places to visit?

We usually say 10 am start but we will be here from 8 so your welcome to come anytime from then and its until everyone leaves 

Hi.  I am definitely going to come.  I will be bringing 1 guest.

@bluelinec4 posted:

Although our days might be numbered in our location we are always adding new things to the layout   This is our latest addition  The Daily Planet

Maybe you could sprinkle some Kryptonite around to keep the landlord away?????

Looking forward to Trainstock Ben. I'll be there for sure.

Bob

WOW, Gut wrenching news, I can’t even fathom the idea of taking down a layout of that magnitude.  My mind couldn’t address the thought of taking down my layout and it’s only 30x12, a mere facsimile of what you guys have over there.  I’m speechless. The new owner must have some real grandiose plans for a building of that size. Business is business but man, sometimes you have to have a conscience…. 22 years up in smoke. I’m a 2d generation Mason and I saw my father’s lodge get destroyed due to lack of membership and old passing members and it’s a sad feeling knowing what used to be when I pass thru the neighborhood.  My hope is that the NJHR find something bigger & better but even with an outcome like that ….. the amount of work to rebuild is immeasurable, not impossible though. Good Luck fellas, I’ll be there in January.

@marshelangelo posted:

The new owner must have some real grandiose plans for a building of that size. Business is business but man, sometimes you have to have a conscience…. 22 years up in smoke.

Literally up in smoke as the new owner is a pot farmer    Converting 1st floor factory into grow rooms   The rest of the building is going to be Self Storage units.

We started a GoFund Me to try to help with the cost but it really hasnt been too active yet

https://gofund.me/acf4144a

BTW  The TRainstock hats are ready    You can order them on our website and pick them up at trainstock   or we can ship them

The logo is a takeoff on Apollo 16 logo

https://www.njhirailers.com/pr...16-commemorative-hat

@bluelinec4 posted:

We started a GoFund Me to try to help with the cost but it really hasnt been too active yet

https://gofund.me/acf4144a

Ben, I will definitely make a donation in January. Funds are tight right now due to the upcoming holiday and other things but I did order a hat.

@bluelinec4 posted:

We started a GoFund Me to try to help with the cost but it really hasnt been too active yet

https://gofund.me/acf4144a

I strongly urge folks to do all they can to support the GoFundMe page the NJHR has established. The cost to relocate/preserve that great (in both size and presentation) layout is certainly going to be formidable. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best, but they sure face quite a challenge. Still, there are many folks in this hobby with highly creative minds who may offer valuable suggestions and assistance, and I imagine there even are some with deep pockets who would love to help in that way. "Hope springs eternal" as the old saying goes!

So looking once again at travel time, 1 hour 14 minutes barring terrible traffic, I know in 2019 Allan and I parked on the back end of 6th Street by the fences, and not the parking lot. I almost didn't recognize the view from the satellite feed. Of course that is always hard to notice. I don't know if my brother did give me an answer or not, I'll have to talk more about going to him this weekend.

Fellow Forumites,

                         It is now 3:00 p.m. and everyone should be awake on both coasts.  If you have read this thread, you must know we have a model railroad club in need of your help.  At the moment, NJ Hi-Railers is seeking monetary donations with a gofundme to help us relocate the club's layout.  Any donation amount would be helpful, but a mere $5 or $10 donation would be greatly appreciated.  That is just two cups of coffee or one if you are going to Starbucks!  This forum has almost 30,000 members, and if half would donate just $10.00 or more, it would solve our problem.  That's less than a train car would cost, and it is tax deductible !   So please help us out and support our club by making a donation so we can relocate and continue to promote our hobby. 

Bill Sherry

@bluelinec4 posted:

We started a GoFund Me to try to help with the cost but it really hasnt been too active yet

https://gofund.me/acf4144a

@Allan Miller posted:

I strongly urge folks to do all they can to support the GoFundMe page the NJHR has established. The cost to relocate/preserve that great (in both size and presentation) layout is certainly going to be formidable. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best, but they sure face quite a challenge. Still, there are many folks in this hobby with highly creative minds who may offer valuable suggestions and assistance, and I imagine there even are some with deep pockets who would love to help in that way. "Hope springs eternal" as the old saying goes!

Ben, three more for Trainstock 16...   Eric VanOpstal, Bob Freeman and me...  See you all on the day...

My brother and I are go for launch. Talked with him on Friday and we will indeed be there. While he is not a huge train guy like yours truly, he does know how to admire and appreciate model railroading in all forms. We both started in smaller scales, I made the leap to O, he went to N.

So Sorry to hear about the loss of your location, what a fabulous club that you have. I will be there with my Daughter and Husband. Your layout helped my daughters Husband to get involved with the trains and he is preparing for a layout. Make sure you have a donation box or jar

Ben, I will be there with my Son. I’ve missed a few but I’ll not miss this one.

Bob

@pennsyfan posted:

Ben, I will be there with my Son. I’ve missed a few but I’ll not miss this one.

Bob

Just want to let everyone know what a standup guy Bob Amling is   He donated a professional movie maker to produce a documentary on the History and Operation of the NJ HiRailers  We are currently assisting the film crew to come up with a cool production   I met Bob years ago when we were both involved with the METCA transformation.  I cant thank him enough and if you see him at Trainstock shake his hand and give him a pat on the back  We even got the camerman to sit on Santa's lap 

Bob Amling is a class act!

@Mark V. Spadaro posted:

Bob Amling is a class act!

Thank you Mark.

OUTCH... What a GUT PUNCH.  I wish you all the best in finding a new home for your fantastic layout. 

I hope your club can come back BIGGER & BETTER.  That will be a tough hill to climb only because of the high standards your club has set.

Ben, I know you know that my wife, Shawn, and I will be there and be at all future Trainstocks for the rest of our lives.

One more thing: I also believe that because of your extraordinarily leadership and that of all the other wonderful leaders in the NJ HiRailers, that there will be many more wonderful Trainstock celebrations down the line.

Arnold

@bluelinec4 posted:

Just want to let everyone know what a standup guy Bob Amling is   He donated a professional movie maker to produce a documentary on the History and Operation of the NJ HiRailers  We are currently assisting the film crew to come up with a cool production   I met Bob years ago when we were both involved with the METCA transformation.  I cant thank him enough and if you see him at Trainstock shake his hand and give him a pat on the back  We even got the camerman to sit on Santa's lap

This is fabulous. The documentary about the NJ HiRailers is going to be great! Arnold

Best wishes to all of you on what will be great and happy day…….but, also a sad one. I’m sorry that I cannot be there for the last TrainStock. However, I fondly will always remember the times I was there!

Peter

We have had the grand central board since 2009.  Bill sherry started lighting it up