Treasure Coast Model Railroad

Model Railroad Club declared itself as an actual organization on September 2, 1975. Throughout the remainder of the 1970s and into the 1980s, meetings were held in a “round robin” fashion at the members’ homes that had a layout, as some of the members did not have layouts during this period. Some members had portable layout sections (modules). These modules were assembled into a complete model railroad which was displayed and operated at various civic events. In 1985 we operated our first semi-permanent display at the Village Green Shopping Center in Port Saint Lucie. The layout utilized the modules the members owned, and were in both HO and N scale. A few years later a new home, at the Airport Industrial Park in Stuart became available. This provided us with a place where we could not only meet but also craft a new portable HO layout which consisted of thirteen table-sized modules. This layout was set up on special occasions at malls in Stuart, the Saint Lucie Historical Society, and at the Greenberg Train Show at the South Florida Fairgrounds. In exchange for building, displaying, and operating a large model railroad as an attraction at the Saint Lucie County Fair the Board offered a large space to us at the old St. When the Saint Lucie County Fair vacated the original fairgrounds, we were aware that we would have to move. We were fortunate to hear that a new fire station had been built on Becker Road in Port Saint Lucie and the Fire District and the City did not have any plans for the old building. We proposed to City officials that we be allowed to lease the building, emphasizing the community benefits of having an active club, such as ours, as an attraction, a historical resource, and as a teaching tool. We have now been at our current location for over eight years.