The Windsor Model Railroad Club has rolled along for a quarter of a century at top speed. Check out this video supplied by club member, Rod Case. Choo-choo!
HAVE A CUP OF JOE WITH JOE – The Windsor Model Railroad Club . . . On The Right Track For 25 Years
Windsor residents have decades of experiences with railroads and trains in their community.
Until the turn of this century, much of the current riverfront parkland was a patchwork of railroad tracks. Trains were ferried daily across the river from Detroit to Windsor, and then back to Detroit.
Some Windsor residents have unpleasant memories of frequent, lengthy vehicular traffic stoppages on city roads as trains shunted back and forth, adding and removing cars, or switching tracks.
And the worst is the dreaded “boxed in” trap between two sets of nearby tracks (Tecumseh Road West between Janette and Crawford, and Dougall Avenue between Jackson Park and Brentwood Recovery Home)!
My personal favourite memory of trains was at six years of age, waking up Christmas morning to my very own Lionel model train and railroad kit. I was then a member of one of the world’s great hobbies — building model railroads.
In the summer of 2000 a small group of Windsor friends with a shared interest in model railroads came together to form the Windsor Model Railroad Club (WMRC).
Operating out of a local church basement hall, these hobbyists would gather every Tuesday. They constructed their model railroads on “modules” — individual rectangular wooden table-like structures, which when all assembled, form a large and fully operating model railroad, including tracks, scenery, and structures they created.
Each Tuesday the members would spend 90 minutes assembling the modules and then running trains on their railroad for two hours, before disassembling the modules and returning them to storage until the next weekly gathering.
Module build also provided the club the advantage of transporting their model railroad to other locations for display purposes — always proud to show off their work.
In 2005, the club moved into permanent quarters to a basement in the Market Square building at Ottawa Street and Walker Road, eliminating the need to assemble and disassemble the modules weekly.
This location provided the members their own home with more time for actual builds as well as running their trains — both essential aspects of the hobby.
After 10 years in the basement, the club moved on up to a 3,200 square foot space on the second floor of the same building, in 2015.
Now in their 25th year, this registered not for profit club boasts a growing membership of 45, headed by a seven-member executive team. (Names of the executive members are noted in the accompanying photo caption).
The club is one of the largest in Ontario in terms of membership and always welcomes new members. (Note: membership information can be found on the organization’s website).
Modellers in this hobby can choose from many scales — ratios or percentages used to measure models, so that they are proportionate to their full-sized counterparts.
According to Model Railroader Magazine, “HO is by far the most popular model train scale in the U.S. and Canada. The HO scale ratio is 1:87.1. After HO, N scale is the most popular in North America. N scale is half the size of HO scale at 1:160 ratio.”
Most clubs focus on one scale, often driven by member interests or space limitations. Due to the initiatives of WMRC President Peter Bechard, their club is unique among today’s clubs in presenting their layouts in both HO and N scales, giving members a broader way to experience this fascinating hobby.
When I walked through their doors for the first time, I was gobsmacked.
Immediately in front of me was a large model of the Peabody Bridge, Peabody building, Hiram Walker facilities, landscaping, railroad tracks and running trains, in addition to numerous other detailed sections of Walkerville.
“Most of these structures are made from scratch by some extremely talented members,” Bechard comments.
Treasurer Bob White describes their club as: “An amazing hidden unknown gem in the Market Square building. There are two huge operating layouts. The HO layout includes two interesting helixes to get trains from one level to another, while the N scale layout models downtown Windsor, the Rocky Mountains, and Hamilton steel mills.”
Club members have access to the club throughout the week, with Tuesday afternoon and evening being their most popular gathering time.
There are also Modular Mondays where members can work on their builds and hone their skills.
WMRC participates annually in the Essex County Model Train Show (already taken place for 2025) and at Devonshire Mall showcasing local not for profit organizations the weekend of March 14 to 16, 2025.
In addition, members typically host a spring (this year held April 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and fall Open House at their club.
To highlight their milestone year, Bechard informs us: “There will be a member’s contest for the 25th year logo design; an order of special rail cars with the new logo, which members can purchase, and the introduction of a ‘youth program’ to provide the younger generation the opportunity to join our club activities.”
For more information about the WMRC check online here. You can also visit them during any of their weekly meetings (Tuesday 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) at the Market Square, 2nd floor, 2109 Ottawa Street (at Walker) in Windsor.
All of us at Biz X magazine wish WMRC a happy 25th anniversary, with a hearty “ALL ABOARD!”
