Cherry Valley O-scale
Cherry Valley O Scale is a not-for-profit club dedicated to the promotion of 2-rail O-scale (1:48) model railroading, located in Merchantville, New Jersey, United States, in the basement/undercroft of the Grace Episcopal Church.[1]
History
The club was started in March of 1962,[2] and has occupied the same space since inception. When first started, the space was an 80' x 35' unfinished storage room directly under the original 1890's chapel. Finishing the space took weeks, and almost 20 cubic yards of concrete was used for the new floor.[3] Meetings were typically held on Thursday evenings, but have recently been moved to Tuesday evenings for better attendance. Rolling stock has typically been owned by the individual members,[4] with the club jointly owning the layout and control system. Much of the current rolling stock has been weathered to better replicate real-world conditions.
Old Layout
The first layout in the space was started in July of 1962, with the framing and scenery being built before the track was laid, and the first spike was driven on August 30, 1962.[3] This layout was 27 by 55 feet in size,[5] and was of a double-track looped-8 design, built with traditional square tabletop framing, plaster scenery, and relay control. Eventually it grew to have over 1000 linear feet of track,[4] in both standard and 3-foot gauges, with some dual gauge mixed in.[5] It existed through to sometime in 1999[citation needed], when it was torn down due to growing problems with running and electrical characteristics. Many of the original structures and switches have been saved, for eventual inclusion on the new layout.
New Layout
The new layout was started in 2001[citation needed], is also of a double-track looped-8 design; but has been built around the walls, with several reversing loops, and curved laminate benchwork to match the curves in the tracks. Scenery has been built with a mix of hydrocal and extruded styrofoam board, and Digital Command Control has been installed to allow running of multiple trains without the need for complex relay systems.
Open House Events
Every year, the club traditionally has several "Open House" weekends near the end of the year, with the first such Open House weekends being held Friday and Saturday, Nov 9-10 and 16-17, 1962.[3] The 41st Annual Open House weekends were held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5-7 and 12-14, 2008.ref name="retrospective">Sam Steinruck, "Model Train Layout A Little Bit of Christmas", The Retrospective, Dec 5th, 2008</ref>
Dates for the 42nd (2009) Open House weekends are as follows: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 4-6, 11-13; and Saturday-Sunday Jan 2-3. Hours to be announced. Attendance is free (donations requested).
O-scale Swap Meets
The Club hosts two O-scale-only "Swap Meets" a year, usually on a single Saturday in both May and September. The next such "Swap Meet" is Scheduled for Saturday, September 12th.[6] Admission to the Dealer's Hall is set at $5, and includes a tour of the layout.
References
- ^ Grace Church Profile and History
- ^ Arthur M McGuire, "Model Railroad Runs Like Real", Camden NJ Courier-Post, Nov. 12th, 1964
- ^ a b c "Cherry Valley RR: Ready to Roll", The Haddon Gazette, Nov 8th, 1962
- ^ a b "Model Railroad Invites Inspection", The Haddon Gazette, Nov 2nd, 1967
- ^ a b "15 Model Railroaders Plan Exhibit at Church Festival", Camden NJ Courier-Post, Nov 10, 1967
- ^ Calendar of Events, O Scale Trains Magazine, August 31, 2009
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