By Sandy Barnes
Berthoud Recorder

A fun opportunity for those who enjoy trains of all shapes and sizes, from small models to the real McCoy, the Northern Colorado Model Railroad Club is chugging along at a good speed.

Meeting at rotating locations to accommodate its large and diverse membership, the club has over 180 members who share their enthusiasm for the world of trains.

This month the meeting was held in Loveland at the Pulliam Building on North Cleveland Ave. Next month’s meeting will be at Harmony Presbyterian Church in Fort Collins. And in January the group will gather in Greeley where a railroad museum is being completed.

Members in the club have all sizes of model train layouts from N to G-scales, with the most popular being the HO familiar to many. During meetings, they share ideas and information about aspects of model railroad layouts, some of which can be quite technical.

At the Thursday, Nov. 20 meeting, member Dave Zamzow talked about car forwarding—how railway cars move around on a layout. Going through several options from the thinking man’s switching system to tabs on cars, Zamzow explained how they work. He also discussed computer programs that can be used for car forwarding.

A monthly contest during the meeting featured dioramas for layouts that members had constructed. One of the displays created by Jeffrey Andreski depicted the Berthoud Feed and Supply building across from the historic depot in the Town.

The club members also get together at each other’s homes on Saturdays after the monthly meetings. This is a time when they look at layouts members have developed and watch them in operation.

Members who like riding the rails also take trips to various locales where they go “rail-fanning.”

In the current edition of the club’s newsletter, there is a feature on members journeying to Pennsylvania to ride on the Delaware-Lackawanna line which uses a vintage Alco diesel locomotive.

The next meeting of the model railroad club will be on Dec. 18 in Fort Collins. While meeting usually begins at 7 p.m., this one starts at 6 p.m. because it features the club’s annual Christmas dinner.

The club has a comprehensive Web site for those who would like more information. It is www.ncmrc.org ^[1].