I am at the club twice a week. Wednesday morning is a work session to build and make repairs on the display. The real draw is lunch after about 2 hours of work. (We don't work very hard now that most of the display is finished.)
Saturday morning is a run session. I bring my own trains most Saturdays. Sometimes I will run the club's trains. Again, the best part of Saturday is going to lunch with the guys. I find that that the best part of being in my club is the friendships that I have made.
The club also has about five public shows on both Saturday and Sunday each year. These are a lot of fun.
The club also has field trips to see home layouts and train trips to the California State Railroad Museum and other real railroad attractions.
I wouldn't bother being a club member just to run trains or build stuff. I can do that at home. But home, no matter how pleasant, can become very lonely and unsatisfying. The best part of model railroading for me is sharing the hobby with other enthusiasts and the public. NH Joe
