Does anyone have any information about them having to shut down
permanently? I have heard this from 2 sources in the last 24 hours.
This would be a great lose.
Marty
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Yes they have been 'evicted'. For room to update Union Station for the new transportation center. I understand they plan to relocate at the Forney museum in the future.
The end of an era. 
What was that, about an 80 year run? The Forney is an interesting choice. Kind of a win-win.
Didn't they originally tell them that it is only a "temporary closure"?
Kinda like the Water front Street Cars in Seattle - They have been sealed up in a decaying brick building for 6 Years.
Sometimes your the Windshield, sometimes your the Bug.
That's very sad news. Club layouts are a labor of love over the course of years, sometimes decades. Even if you got another location with the same dimensions, it still isn't the same.
This is the only thing I saw on their site...http://denveroscaleclub.org/archives/1090
Maybe Erik Lindgren can shed some light on this.
Chris
Isn't that what happened to the LA 2 rail club at teh fair grounds? needed room for improvement. Always seems to happen when someone comes in to run the show and thinks they need to improve the business by throwing the layout out.
Its a bummer. However, sometimes its good to freshen things up a bit. New ideas and a new track plan will breath new life into the layout and club members.
Guys,
We are meeting tonight for supper, will try to get a "formal, semi-official" announcement out.
ChipR
Originally Posted by phill:
Isn't that what happened to the LA 2 rail club at teh fair grounds? needed room for improvement. Always seems to happen when someone comes in to run the show and thinks they need to improve the business by throwing the layout out.
Similar. LA County owns the fairgrounds, but doesn't operate it. Fairplex operates the grounds and "someone" decided that the space under the bleachers would be better suited for more craft exhibits (the official story.) A couple of my sources said that it was more likely they wanted a lounge for off-track betting. They gave Citrus empire just enough time to salvage what they could from the layout, then the layout was destroyed with a Bobcat since it was all hand-laid/hand formed and didn't lend itself to being sectioned out. Right before the 2007 Fair, they asked Citrus Empire back but the club declined (and rightfully so) because Fairplex wouldn't give them any guarantees that this nonsense wouldn't happen again.
The only thing protecting AGHR and Belmont Shores N Scale right now is the agreement the City of Los Angeles has with the Feds over the former military base -- it must be used for community and cultural purposes. So Angels Gate Park (formerly the upper reservation of Fort MacArthur) houses an ampitheater, art galleries, the Marine Vessel Traffic Control center, the Itzak Walton conservency, two model railroad clubs, the Marine Mammal rescue center, a community center, and a gifted Magnet School. Ironically, the artsy types don't consider the railroad clubs part of the "cultural center" as we model the "industrial complex" (bunch of hippies.) The thing that makes me nervous is that every government agency is looking for money and the property has great views of the ocean and the harbor. They could make a boatload of money if the property was subdivided.
Guys,
Keep watching our website, we will post news as it happens:
The first piece should be posted shortly. The gist is: yes, we are out of Denver Union Station, where we were located since 1933. The late layout was started in 1935. However, much of the layout was saved and is in storage along with the trains and structures. We are in active discussions for a new location and we will bring our On3 modular layout to local meets.
ChipR
Such a sad thing to have happen...all that time. Keep us posted on the clubs progress.
Chris
