Model Railroading, Freemasonry, and other Fraternal Organizations

I found this thread while doing some research. I'm an avid model railroader/collector of O & S Gauge, and an active Mason with Jerusalem Lodge #506 F & AM in Philadelphia, PA as well as active in the York Rite. I am currently Sr Warden of my Blue Lodge, and found this while researching material for a program I expect to do next year when elected Worshipful Master I am calling "Freemasonry & Railroading." (And it gives me a great excuse to bring some trains into the Lodge and run them!).

Frederick P. Kopetz

Phila, PA.

@AXP889 posted:

And I'll add that I'm an Eagle Scout.  I know it's not really a fraternal organization by itself, but I think other Eagles would agree there's a sense of fraternal bond among us.

I am a member of the National Eagle Scout Association, which I thinks classifies as a fraternal organization.  I hold key positions within Civil Air Patrol, mostly working with youth (to old to fly anymore), but I don't think it classifies as a fraternal organization.

The Masonic Lodge set was a Weaver product, (early 1990's conventional).   There was a die-cast Pennsylvania 0-8-0 locomotive, decent detail.  With a speed control, upgrade, a decent yard switcher.  Masonic symbol was on the tender.   

I had a very bad experience with Demolay as a teen, and haven't looked back.  My Grandfather was very high degreed guy in that group with the funny hats, but he died when I was 2... so that gene didn't transfer I guess.

I have been called an odd fellow from time to time...

Jon

My son was in demolay, ditto with the bad experience for both he and I.   The masons supporting that group were an awful bunch of individuals.  The building they were in is now abandoned, that might make a good feature on the layout.

I’m probably one of the demographics of the decline. I was very active in DeMolay as a youth and had terrific experiences as a brother as well as the shared events with the Rainbow and Job’s Daughters young ladies.
At the Naval Academy I was granted special permission to leave the Yard on weeknights to attend Annapolis Lodge where I took my first three degrees though I considered my home lodge to be San Bernardino lodge in California. (Thee is a term for that, and it had to be mutually agreed to by both lodges I seem to recall.) But after graduation several years of sea duty and then a young family ….well, I never became active again. I actually have some regret about that because all of my experiences were positive.

As I type this the wreckers are down the street tearing down the lodge building that stood for decades here in town to build apartments. I do not know if the Lodge itself still functions.

p.s. I was never a Scout, but urged all three of my children to become scouts. My daughter dropped out but I am proud to be the father of two Eagle Scouts.

Tried joining the Racoons but couldn't get Ralph or Norton to sponsor me.

My wife and I were is Gettysburg recently, stopped by Strasburg RR and then went to the age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugarcreek OH.  I am a train nut.  Only sorry I could not make it up there for the York Show.  Some times life gets in the way of having too much fun.

I don't think it is young people are too selfish or whatever (sorry, lot of people of us stalwart older generations were selfish too in our 20's, some never grew out of it...),that is just typical of old'uns complaining about the young, which a lot of it is we tend to forget when we get old what we were like when young.  Culture changes over time,pure and simple. The KKK was once accepted and openly marched in parades,yet what they stood for became societally repugnant. Other groups that do a lot of good things in the world also became associated with political things that turned a lot of people off, it happens all the time.

I don't think groups like the Masons are going anywhere, any more than churches are or other things, but they likely will be much smaller going forward. The country is in some ways very much like model railroading (not surprisingly), there are a lot of cultures that make up the bigger one, and it changes over time, some things become bigger, others smaller. Some of the issue is that fraternal organizations can have bad perceptions around them, and that hurts them. The Masons, being a secretive organization, are ripe for conspiracy theories and all kinds of crap and many people associate secrecy with doing something wrong these days (and no, I don't share that theory, and while I suspect there is truth that the Masons have ties back to the old Knights Templar historically, the weird conspiracy theories around that are just that.

The other things as old things diminish or die new forms take shape. Sports fans of a particular team can be like that, with the advent of livestreams and the like there are whole communities around sports teams, that interact regularly and have their own thing going. Not saying virtual communities are necessarily the greatest thing or a replacement for real ones, but it for better and worse a new form of social community.

Then, of course, we have this forum, which is a kind of fraternal group, too (well, I never did figure out what a mixed social group is called, is it called fraternal, too, if co ed?).

I think if I build a model of one, I think I would put an Odd Fellows hall, the name kind of fits how I look at the world

Wow, almost forgot I started this thread 7 years ago!  Since then I've moved back to Massachusetts and this past fall bought my first house.  In between the various projects around the house I have started planning and building a layout which will take up two walls of my basement.  I am still active in the Masons, especially in the Shriners here at Aleppo in Wilmington which hosts the Greenburg show twice a year.  I run the museum room and archives at the Shriner and we actually had a guy walk into one of the shows and donate one of the Pennsylvania Masonic sets still new in the box.  Found lots of good photos and memorabilia from when the Shriners used to take big trips to the annual conventions.  I think I will try to model a Shriners parade on my layout.  Here's some of the photos from the Aleppo Shriners Archives.  We actually have the original glass drumhead sign that they used to use when they chartered trains as seen in one of the photos below.

Hello everyone.  Thanks for the thread.  I am a Past Master of Moscow (PA) Lodge #504 and have been a Grand Lodge Chaplain for the Grand Lodge of PA for about 20 years.  Years ago I sometimes had a mostly Masonic crew as conductor on Steamtown  trains. Needless to say we had a few non-NORAC hand signals that we exchanged from time to time.   On the O gauge side, I thought about creating a Grand Lodge Business car called the Hiram . Hasn't happened yet.

Good to hear form everyone.  Loved the photos.

Earl   

@KOOLjock1 posted:

I had a very bad experience with Demolay as a teen, and haven't looked back.  My Grandfather was very high degreed guy in that group

@necrails posted:

My son was in demolay, ditto with the bad experience for both he and I.   

My grandfather was very active and really pushed my folks to get me to join and stay in DeMolay.  Hated it so much my grandfather finally gave up.  Boy Scouts was great.

What I really wish, way back then, was that I knew about the Civil Air Patrol cadet program.

BTW the PA Grand Lodge Weaver Masonic train was the brainchild of Right Worshipful Past Grand Master Robert Dluge Jr. when he was in the East (2000-2001).  He was a good friend of the Weaver family.    

I have been a member of Solar Lodge in CT since 9/15/80 and have lived in AZ since 1998.  I still pay my dues but have not attended a Lodge meeting since I moved west.  I have enjoyed this thread and easily grasp the ideals of organizations that ensure the well-being of our local communities.  Masonry came to me, or better to say, I asked to be a Mason at the right time in my life and have never looked back.  Toss the crazy theories and focus upon the good that Masons, and many others do.  Changing gears a bit, I am also a retired soldier..many people say to veterans "thank you for your service".  The truth is, many serve, as a Scout Leader, a member of a Church, a Crossing Guard at a school, in the PTA, in the Civil Air Patrol, counselor's for Grief Meetings, AAA meetings.  Our fraternal organizations, Train Clubs, Car Clubs, VFW, American Legion, MOAA and others contribute to the very fabric of American society, members and volunteers alike ensure the backbone of America remains strong.  At one time, Masons and organizations akin to them contributed to the local social network and brought people together, contributed to charities, offered help to individuals or were benevolent in other ways.  Not so much today.  Let's enjoy this hobby, pitch in where we can, and set our minds to rest knowing that we did our best.

@Chuck242 Well said. I wish I’d written it.

I am not so sure we, Masons don't contribute as much any more. Our Grand Lodge of NY just sent a huge amount to Ukraine. We have the Brotherhood Fund, the Shrine Hospitals, the Dyslexic Center and here also in NY is the Medical Research Center. Maybe I just bragged too much as we do not wear, and should not, our benevolence on our sleeve.

Life Member, over 27 years of my current volunteer fire department and 35 years in the fire service. Not on active status due to permanent disability, but I respond to the fire station and handle base radio communications during calls. A lot of firefighters are involved in trains, both model trains and real trains, we have several members in our own department, and I know more in other fire departments. One of our social members is an engineer for the local short line railroad in our area. We're all having the same problem nationwide getting new members to join the volunteer fire service.

That's what I am talking about Gary and Jim...everybody (well, almost everybody) can wind up contributing to the community, K of C, Mason's, volunteer FD, police auxiliaries, train club display in the mall at Christmas time, or a Children's Hospital, more charity, generous benevolent contributions to your community enrich us all.  We either go on and someone follows, or the next gen comes up short.  And back to the topic at hand, I think a Lodge on my layout will be fitting.

I have been an Eagle Scout for 58 years; an Amateur Radio Licensee for 56 years (K0ZP); and a Blue Lodge, York Rite and Scottish Rite Mason, and a very proud Ukrainian.  The "Big Secret" is that there isn't such an animal. There used to be many secrets... such as the plot to declare Independence from England back in 1776. Almost all of our nation's founding fathers were Masons. So much for all the nonsense about secrets.

Speaking of secrets, do my train purchases count?

John N.