The North Bay Model Railroad Club was formed in 1962, and took up residence inside two boxcars from 1987 to 2006, located beside the Tourist Information Booth at Seymour Street and Highway 11 in North Bay. These two boxcars were home to the NBMRC H.O. scale layout, circling the entire perimeter inside each boxcar. The layout’s purpose was to illustrate the club’s unique Northern heritage, while at the same time interpreting the geography and transportation history of the surrounding area, which has been heavily influenced by the Ontario Northland Railway, CN Rail, CP Rail and Ottawa Valley Railink.
With heavy hearts, the members of the NBMRC were forced to dismantle the layout and boxcars in December of 2006. The remaining equipment and possessions of the club are now distributed between the respective basements of each club member, until a new home can be found.
The club still holds regular meetings, and has been maintaining and updating another H.O. scale layout at Pinewood Park Motor Inn from 1975 to present. The layout is connected to an operation timer so that visitors can see the trains operate at the push of a button. The club also maintains a layout for the Nipissing Board of Education, which is displayed in area schools (now in its second location).
The members of the club come from all career backgrounds, applying a wide variety of skills and interests. Included among them are photography, model building, historical research and knowledge, electronics, and many others. These skills and interests are currently being applied to construct a modular club layout to be used for public display in the future.
The NBMRC just recently entered the online world with the creation of a brand new website in December 2008, version two having been launched in June 2009. With this new means of communication, the club hopes to coordinate events more easily, bring its members closer together, and build relationships with other model railroading clubs and vendors. In January 2012, this blog was launched as a possible alternative to the main website at nbmrc.org. Do not hesitate to contact any of us with regard to anything railroad. We hope that you enjoy our website, and encourage you to browse our digital content collection and take part in commenting on the blog posts.
