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A HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE GEORGIA MODEL RAILROAD CLUB
(c) By Gary L. Howard
History Part 1 History Part 3 History Part 4 The Club Now
Part 2: Origins and Early Years
In the early 1970's there was about a dozen or so model railroaders in the town of Warner Robins, Georgia who were looking for a place to meet, share ideas, and possibly build a permanent layout to run their model trains. But space for a clubhouse was, not surprisingly, hard to find. This loose-knit group regularly crossed paths at the towns only store dealing with model trains and accessories, Parkerson's Hobby Shop, and thus had a somewhat informal alliance. So when word spread through the grapevine that the former Southern Railway depot on Front Street across from Robins Air Force Base might become available to one or possibly two lucky clubs, then the wheels of organization began to turn for these model railroaders.
In the late 1960's Southern Railway, or more precisely Georgia Southern & Florida Railway (a subsidiary of Southern Railway and the company that actually owned the depot), was in the process of modernizing its system infrastructure resulting in the closure of its last few manned train order stations between Macon, Georgia and Jacksonville, Florida (the Warner Robins station was closed in late 1970). Almost all of the remaining depots along the line, dated from the late 1800's to early 1900's, were deemed to be in deteriorated and unsalvageable condition by the company, but the Warner Robins depot was one of the most modern and well built depots in the South, so Southern did not wish to raze the structure if a suitable tenant for it could be found. So in the early 1970's talks between the city and the railway began with the result being that the city would lease the property for 99 years for the sum of one dollar, with the stipulation that there would always be a tenant to occupy the building and that the property would be kept up to code and in good condition by either the occupant or the city. If the railway ever felt that the property was becoming a hazard from disuse and neglect they could pull the lease, condemn the property, and demolish it - albeit with reservation and regret.
The city at that time only had need of the former depot for some storage space, and was therefore willing to let a reputable organization occupy the building for an indefinite amount of time - with the proviso that the city may reclaim the structure at any time in the future if needed. So this informal group of model railroaders, sensing a very rare opportunity to secure a permanent meeting place for a formal model railroad club, organized themselves into the Middle Georgia Model Railroad Club in 1973 and threw their hat into the ring of contenders for a space in the now-vacant railroad depot. The leading contender for a meeting place was the Warner Robins Art Association which had been the first group to approach the city when the depot became available. And in 1974 the city decided that the WRAA could set up their studio-gallery in the climate-controlled former passenger waiting room. But all was not lost for the MGMRC; the art club didn't want the unheated freight and baggage section and agreed to permit another club to use it if a permanent barrier was installed between the two sections. Coincidently, at the same time Southern Railway was shedding excess passenger equipment and, as an alternative to the freight room, graciously offered to park an obsolete baggage or mail car next to the depot for the MGMRC's permanent home. This was a limited-time-only offer since Southern was going to soon remove the switch for the spur track leading from the mainline to the freight depot, permanently isolating it - and severing any future chance to place a car there. So the club was given a choice between a climate controlled railway passenger car and an open-to-the-elements freight room. For reasons that will forever remain lost to the ages they declined the passenger car and opted for the freight room. And in late 1974 the MGMRC began meeting there every Thursday evening.
Of course the freight room was never intended for extended periods of human occupation - with a concrete floor and walls, no insulation, and no ceiling it was extremely hot in summer and extremely cold in winter. But it was a place to meet and build a layout. And it did have the advantage of being right next to a busy railroad mainline, which, on most meeting nights, treated the club members to three or four trains passing by at a leisurely 30 miles per hour - owing to the city speed ordinance on trains which was lifted in 1994. In the 70's and early 80's local road-switcher freight trains called "Clinchfield turns" by train crews (referring to the hamlet and its long gone depot now occupied by a cement processing plant which these trains worked at and turned around for the return trip to Macon) passed through Warner Robins twice a day. If it departed Macon before 8:00 pm., the southbound "night-turn" would pull into the short siding at Warner Robins to meet one or two northbound trains. Since they usually had a long wait, the crews often paid us a visit to see how the layout was progressing. If there was time, they would reciprocate our hospitality with an invitation to the engine cab. Whenever a train approached everyone stopped whatever they were doing to watch it - no member was ever too busy to watch a train go by. Most train crews knew about the club and expected to see the members waving at them as they passed by, even if they themselves never got a chance to stop and meet the members personally. Unfortunately, as great as it was to be located next to a busy rail line, the Front Street area in those days was a pretty rough place - with several bars near the depot - so the club members would often have to contend with the occasional street person, who was, almost always, merely curious about what was going on in the railroad depot at night. Sometimes a stranger driving by, upon seeing the lights on and thinking club members were railway employees, would park their car, walk in and inquire about passenger train schedules and destinations. This area of town is much tamer today than it used to be.
It wasn't long after settling into their new home that the club began work on a layout. The depot freight room had three large sliding wood doors - the east and west doors were locked from inside and the north door was secured from outside with a combination padlock. All members had the combination, and on many a Saturday and Sunday afternoon one could find at least two or more members at the depot either working on personal projects or on the layout itself. One had to open at least two doors for cross ventilation on all but the coolest evenings. Despite the discomfort, it was not uncommon for a few intrepid members to be at the depot on weekend afternoons in July or August when the air temperature hovered around 100 degrees - with a generous portion of humidity thrown in. These elemental extremes, though, were handled much easier by the club members than by the delicate track, electronics, plastics, and other materials used in their hobby. And unfortunately as time went on, the well-built layout and its accessories, as well as locomotives and rolling stock stored at the depot began to deteriorate requiring maintenance sessions spaced closer and closer together.
Throughout the late 1970's the club had steady membership and participation, but around 1980 both of these figures started to wane. There were many reasons for this decline; most of the original members were up in years when they formed the club and by this date several had become too ill to participate or had passed away. Also a rift stemming from the heated competition between the WRAA and the MGMRC for the much coveted passenger waiting room had left some of the train club founders with grudges and mental wounds that wouldn't heal and so they gradually drifted away. Other members were in the military or had jobs which required their relocation. Still others joined and participated for only short periods - turned off by either the heat, the cold, or having to battle the constant dust and dirt. As the ranks of serious and knowledgeable members declined, they were mostly replaced by a mix of folks who knew, or cared, little about model railroading and even less about playing a useful role in a model railroad club. By 1982 club membership could be counted on the fingers of two hands, and meetings were being attended by even fewer folks. The original MGMRC simply dissolved as members drifted away. But it would soon run again as a new crew climbed aboard and opened the throttle on a new chapter.