Walthers boots model railroad club

How did we miss this?

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/39891957.html

Thirty-two years they worked on this layout, built it by hand - 600 feet of mainline track - refined it, changed it, but never quite finished it. But now, they're waiting for the final whistle, waiting to take apart the track and shut it all down. "It was a labor of love," said Bob Sherman, 71, one of the last of the Milwaukee Model Railroad Engineers. The club, founded in 1947, is down to two members. Walthers, a model railroad equipment firm, needs the space.

I had seen this announcement elsewhere some weeks ago. Sadly, it reflects the slow but steady contraction of our hobby - not even enough interested modelers in the Milwaukee area to keep this long established club and well known layout going. Likewise, businesses like Walthers are no longer run by people who are actually hobbyists, or deeply care about model railroading, as was universally the case years ago. Today they are simply businessmen (and women now, in Walthers' case), who would be just as happy selling widgets as they are to be selling model locomotives. Little wonder that they've asked the club to close shop and leave.

CNJ999

The title of this thread seems to infer quite a lot from a single sentence that does not give the actual facts of the situation.

We don't know what discussions occured, so let's not speculate or bash Walther's. If neither Walther's nor the club cares to comment any further, I would hope this thread is locked.

This is sad but not really surprising. I went to college in Milwaukee and our college model railroad club had contact with most of the other model railroad clubs in SE Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee Model Railroad Engineers, and I remember one of the men quoted in the article. MMRE suffered from a lack of new blood (obviously, as the article states they were down to just 2 members, both in their 70s), but it wasn't due to a lack of interest in model railroading. Milwaukee has a lot of model railroaders and a lot of clubs, and its hard to believe that NONE of Walthers' employees would have enough interest in their company's products to check out the club in their company's building. MMRE's problems were internal. The club didn't seem to make any effort to attract new members and a leading member's strong personality might well have driven off any potential new members that did come their way. Even MMRE's relationships with other area clubs was strained. This should serve as a lesson to other model railroad clubs about the importance of new members. If Walthers really wanted the space it might not have made any difference, but with more members MMRE might have at least been able to find a new home. It is too bad that this once well-known layout is gone. I visited it, and it was a nice layout. But, given the club's situation, maybe it's best that it happened while there were still a couple club members left to oversee the dismantling and salvage. Who knows what might have happened if the layout was still there when the last mamber passed away.

That is a very sad story. Understandably, a two-member club, not on their own property, is difficult to justify. However, since the club and Walthers are so closely linked, couldn't the layout be justified as an extention of Walthers ? If I were these guys, I would (1) quickly get info out to the model RR world and a petition going, (2) perhaps suggest to Walthers to utilize the layout as a display of their products as well as utilization of the layout as scenery for their advertising, and (3) get new members on board.

I can tell you one thing. If enough Walthers customers wrote in and complained, as well as boycotted their products, you'd probably see Walthers offering to expand the layout ! Let me go down on record as saying that I am looking at different company's this week for supplies to do some scenery work on my layout. I will not consider Walthers.

The 2010 NMRA 75th Anniversary Convention is in Milwaukee next year. I can't help but think this decision is somehow related. I'm not about to boycott Walthers over this. A club right in Walthers' building that can't attract more than two members - that sounds like mismanagement to me. I would guess that Walthers put off this decision too long already.

apratt wrote:The title of this thread seems to infer quite a lot from a single sentence that does not give the actual facts of the situation. We don't know what discussions occured, so let's not speculate or bash Walther's. If neither Walther's nor the club cares to comment any further, I would hope this thread is locked.

You want me to lock a thread because you don't like the title?

Okay, so the title is a flip summary. But what's not true about it? Walthers is closing the space, wants to expand their warehouse area. Fine. Just think it's strange that a club that could potentially be a showcase for Walther's products and services was allowed to wither on the vine and die. If I lived in the Milwaukee area and had a chance to be a part of a model railroad club sponsored (indirectly or not) by Walthers, I'd jump on the chance! But that's me. I'm a joiner.

I doubt anything truly sinister is afoot. Just sad that another human connection to our hobby seems to be falling to the wayside.

-otto-

I'm not trying to point fingers, but the statement that some of the club members were hard to get along with holds a lot of water. In any volunteer club or organization, member's personalities sometimes overshadow the actual reasons for the existance of them. I was in a model railroad club many years ago where the "politics" seemed to take on a more important role that building and running trains. I've also played in many bands, and belong to several service orginizations where this happens too. There always seems to be a few people who for whatever reason, think that their importance outweighs anyone elses reason for being there. There are leaders, and there are followers, but the good leaders never need to advertise their leadership........others notice and hopefully a positive working balance is achieved.
It is sad to see this club, with it's storied history come to an end this way. Apparently, Walthers made a business decision, which they have every right to do, and I seriously doubt that it was a spur of the moment thing. The only real constant in life is change.

Good post there, Wayne. I think that phenomenon exists everywhere in life where there are more than one person involved. (It probably manifested itself in the decision to boot the two Walthers club members within the Walther's organization as well.) I suppose as far as model railroading is concerned, all the more reason to have your own layout.

the club I'm in is 50 some odd years old. We lost members due to a moron with some influence in it. This guy was anti-DCC, wanted to keep all the junk buildings, cars, locos on the layout and was against premade track an switches. We lost 20 people and dropped to 7 members. Today were in are 3ed location in 9 years and are now holding out at about 12 members now. We welcome new members and new ideas but have revamped the way things are done starting with a 20min business meeting each week with assignments given to each person as to what they will be working on. We do something different each week 1 day maintaince and cleaning of the layout and room, 1 day working on the layout, followed by 2 operating sessions a month. Needless to say we made an improvement and do not welcome or invite the former member who started the trouble to the club or view the layout.

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Randy Earle wrote:I would imagine it stems down to politics. I've belonged to groups and left because there were some chest thumpers that ruined the whole thing for many folks. The last group I belonged to had a few people that were of means and they went out of their way to make more common people feel unimportant and inferior. Just because I can't own every new item in the Walthers Catalog I shouldn't be made to feel that is a criterion to belong, but it did. Also, I'm a disabled person, and access to a model railroad room is important to me. If I can't climb the steps, I can't get in. This may have been a problem also. As people get older they lose interest if access is a problem.

Its been brought up with the club several timesabout the layout not haveing access we are selves went from a single level building to a 2ed floor both in are last and current location it's not easy finding a room on a 1st floor with out being charged out the butt for it when the upper floors seem to be cheaper.

This particular organization had no relationship to walthers other then Landlord/Tennant. The organization was down to 2 members and as some of you are aware, Walthers was recently named the exclusive destributor in North America for Trix/Marklin and LGB. I will let you draw conclusions from that.

AMTK1007 wrote:This particular organization had no relationship to walthers other then Landlord/Tennant. The organization was down to 2 members and as some of you are aware, Walthers was recently named the exclusive destributor in North America for Trix/Marklin and LGB. I will let you draw conclusions from that.

Thank you for that informative post, and I agree that a major conclusion may be drawn from it's information; ie. a corporation large enough to encompass the distribution of Walthers-Trix/Marklin- and LGB should be capable of having sufficient capital to allow a couple of older guys who are a Walthers institution to maintain a room which gives them pleasure (and of which rent is collected) which is directly related to, and demonstrates the products that Walthers sells. (Makes me feel good that I just recieved my large order from another supplier.)