The Miami Valley Garden Railway Society (MVGRS), founded in 1991, is an association of folks who are interested in garden railways and sharing information about them. Garden Railroading is a family hobby, with much to interest men, women, and children of all ages. We have lots of fun and make new friends while building layouts and operating trains. MVGRS functions include monthly meetings, a monthly newsletter, setting up layouts at various locales to promote the hobby, providing information to other members, and maintaining worldwide contact with similar groups.
Our meetings include a program or presentation by a person who is knowledgeable in some facet of Garden Railroading or a related area, such as water features or miniature plants. These presentations are designed to inform and inspire members in their pursuit of the hobby. In addition, the club maintains a list of members with specialized knowledge who have volunteered to assist club members on an individual basis with specific problems.
When asked, the club provides labor to assist with a “rail raising.” This is an event hosted by the person desiring to build a basic garden railroad in a minimum of time. On a designated Saturday, the host provides the materials and refreshments and members apply their expertise to build a basic garden railroad.
We enjoy building displays for local train shows, using mulch, live plants and sometimes water features. We sometimes build outdoor layouts when the activity ties in with our purpose and we have helped business members with Garden Railroad dis-plays at Christmas and other special occasions.
Above all, we try to always have fun. We have an annual banquet in the spring featuring a special speaker. In the summer we have a picnic at a unique location. Previous activities that we have enjoyed are bus trips to ride the Algoma Central RR in Ontario, a trip to the large-scale train show in York, PA and a tour of museums and railroads in MD, PA and W.VA.
You are welcome to come to a meeting for a visit before you join. Meetings are usually held on the second Sunday of the month unless there is a conflict with a holiday such as Easter or Mother’s Day. The locations vary, but are usually at member’s homes during the months of June through October, weather permitting. The rest of the year we meet at various indoor locations. Meetings start at 2:30, but we usually gather at 2:00 to visit. Beverages and light refreshments are provided. Meetings usually last from 2 to 3 hours.
We hope you choose to join us in our enjoyable pursuit of Garden Railroading.
If you have any questions, please contact our membership chair, Elaine Guscar at 937-667-5162.
