Pikemasters Model Railroad Club
Colorado Springs CO United State |
PIKEMASTERS MODEL RAILROAD CLUB
About Us
The PikeMasters Model Railroad Club is located in the basement of the City Auditorium. The auditorium is located at 221 East Kiowa, Kiowa and Weber streets, in downtown Colorado Springs, across the street from Municipal Court. All visitors are welcome and club members will be present to explain the operation and to answer any questions. We will be operating the trains during this time.
The PikeMasters Club, founded in 1988, currently is the only model railroad club operating a permanent layout in Colorado Springs. The PikeMasters have been in the City Auditorium site since 1996. The current facility at one time housed the Colorado Springs Police Department indoor pistol firing range.
The PikeMasters Club, an affiliated NMRA club, meets every Thursday evening at 7:00 PM. New members are welcome. The minimum age to join the club is 18. From age 18 to age 21, an adult family member must be a member in good standing with the National Model Railroad Association. After the age 21 is reached, the family member may keep the membership, or the 21 rear old may join the NMRA, and the family member could drop their membership. Although the meetings are used to improve and maintain the layout, at least one meeting per month is devoted to operating the railroad. We operate the trains like the prototypical railroads. Some of our members are affiliated with and work with the Youth in Model Railroading.
The PikeMasters layout covers the periods from early steam through modern diesel power. Both standard gauge and narrow gauge trains are modeled. The standard gauge trains are operating on the popular HO model railroad scale. The prototype is the ever- present four feet 8.5 inch wide tracks found throughout Colorado Springs and the United States. The narrow gauge section operates on the HOn3 scale. This narrow gauge scale has the prototype track that was three feet wide and was common during the late nineteen and early twentieth century Rocky Mountain region. The Durango-Silverton, Cumbres and Toltec and the Georgetown Loop lines still operate a three-foot wide rail.
Many of the clubs locomotives are equipped for sound. You hear the steam engines chuff as they begin to move, as well as the chug-chug as the engine reaches running speed. You can hear the steam engines whistle and their clanging bells. You hear the diesel locomotives as their engines increase and decrease speed. You hear the air compressors, the clanging bell, and the diesel’s horn. You can even hear the engineer open and close the door to the cab, as he is entering or leaving |
