With origins dating back to the mid-1940s, the Chelten Hills Model Railroad Club is an HO scale model train club based in Cheltenham Township.
Bob Arkowitz, who joined in 1976, is the club’s the longest active member. According to him, the club was featured in an article in Model Railroader Magazine in the 1960s.
In those days the track was electrified with DC current regulated by transformers, and members watched an area of the layout to make sure all trains passed through the area safely. Now with DCC, each train is controlled digitally and each member controls 1-2 trains from a handheld controller or an app on their smartphone.
Arkowitz believes that what keeps the public coming back to see the layout during the open houses is that adults remember seeing either the club layout or just model trains in general as a kid, and they want their kids to see what it was like for them growing up. He thinks that the size of the layout is one of the main factors attracting people wanting to become members because most people do not have the space at their place of residence to have a layout as large as the club layout.
To Arkowitz, the most important things about club membership is the comradery and learning things about the hobby from other members. The club, through either visiting or membership, allows anyone who is interested the opportunity to enjoy a love of trains.
For anyone interested in visiting or becoming a member at the Chelten Hills Model Railroad Club, open houses will be held on the following weekends:
- November 18 & 19
- December 9 & 10
- January 13 & 14, 2024
- February 3 & 4, 2024.
All open houses are 12:00pm to 4:00pm. You can speak with a member at an Open House if interested in becoming a member or just learning more about trains. Stop by and take a look at Chelten Hills Model Railroad Club and see the magic that model trains possess.
About Chelten Hills Model Railroad Club
The club formed in 1946 above a Germantown Avenue paint store with 10 members. The original Germantown HO Engineers moved later that year to the basement of the Pennsylvania Railroad signal tower at the Chestnut Hill West station. This was the club’s home until 1961 when a disused station in Cheltenham was found by the club. The former Ogontz station on SEPTA’s West Trenton, Warminster, and Doylestown line became the club’s new home and with the move the club’s name changed to Chelten Hills Model Railroad Club.
For more on the club, you can visit their Facebook page and website.
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