Model Railroad Club Recovers From Tornado

February 3, 2006

The Redstone Model Railroad Club was founded in 1958 as the Redstone Model Railroad Association. Located on Redstone Arsenal, the club has been an active center for model railroading activity in the Huntsville, Alabama area for almost forty-four years. The club layout is the Alabama Tennessee and Northern Railroad, an HO scale notional railroad that is set in the southeastern United States.

Then came that fateful day, April 3, 1974, when the building and layout were destroyed by one of several tornados that devastated the area that day. Building 3541 was leveled; 16 years of work gone. In the photo at left, benchwork is visible on the right side, along with the entire southeast wall that was blown outward. More benchwork can be seen to the left. Debris was scattered over several hundred feet and very few items were salvaged from the area.

Members had meetings at the Redstone Recreation/Service Center on post for several months.

In November of 1974, seventeen charter members and three junior members filed for Certification of Incorporation of Redstone Model Railroad Club, Inc. The purpose of the corporation was to organize and promote greater fellowship between model railroaders and advancing the hobby of model railroading. This action started the “rebirth” of the Alabama, Tennessee, and Northern Railroad. The Army provided another building in the fall of 1975.

Making a Realistic Logging Car from an Athearn 40 Foot Flatcar

Perhaps no railroad cars were subjected to abuse more than the gondola and flatcar. How often have we seen bent and swayed back gondolas and looked down, from and overpass, on the gnarled flooring of flatcars. As these cars reached the end of their useful life on major railroads, many found their way to short lines and logging railroads to serve a few more years.

The Redstone Model Railroad Club has a downloadable PDF file on its website showing how to age and weather an out-of-the-box plastic flatcar. Ray Long has put together easy to follow, illustrated step-by-step instructions that will produce a well used piece of rolling stock that would likely be found on a logging railroad or short line. Ray shows you how to weather the finish and to distress the wood flooring with realistic results.

Visit the Redstone Model Railroad Club website and see what they are up to.