Baltimore Society of Model Engineers
The below is general information, for questions and/or more details please use our contact form.
The club has an interim home at 3500 Parkdale avenue in the Woodberry neighborhood of Baltimore, a short walk from the Woodberry Light rail stop.
Our meetings are in flux, and we currently are not holding open house shows, but for those interested in membership we hold online meetings on Friday nights 8-10pm and are at the club most Sundays 1-5pm, please contact us for further information and/or to verify we are going to be at the club: bsme1932 at yahoo dot com, or Four Ten - 375 - Nine One Six Two.
The club attends the Great Scale Model Train show and the Greenberg's Great Train and Toy show at the Maryland state fairgrounds in Timonium. We display and run our Timesaver switching challenge layout as well as selling items donated to the club. We also attempt to have an annual fan trip to the various tourist railroads in the area.
The application fee is $50 and membership is $200 per year for full membership, which is payable in two installments if desired. Other membership categories are available for younger (under 18) and those who only can visit the club a few times a year. When you become a member part way through the year the dues are pro-rated for that year. Your application fee goes towards the first dues payment. We have a three month probationary period for a new prospective member to get to know the club and members to get to know them. During this three month time we read a prospective members application at our monthly business meeting. If you are present at the meeting we ask you say a few words about yourself and your interests in the hobby. After the third reading the members present vote on your application for membership in our historic organization.
We have plans to build HO and O scale layouts in our interim space, with track salvaged from Saratoga street and a donated HO layout.
These two paragraphs about the layouts are for historical reference.
We operate the HO layout using an NCE DCC system, so all locomotives must be DCC equipped. The HO layout is a double track mainline with one major yard and several industries, and passenger stations. The layout models the area from Baltimore to Wheeling, WV, although we have Baltimore landmarks we don't have an exact model of Baltimore. The only equipment restrictions are metal wheels and kadee compatible couplers, you can run any time period and any road name, the club's railroad is known as the Chesapeake and Western. The club also has a HOn3 Narrow Gauge line called the High Oak and Northern. Additionally there is a trolley system in the city and an interurban connection from the city to a rural coal mining town.
The O-scale layout is 2-rail and set in the steam/diesel transition era, metal wheels and kadee couplers are required. The layout is a single track mainline running through a rural setting from the fictitious town of Piedmont. The club's railroad is known as the Allegheny Northern. The O-scale also has a trolley system running the length of the layout powered off the overhead wire.