About Us - Sarasota Bay Model Railroad Society

History of the Sarasota Bay Model Railroad Society, Inc.

In February of 2024, six HO modelers got together for lunch to discuss their options for moving forward with a new club to foster collegiality, outreach to the public, promotion of model railroading, and construction of a layout to operate. Later, three more modelers joined the group, and the charter members decided on a few governing principles in going forward with a club.

First, it was decided the acquisition of a location for the layout and the construction would not be paid for by the members. Having the members carrying the cost of operation was not a viable business model. The club needed to rely on the donation of a space and the funds necessary to construct a first-class facility.

Second, the prime purpose of the club was to promote social interaction among the members, with consensus being the operative word.

Guided by those principles, the name was chosen because the Sarasota Bay is a geographical feature that encompasses both Sarasota and Manatee Counties. The club was incorporated in Florida as a non-profit, by-laws were adopted, and a bank account was opened. Application to the IRS was made for recognition as a 501(c)(3) corporation, that request was approved by the IRS, and the rest of the organizational steps were completed. The membership doubled in the next month. Two events followed in quick succession.

Having decided that the social aspect of the plan was to be fulfilled on the second Monday of every month, a room was secured in a restaurant. The room has audio and visual equipment so future meetings would have a combination of speakers and presentations.

Then along came the Sarasota Toy Museum which is owned by Richard Pierson. The toy museum, which was in the process of moving from Vermont to Sarasota, included a disassembled 30’ x 20’ model train layout. Mr. Pierson approached a train club which in turn contacted our club and so our relationship began. It turned out that the layout was famous in the model railroad fraternity, having been built by renowned modeler David Frary. It models all four seasons of the year in Vermont, culminating in the Killington Ski resort. The builder estimates that there are more than 28,000 handmade trees on the layout. It incorporates deep gorges, numerous tunnels, two cities, a quarry, two rivers, and 5 different levels of track. We modified it from a DC coin operated layout to a DCC operated layout and are in the process of adding industrial yards and a large classification yard.

The club will continue to modify, maintain, and operate the layout.