About Us & Membership
In the early days of model railroading, S-scale was called “S-gauge,” and we decided to honor tradition in naming our club. In our first year, we grew our membership and built a 9- by 17-foot two-track layout compliant with the NASG S-MOD standard. SDSG’s layout was first exhibited at the Great Train Expo in Del Mar in December 2008, where it was well received by the public and members of the model railroading community alike.
Scenically, the layout packs a lot into a small area. Corner modules have generous curves in the 44-inch radius range. On two of the corners, the two-track main burrows under the local mountain range providing scenic interest. A prospering cattle ranch graces the third corner, and an orange grove can be found on the fourth. Six 4-foot straight modules host a rail yard with sidings serving a citrus packing warehouse, icehouse and icing dock, passenger station, and freight station. Four straight modules house a siding with operating trackside action accessories from the A.C. Gilbert era (1946 through 1960s). Two more feature a trestle over fish creek and girder bridges over the creek that flows out of twin lakes. Additional straight modules have been built over the years.
Take a video tour of the layout:
Or from the Engineer's vantage point if you prefer:
Our membership includes people of broad interests, spanning collectors of vintage toy trains to modelers running the latest in command control technologies. We welcome all model railroad enthusiasts to join us in the pure fun of model railroading in S scale (1:64).
Dues are $24.00 per calendar year. Dues for members joining after February 1st and before September 1st will be prorated at two-dollars per month to the end of the year. Members joining or renewing after September first will be required to pay the pro rated dues to the end of the current year plus the full dues for the upcoming year. Your first year dues pay for a laser-cut club nametag. To join, download the Application Form linked below, fill it out, and mail it to the address shown.
Since we are a 100% affiliate of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA), all members of SDSG must also be members of NMRA. If a new SDSG member is not already a member of NMRA, SDSG can handle the paperwork of NMRA registration; as of April 2021, NMRA dues are $50 per year. An additional fee of $6 may apply if registering in a different NMRA Region. An additional fee of $32 applies if the NMRA magazine is desired.
NOTE: Before mailing in your membership application form, please visit the NMRA website www.nmra.org to make sure they haven't raised their membership or magazine fees since October of 2020. If you live somewhere other than Southern California and want to receive the newsletter for your local region, also check whether an additional Region Subscription fee applies.
Shirts and other items bearing the Club Logo are available to members from Land's End. For ordering instructions, download the Lands End Flier by clicking the link below.
President: Mike Forys
Treasurer: Bob Graves
Secretary Alex Sibbald
Standards: Raulf Polichar
Publicity: Bill Center
Webmaster: Bob Graves
Visit Count for this page
