By the time most people read this, members of the Tamps Bay Model Railroad Club will have completed a visit to the new layout of the West Pasco Model Railroad Association in Elfers (that's on the cusp of New Port Richey). The West Pasco group has invested considerable time and effort (and more than a few dollars) and are creating a first class HO scale model railroad of which their members can be justifiably proud.
Visiting other model railroad layouts is not new. In fact more than a few West Pasco members have visited Len Zitnik's scenic and well engineered layout and John Brennan's awesome layout, built with operations in mind - both in south Tampa.
From my seat on the club car, it's good to see this ongoing exchange of visits between like minded groups. Not only is it an excellent opportunity to give and take modeling ideas and maybe get a fresh perspective on an idea or project you're working on, it's also a great way to get to know others who share your enthusiasm for this fascinating hobby of ours.
I've said it before. Wouldn't it be interesting to get one or two members from each of the regional model railroad clubs to meet, say once a quarter on a round robin basis, perhaps over lunch on a Saturday, to share ideas and discuss programs, concerns, and other related activities.
There are probably several hundred model railroaders pursuing this great hobby in our regional area. I'd like to see us "test the waters" to determine if there would be any interest among the other clubs in pursuing what might become a West Central Florida Model Railroad Council.
The potential benefits to be gained from such an alliance are enormous.