The History of the
Gold Coast Modular Railroad Club
The Gold Coast Modular Railroad Club (GCMRC) was founded in 1987 and is a non-profit "mutual benefit" corporation - 501(c)7 IRS status. The club was based out of a garage until late 1993, when we were able to set up in a large vacant store, rent free, in a Camarillo, California strip mall. The club lost its lease and moved out in December of 1996, just after our last open house. From 1993 to 1996 the GCMRC became recognized as one of the largest model railroads in California, at 4500 sq. ft. with 700 feet of main line track.
The Club was featured in a professionally produced VHS Hi-Fi stereo video titled "The Gold Coast Modular Railroad" (ABV 9601).
Mission Statement
The Gold Coast Modular Railroad Club is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to educate the general public in Ventura and nearby California counties on the appearance and operations of railroads, and the contribution railroads have made and continue to make in the development of our nation. It will accomplish this goal by designing, constructing, maintaining and operating, for exhibition to the public, scale simulations of one or more actual railroad segments, and by maintaining a multi-media repository of railroad related materials.
Adopted October 7, 1998
Past Efforts
We have constructed an HO scale layout that models the Southern Pacific/Tehachapi Loop and Tehachapi Mountains.
We set up portions of our Dunsmuir and Kaboom Valley modules, from our previous Camarillo setup, as well as newer modules at the Ventura County Fairs (August 2-13, 2000; August 1-12, 2001; July 31 - August 11, 2002; July 30 - August 10, 2003; August 4 - 15, 2004; August 3-14, 2005; August 2-13, 2006 and August 1-12, 2007), where they were successfully received.
We set up our exciting scenic display using the modules from our Camarillo setup and newer modules at the California Oil Museum, October 14, 2007 through February 10, 2008. Our layout had been abbreviated from our setup at the Ventura County Fair and was 12 ft. x 27 ft., using the Kaboom Trestle, Coal Canyon and parts of the Golden Valley from the Camarillo set-up and new modules, consisting of a Lumber Processing Mill & and Pond, an engine repair facility, a packing yard, slaughterhouse, icing rack and a round house with an operational turntable.
Current Efforts
We now are operating our exciting scenic display using the modules from our Camarillo setup and newer modules at the Murphy Auto Museum, 2230 Statham Blvd., Oxnard. Our operating sessions are on Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Visitors and new members are welcome. Admission is free; donations are accepted ($9 adults; $5 for children 12 yrs and under). Our layout is the same as the Fair layout.
The full layout can be expanded to 2000 square feet. It includes complete locomotive facilities, cities, villages, and industries. There are rivers and lakes, bridges and trestles, and tunnels. When completely assembled, the layout provides an excellent education in the historical importance and operation of the nation’s railroads.
We meet Wednesdays, 7:30-9 pm, at members’ homes one night a month, and 6-9 pm at the Murphy Auto Museum. Please e-mail Jerry Mittelholtz, President or David Minkin, Recording Secretary & Webmaster for further information.