Choo-Choo! Port Railroad Club Still Chugging Away

Hiding in the basement of the in Port Washington is a scene that's roughly 15 years in the making.

A layout representing what could be a well-developed railroad system throughout Wisconsin between the Great Lakes and the Missippi River, as group member and show chairman James Bartelt puts it, fills the majority of the Port Washington Metro Model Railroad Club's meeting room.

The tracks are set up to operate as a true-life station would, with cue cards associated with different trains meant to go from here to there and back again. The group gets together for a full out operation of the tracks on the third Tuesday of every month.

The club moved into the Harbor Community basement in 1997, after its previous home in the upper part of the Java Dock building was repurposed.

Building layouts and running the tracks isn't the only activities the club partakes in. Members have also been involved in seminars and clinics, track walks, shows and trips to railroading points of interest, according to the club's website.

The club is also holding it's , an event that Bartelt said helps raise the majority of the groups funds, beyond club members monthly dues of $8 each. The show runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Circle B Recreation on Highway 60 in Cedarburg.  Admission is a $3 donation; children under 12 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

If you're interested in learning more or joining the club, visit the website or contact Bartelt at jimbartelt@metrorrclub.org.