Fifty years of railroading under Main Street.
A small club of hobbyists modeling the steam-to-diesel transition era, from Palatine, Illinois to Madison, Wisconsin. Free and open to the public every Friday night.
Come see 50+ years of railroading under Main Street
Come out to downtown Wauconda and join us for our Fall Open House, November 14 & 15, 2026. We'll be showcasing more than fifty years of work on our miniature model railroad, with trains running all day.
Free admission for all; donations gratefully accepted. We're under Honey Hill coffee shop: enter at the rear of the building, in the basement.
- Saturday & Sunday, November 14 & 1511 AM to 4 PM both days
- 107 S Main St, Wauconda, IllinoisBasement, rear entrance. Parking in the large lot behind the building.
- Free, all ages welcomeDonations help keep the railroad running for the next fifty years.
A basement empire in historic downtown Wauconda
We're located in the northwest suburbs of Lake County, Illinois, beneath Honey Hill coffee shop in Wauconda's historic downtown. We're a small group of hobbyists who model the steam-diesel transition era of American railroading.
Since the golden spike was driven in 1972, members have kept this HO scale railroad growing, rewired, and running. Take a look around, then come see it in person on a Friday night.
Palatine to Madison in six scale miles
A point-to-point single track mainline with a continuous loop section, modeled in the 1930s to 1950s transition era when steam was giving way to diesel-electric power. It's never finished. There's always something under construction, and that's the fun of it.
Digitrax DCC since 2001
Members run and program trains with Digitrax radio throttles. DCC replaced the club's original toggle-and-lamp CTC dispatcher's desk in the early 2000s.
Prototypical signaling
Since 2016, block detection and Digitrax SE8C signals tied into JMRI PanelPro. ABS day to day, switchable to full CTC when a dispatcher is on duty.
Real freight operations
JMRI Operations generates switch lists across 70 spurs. Any time, members can pick from 20+ jobs and move freight like a real railroad. We host larger op sessions several times a year.
Our 50-year history
Our founders were local to Wauconda and had a vision: turn a small, old basement into a place to model trains and socialize with like-minded hobbyists. They thought the track plan through so well that the mainline has gone largely unchanged for five decades.
In the DC era, controlling a layout this size was a wiring challenge. The club was known for its fully functional CTC dispatcher's panel, a long desk of toggles and lamps wired to every corner of the railroad. The dispatcher threw turnouts and set signals while engineers ran by trackside aspects.
"The layout is never finished. It's always under some sort of construction. But that's the fun of this hobby."
We've been featured in model railroad magazines and in American HO Model Railroads, a DVD production on Midwestern club layouts. And we've been blessed with our home: walk across the street for dinner after a session, head upstairs for coffee at Honey Hill, or catch a Thursday night car show. Wauconda has everything we need and is still small enough that everyone knows each other.
The club is founded
Founded in downtown Wauconda. A track plan is agreed on and benchwork begins right away.
The golden spike
Just six weeks later, a golden spike completes the mainline.
First open house
The founders open the doors to the public for the first time.
Soo Line roots, then the Pacific Northwest
Early structures and town names follow the Soo Line. New members in the late '70s bring Pacific Northwest railroads.
Colorado's Front Range
Rocky Mountain railroading has its era on the layout.
Digital Command Control
DCC arrives and the original dispatcher's panel and its wiring are retired.
Computer-integrated railroad
JMRI, block detection, and a Digitrax signal system bring modern dispatching.
50th anniversary
A milestone for a small train club. Today the mainline loosely follows the lines between Palatine, IL and Madison, WI.
Clippings and photos, 1972 onward
Join the crew
We're not an open-membership club. We look for serious, mature modelers willing to contribute their time, money, and skills to improve the layout. With around 25 members, everyone brings something, whether that's scenery, electrical, or operations, so the club can keep running for another 50 years.
All members follow a simple set of club standards. Keeping them means better reliability and smoother operation for everyone.
How to get started
- Visit on a Friday nightStop by 6 to 8 PM and see what we're about.
- Talk with a trusteeA trustee will walk you through the membership process.
- Get to workPitch in on the railroad and run trains with the crew.
On the layout
Our layout is featured in TM Books & Video's American HO Model Railroads.
Buy the DVDRunning session on the layout
More from the club
Come see us on a Friday night
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Fridays, 6 to 8 PMFree public viewing. No appointment needed.
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107 S Main St, Wauconda, IL 60084Under Honey Hill coffee shop. Entrance is at the back of the building, in the basement.
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Plenty of parkingLarge lot at the rear of the building.
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AccessibilityThe club room has no wheelchair ramp, but we'll gladly accommodate visitors the best we can. Let us know ahead of time.