The Great River Valley System (GRVS) started life in 1992 when a group of model Railroaders started an N-Scale Club. The club initially met in the basement of a local hobby shop and then moved to the basement of a quilt store owned by a member’s wife. The club was able to use almost the entire basement. This gave GRVS ample room to setup its N-Trak layout using almost all available modules.
The N-Trak concept allowed GRVS to participate in many of the local shows using a modular and portable layout.
GRVS also stayed active with many projects, including building throttles (throttle kits were assembled by the members), meetings, holiday parties and running sessions. Field trips were also a popular activity.In 1998, GRVS lost the use of their meeting/layout space and made a sudden move to a member’s home. This location did not prove to be very active. GRVS went dormant for a couple years.
Even though there was no current place to meet, there was still an overwhelming desire, by the core members, to continue on with the GRVS club. The occasional phone call to coordinate a morning breakfast, usually before a local model railroad flea market, provided some steam for club activities.
GRVS became active again in early 2000. Meetings were held regularly at the AMTRAK depot, a web site was put together and a Yahoo GRVS mailing site allowed on line members to stay in contact with each other. The club participated in local shows. A few years later the club began to look for ways to get its name out to the public and began to participate in shows outside of the local area. GRVS now participates in shows in Wisconsin, including Trainfest, Thunder Bay, Canada and Duluth. GRVS club members also participated in the National N-Scale Convention N-Trak layout in Louisville, Kentucky in 2008. This was the largest N-Trak layout ever assembled and was a scale 120 miles long.
Today, GRVS holds regular meetings at several local facilities at least once a month. Sometimes a GRVS member will host a meeting, with a home layout being the center of attention. The club has also experienced growth in the last few years with membership almost doubling. The club still regularly participates in local shows and maintains an active GRVS spirit.