The club above the DL&W Motive Power Building, later called the Storehouse was the Scranton Model Railroad Club, Known also as the Lackawanna Central RR, My brother and I were members starting as teens in the early 60's, On one side of the building was the HO gauge layout and on the other was the O scale, The O'scale went defunct about 1963, boy I wish I knew what happened to all the switch lanterns that had been converted to electric and hung along the wall on the O scale side, another unusual addition for the club was a walk in safe complete with a combination lock like a bank, inside it were these long desks with drawers for blueprints, perfect for putting HO models in, every member was issued a drawer or two to keep their equipment in, also the rear coffee lounge had a perfect view of the Scranton Diesel shops and many a night we would go down and see what was going on before a meeting, the shop men got to know you and never minded a visit. Some of the older members were Paul Ackerman, Ed Barrows, a gentleman named McClure whose first name escapes me, Paul Walker, plus others that the 40 years have erased from memory, The club was still there when I went off to service in 1969 and I moved around the country before settling in St Louis but it was gone on a visit in the early 70's, since it was mostly DL&W, Erie prototype I guess this rambling is list content,Ed Barrows used to sell Model equipment and eventually opened a shop in Clarks Summit. I bought a Japanese FA painted in Erie from hi for about $25.00 (real early brass) I remember it as a real coffee grinder that would get everyones attention when it ran. If anyone can fill in what ever happened to the club let me know, they were a great bunch of guys,always willing to help a younger guy. - -----Original Message----- From: erielack-owner_@_lists.elhts.org [mailto:erielack-owner_@_lists.elhts.org]On Behalf Of RAILDATA@aol.com Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2006 7:32 PM To: erielack_@_lists.railfan.net Subject: Re: (erielack) Re: Coney Island's in Scranton There was no doubt that Tony Harding's was the more posh as compared to the Coney Island. The buildign Harding's was in orginally was the Railway Express building and cars were laoded on to a siding off the second floor, although I personally don't ever recall REA operating there. During WW2 there was an O scale club that had a layout on the top floor of the building. I was a teenager at the time but managed to get into the club as a member. The club was there before Harding. The resturant started to store garbage on the second floor and it became too much for the club to stand. They then moved to the Scrantonian building on Spruce St. off Franklin Ave. Then the club moved again, then to the top floor of what was then the DL&W Motive Power building which still stands at Steamtown. Both Harding's and the Coney Island were something else when a DL&W "5 bagger" coal train came past. All conversation ceased and the buildings shook. The 5 bagger name came from helper engine, road engine, and three pushers on the rear.... Chuck Yungkurth Boulder CO The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List Sponsored by the ELH&TS http://www.elhts.org The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List Sponsored by the ELH&TS http://www.elhts.org ------------------------------
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