Next Open House April 2023
Midwest has two regularly scheduled Open Houses each year, usually planned two weeks after the shows we attend. They are on Saturday and Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day. The next Open House is scheduled for April 2023.. We are evaluating another open house for later in the year
FAQ
What are the hours of operation for the open house?
The open house begins at 11 am and ends at 4pm. Members may be in earlier or stay later in order to open up and shut down the layout. Differing numbers of trains will be running throughout operating hours. Open house hours may vary, depending on the time of year. Check the current schedule above for exact hours of operation
What is the cost of the open house?
The open house is free to the public. A donation is recommended and is graciously accepted by the club.
How do I find the layout?
The physical address of our layout is at 2000 S. 25th Ave, Broadview, IL. We are about 1/2 mile south of I-290 and about 1/8 mile north of Roosevelt Road. We are on the west side of 25th Avenue and the entrance to the facility is at the north end of the building. The building is a large industrial complex with many tenants within the building.
Enter the building at the Door A entrance. This entrance is located at the corner nearest the driveway at 25th Ave. The door should be open. Come on in and proceed to room 110. Walk down the hall about 100 feet.
For exact directions and a map, click here. (This link takes you to Google Maps.)
What happens at an open house?
On open house days, the club opens at 11 am to guests.
Members will be wearing a club shirt and will be wandering around the layout space and are open to answering questions about the layout in general or operation of the layout. Some, if not all members, will bring some equipment to run on the layout. You'll be able to watch them run their trains and ask questions as they move along the layout.
Feel free to wander around the layout space, but be aware of members needing to get to control panels to safely maneuver their trains around the layout. Please look over the layout all you like, but do not touch the layout or control panels as this could disrupt train traffic or could damage the layout.
Who can run trains on the layout?
Members are the only people allowed to run trains on the layout. Guests are not allowed to run their own equipment on our layout. This restriction is due to potential issues with non-members equipment not being gauged to run properly on our layout, tight spaces in the layout where mishaps could be hard to recover / fix, and non-members not knowing the proper operating procedures of the layout.
Members may be willing to allow a guest to run the members equipment on the layout, but it is up to each member individually to allow this or not. Members will stay with the guest to supervise while they are running on the layout and to assist with proper operation of the layout's equipment.
Will you have membership information at the open house?
Yes! We'll gladly discuss the club and membership with you at the open house if you are interested in learning about our club.
But, why wait when you can learn about membership by clicking here.
Will products such as the club car be for sale at the open house?
Yes. Club Cars and other MNP products will be available for sale at the open house.
