Railroad Education And Learning Center of Florida, Inc.
(941) 758-3602

Street Address
6730 G 15th Street East
Sarasota, FL 34270

Mailing Address
PO Box 239
Tallevast, FL 34270

Background Information

The Sarasota Model Railroad Club was chartered in 1975 and is the direct descendent of the original Club of the same name formed in the late 50’s. In 2006 the club proudly achieved it’s 501(c)(3) non-profit status. In 2007, its legal name was changed to the Railroad Education and Learning Center of Florida, Inc to more closely identify with its educational mission. RealRail is located midway between Sarasota and Bradenton at 6730-G 15th Street East (Old US 301).

Permanent Exhibits.

The O-Scale Division is a 2-foot by 100-foot exhibit. This digitally controlled layout includes an On3 (narrow gauge) coal mining branch.

The HO-Scale Division sits in a 19-foot by 50-foot area. It is fully signaled and digitally controlled on its mainline. It also has a fully operational HOn3 narrow gauge lumber operation branch line that interchanges with the standard gauge line through dual-gauge track.

The N-Scale Division has its own 19-foot by 30-foot room. There are two Divisions of mainline operation, a coal mine branch and a deepwater port. The N-Scale Division also has the capability of operating with either Digital or Analog controls.

The 3-Rail Division is actually three railroads in one. The main feature is an urban/industrial theme set somewhere in the foothills of the Alleghenies. There is a trolley line and a third circle, passing through a state park and disappearing into a long tunnel, that adds the flavor of mountain railroading.

All of our permanent exhibits are known as the Myakka Valley Railroad, named after the valley of the Myakka River that runs through Eastern Manatee and Sarasota Counties.

Portable Exhibits

We have 5 portable exhibits of varying size and model railroad scale. All of our portable exhibits can be seen at varying time at our Railroad Expos.

HO Scale - The HO Scale portable exhibit is a series of modular scenes that can be assembled to form an exhibt of varying size and shape. When assembled end to end, it stretches more than 180 feet. It includes several scenes of Florida, including a phosphate mining operation. This exhibit has been displayed at the South Florida Museum in Bradenton, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota and the Florida Miniature show in Lakeland, FL.

N Scale - The N Scale portable exhibit is also a series of modular scenes.  It includes a Florida beach and large passenger station.  It has been displayed at the South Florida Museum in Bradenton, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota.  This exhibit is built to a national standard (NTrak) for modular layouts. The NTrak concept allows module owners to connect their modules to assemble a larger than normal display. Our NTrak layout has been presented with the organizations from around Florida.  In February 2008, at our Railroad Expo, this layout will be assembled with groups from Ft Myers, FL and Plant City, Florida.

G Scale or Garden Scale - The Garden portable exhibit shows examples of the latest trend in model railroading. Normally placed in an outdoor environment, this layout can be assembled in sizes from 8' x 15' up to 40' x 80'.  We have exhibited this layout as part of the Garden Railroad Weekend at Marie Selby Botantical Gardens in Sarasota, FL, The Powell Crosley MUseum, HOliday Festival of Trees in Bradenton, FL.  We also participate with the Florida Garden Railway Association and display this exhibit at their events in the Tampa Bay area..

Z Scale - This is the smallest of our portable exhibits.  It is a table top exhibit, 30" x 40".  Z Scale is the smallest scale in model railroading.

C.O.M.E.T. - C.O.M.E.T. or Come Operate My Electric Train! is our interactive exhibit for children. Up to 4 children can operate the fou railroads on this this exhibit at a time. It also includes several animation features that the chuildren can control. This exhibit has been displayed extensively in the Sarasota and Manatee County areas. It is a regular feature at the annual KidzFest in Bradenton, Healthy Kids Day at the Sarasota Area YMCA and the Manatee County Agricultural Museum in Palmetto, FL.

Our Events

RealRail sponsors Train Shows and Open Houses seasonally in addition to being involved in numerous community events with other non-profit organizations.  Please check our calendar of events as well as the event calendar for the Sarasota Model Railroad Club at www.smrc.org for information on all our upcoming events.


RealRail and the Sarasota Model Railroad Club are a Sustaining Member of the National Model Railroad Association and its Sunshine Region. RealRail sponsors an annual Sunshine Region Western Division meeting and has hosted several Sunshine Region conventions.

Our Educational Programs

We believe in sharing our knowledge and experience, so with the participation of our skilled membership which includes a Master Model Railroader, we routinely conduct a series of clinics on the “ABC’s of Model Railroading” for members and they are open to the public.

We offer our popular "Make & Take series periodically throughout the year. This

Press Release Archive

1/2/2008 Railroad Education and Learning Center of Florida Inc, is a WEDU Be More Awards™ Nominee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Claude Macrina Railroad Education & Learning Center of Florida Inc. PO Box 239 Tallevast, FL Phone: (941) 758-3602 Website: http://www.realrail.org Email: cmacrina@verizon.net Tallevast, FL The Railroad Education and Learning Center of Florida Inc., home of the Sarasota Model Railroad Club (RealRail) is WEDU Be More Awards™ nominee for the Be More Humble Award. This award is a People’s Choice award determined by popular vote by viewers in the 16 county WEDU viewing area. RealRail submitted three entries in the overall contest in the areas of Education, Innovation and Special Events. There were 47 organizations entered in this years competition.   In its third year, the WEDU Be More Awards™ program was started by WEDU Television to recognize the work of Non-Profit organizations in the community. The awards ceremony is on January 17, 2008 in Tampa and will feature a Keynote Presentation by Margaret Battistelli, Editor-in-Chief, Fundraising Success Magazine. The St Petersburg Times has called the Be More Awards™ the “Non-Profit version of the Academy Awards®”.   Based on the success of this program in its first two years, the national leadership of Public Broadcasting (PBS) in Washington, DC has asked its member stations to implement similar programs in their communities.   The Sarasota Model Railroad Club, Inc. was established in 1975 to promote the hobby of model railroading to the citizens of Manatee and Sarasota counties.  Through our semi-annual model train shows, monthly seminars and participation at children oriented events such as KidsFest and Healthy Kids Day, we educate the public on the importance of railroads in the growth of the country, preserve the history of railroading in America and share the hobby of model railroading with families and children.  The Sarasota Model Railroad Club is a sustaining member of the National Model Railroad Association (www.nmra.org) and is an ambassador for The World’s Greatest Hobby (www.greatesthobby.com).  In 2007, the organization changed its legal name to The Railroad Education and Learning Center of Florida, Inc. The railroad Education and Learning Center of Florida and The Sarasota Model Railroad Club, Inc. are public charities with a 501(c)3 non profit designation with the IRS. The next Train Expo is scheduled for February 16 & 17, 2008 at the Manatee Convention Center in Palmetto.

11/8/2007 Sarasota Model Railroad Club becomes the Railroad Education and Learning Center of Florida – RealRail – We’re All About Trains!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Claude Macrina Railroad Education & Learning Center of Florida Inc. PO Box 239 Tallevast, FL Phone: (941) 758-3602 Website: http://www.RealRail.org Email: PressNews@RealRail.org Sarasota Model Railroad Club becomes the Railroad Education and Learning Center of Florida – RealRail – We’re All About Trains! Bradenton, FL – November 8, 2007 – Everything in life changes and the Sarasota Model Railroad Club is no exception.  What started as a group of men with an interest in model railroading has become much more.  The new name reflects the organization’s commitment to education and learning. “We discovered that we were more than just a group of people who wanted to model trains.” says Claude Macrina, Director of Public Relations.  “We looked at who we are and what we do and discovered that a significant part of what we do is educating the public on modeling and on railroading through model railroading.  One example is our Make & Take programs for children.  This program teaches children the basics of modeling; they get to build their own model from a kit by themselves, guided by an experienced modeler who only helps the child if necessary.  Our traveling Exhibit COMET [Come Operate My Electric Trains] has become a very demanded offering appearing at more than 100 events in the past 5 years.  No other similar organization in Florida offers this level of community outreach.” COMET has been a part of Healthy Kids Day at the Sarasota Area YMCA and KidzFest at the Church of the Nazarene in Bradenton.  The organization has also participated with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.  This year marks our 12th year of participation with the Powell Crosley Museum annual Festival of Trees during the Christmas Holiday season. RealRail is also an entrant in this year’s WEDU Be More Awards™ competition.  A nationally-recognized, award-winning program, The WEDU Be More Awards™ generates awareness for non-profit organizations in the 16 county WEDU viewing area and celebrates the spirit of goodwill throughout the community.  The organization is represented in three categories in the competition, Be More Entertaining, Be More Brilliant and Be More Knowledgeable.  For more information on the WEDU Be More Awards™ competition, click the following link http://www.wedu.org/bemore/ No newcomer to the area, the Sarasota Model Railroad Club began in 1975 when a small group of people with an interest in model railroading formed the group.  The organization is now home to 4 permanent operating exhibits that demonstrate model railroading and several static displays.  All are designed to showcase model railroading and the effect of railroading on our daily lives.  One of the exhibits contains a scaled down version of the Tropicana facility in Bradenton, FL including a 40 car “Juice Train”.  In addition to COMET, the organization also has 2 finely detailed portable layouts which can be seen twice a year at their semiannual train expos.  The next Train Expo is scheduled for December 8 & 9, 2007 at the Manatee Convention Center in Palmetto. RealRail – We’re All About Trains For information: http://www.RealRail.org/ Contact: PressNews@RealRail.org Phone: (941) 758-3602

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