info@emra.club
7000 - 143 Street NW (Fort Edmonton Park), Edmonton, AB, Canada
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Edmonton Model Railroad Association

MPR Herald-colour corrected
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Operators of the Monashee Pacific Railway

Edmonton's largest permanent club layout
Visit Us!
The Club

The Edmonton Model Railroad Association is a non-profit society dedicated to providing its members with the opportunity to build and display a large model railroad. Formed in 1946, the club has built layouts in several locations, including the CP Rail station in Old Strathcona, the South Edmonton Public Library, and the Edmonton Gardens.

In the fall of 1989, the sod was turned and construction started on the freight shed in Fort Edmonton Park. In late 1991, the shed was officially completed, and in early 1992, construction started on the current layout.

The freight shed is open for viewing every weekend during the summer, and we hold an open house each October. The EMRA meets in the shed every Tuesday from 7:30 on. Visitors and new members are always welcome. See the Calendar for specific activities.

In addition to building and operating the layout, the members also participate in other railroad-related activities such as railfan trips around Western Canada, attending or hosting model railroad conventions, or helping out with other shows.

The Monashee Pacific

The layout we're building is based on an actual railroad that was surveyed and chartered in central British Columbia in 1896, but never built. It was to link Vernon and Castlegar by way of the Monashee Mountains. The layout represents what the club feels the railroad would have looked like in 1959 had it actually been built. This provides the opportunity for a mixture of steam and diesel locomotives, as well as regular passenger service.


The "real" railroad has approximately 135 miles of mainline trackage and a ruling grade of 2.2% between Monashee Summit and Castlegar. The railroad continues into the United States south of Castlegar, and also connects with the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National north of Vernon. This allows a variety of our members' favorite railroad equipment to appear, "passing through" on the Monashee Pacific.

The Model

The layout is a two-level "mushroom" design, allowing almost twice as much mainline running as would be possible on a single level. The drawing shows how the track and aisles on the lower level are located beneath the track on the upper aisle.


We've completed our mainline of 785 feet (12.94 scale miles), passing through 11 towns. We're still finishing scenery and upgrading trackwork. Three hidden ("staging") yards provide storage for trains heading to or coming from other parts of the railroad. The large yard at the north end of the building (and the railroad) is Vernon. From here, the model Monashee Pacific winds its way through 10 separate aisles, representing rolling hills, river valleys, and steep mountain terrain before arriving at Castlegar, our second-largest yard, on the lower level. Sky-colored view blocks enhance the feeling of distance. Most of the track is code 83 flexible track, with some handlaid track in special locations. The control system is Digitrax digital command control, with handheld radio controllers allowing an engineer to stay close to the train.

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Come for a Visit!

The EMRA is open for viewing every weekend during the summer via Fort Edmonton Park. In addition meets are held every Tuesday from 7:30 on, and visitors and new members are always welcome.

Click HERE for more information.
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Interested in Joining?

The Edmonton Model Railroad Association welcomes new members to help construct and operate the layout, or even just to socialize. If you are interested in joining the oldest model railroad club in the Edmonton area, please click HERE!

Donations Welcome!

If you have any surplus model railroading equipment that would like to see a good home, please contact our surplus coordinator at surplus@emra.club We've helped out a lot of young modellers with inexpensive equipment, and the proceeds are welcome support for our layout construction efforts.

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Fun Facts

2,344 ft (714 m)
Total Trackage
12,000
Trees
188
Buildings
88
Locomotives
865
Cars
11
Towns

Recent News

Vernon Hill
Vernon Hill
New scenery has been added to Vernon, Although temporary, it still looks good!
South Staging
South Staging
South Staging is coming along with the benchwork finished, and track layout being finalized.  When finished it will greatly increase the layouts storage capacity, allowing for more variety and operations.
Layout Expansion
Layout Expansion
Our new space is finished and layout planning is underway.  This room, visible to Fort Edmonton Park guests will be the location for the new and improved Vernon Yard.
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The EMRA has a sister club in Australia!

We've visited other clubs around the world, and a group in Perth, Australia has become a "sister" club. We share visits, photos, and calendars with the Western Australia Model Railway Club.

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