About the mlrrc
Milwaukee Lionel Railroad Club main layout with Hellgate Bridge in the background.
It all started during the Big Snow of 1947…
The Lionel® RR Club was founded by Jerry Brettschneider, in January 1947, during a huge snowstorm that shut the city of Milwaukee down for a couple of days. Jerry and five of his neighborhood friends started the club as a means to pass the time during this storm. This makes the club the second oldest train club in the state of Wisconsin and the oldest Lionel club in the world. In 1949 Joshua Lionel Cowen granted permission for the group to call itself LIONEL® RAILROAD CLUB.
The club grew over the years and finally, it had to move from Jerry's parents’ basement to its first formal club headquarters in 1975 located at North 79th Street and Burleigh Street. In 1984 the club had to find larger quarters, so it moved to 10236 West Fond du Lac Avenue in Milwaukee. Finally, in March 2002, the club purchased its own commercial space and moved to our present site at 2721 South Calhoun Road in New Berlin, Wisconsin. A new hi-rail layout was built, which features the Hellgate Bridge that carries track for Standard Gauge and O-Gauge Trains. This bridge was featured in many local newspapers and in Classic Toy Trains Magazine. We can operate 17 trains at once on our permanent layouts.
Other programs and activities that our club is involved in include Operation Lifesaver and the Boy Scout Merit Badge Program, We also have constructed a new large modular portable layout and two smaller layouts for community programs and train show displays. A very popular Toy Train and Collectibles Show series has been run by the club since 1976. The event is currently held from the months of October thru March, at the Four Points by Sheraton Milwaukee Airport, 5311 S. Howell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207. The event is held generally on the 3rd Sunday each month, from 8 a.m. to Noon. Check the calendar for exact dates.
Founder Jerry Brettschneider did not stop here, after joining the Army Reserves and going on several active duty tours, he started clubs in St Louis, San Francisco, Chicago, and Racine, Wisconsin.