Who We AreÂ
Our Story
Founded in 1993, The French Broad E’N’Pire is a n-scale model railroad club consisting of members from Hendersonville, NC, and the surrounding areas. The club is named for the Greenville, SC, and French Broad River Railroad, an actual railroad chartered in 1855 to operate between Greenville and Asheville. The real railroad was never constructed but lives in a railroad layout as the French Broad River Railroad.
Our club meets across from the historic depot in downtown Hendersonville, hosting a 25’ x 32’ layout, and works on or operates the layout every Wednesday and Sunday. We are open to the public each Saturday from 10-2 and during special events in the Historic Seventh Avenue District. While we are not a part of the Apple Valley Model Railroad Club in the depot, we have a special relationship with the club and participate in their annual Rail Days. We also host a model railroad train show, Autumn Rails, each September at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in nearby Fletcher.
What We Do
What Is N-Scale?
N Scale model railroading means the creation of miniature railroad models built to a proportion of 160:1. Put another way 160 N scale models of a 40’ boxcar set end-to-end would equal the length of one full-size boxcar. It means not only railroad locomotives and railcars, but buildings, vehicles, people, and even trees and other scenic features are scaled down to that proportion. The term ‘N’ stands for the “nine” which is the track gauge in millimeters. It is slightly more than half the size of the HO scale and just over one-fourth the size of the O scale (like Lionel Trains).
Boy Scout T-TRAK
What is T-TRAK?
"T-TRAK is a modular model railroad system based on standards for module size, track placement, track interface, and electrical connections. The standards allow for a wide range of flexibility in design yet still maintain interoperability with all modules built per the standards. The popularity of T-TRAK is worldwide allowing for modules from all over the world to connect together.
"T-TRAK modules are dioramas with sectional track, specifically Kato Unitrack, that snap together to create layouts from a simple circle to large complex layouts. The modules are designed to fit on tables. Layouts are easy to assemble and disassemble. The convenient size of the modules make them easy to store on a shelf or in totes when not in use, or to transport."
Source: NRail
