Our Story

Lethbridge has a long history with model railroading. For years, the Lethbridge Model Railroad Club, a small group of 8 to 10 members, met every two weeks in each other's homes.

Some members wanted to create a new club with its own permanent, large layout in a central location. On June 15, 1971, 16 people interested in this idea met at the Canadian Western Natural Gas Co. auditorium. They looked at different possibilities, but none were ideal. Then, one of the original members suggested Gyro Park. At the north end of the park were two 20' x 20' buildings with a 45' concrete slab between them. One building had washrooms, and the other was for storage. This location was good because it already had power, sewer, and water. The City of Lethbridge Parks Department agreed to the idea, as long as all the necessary approvals were obtained.

In October 1971, one of the members drew up initial building plans. The Gyro Club, which helped establish the park in 1960, gave their approval. Next, the Planning Commission and Lethbridge City Council also readily approved the project. Once the city approved the final drawings, the design of the model railroad layout began.

Construction officially started in November 1971. The roof trusses were put up between December 29, 1971, and January 2, 1972 – showing the dedication of the model railroaders who worked in near-blizzard conditions. The heating system was working by late January 1972.

In May 1972, the actual building of the layout started. Over the next few years, members worked on laying track, building scenery and structures, and assembling and painting trains. Others focused on wiring and other tasks.