About Us
BAGRS
was formed in 1988 as to promote garden railroading in the San Francisco Bay Area. To the IRS, we are a 501 c(7) not-for-profit social club, not a charity.
From approximately 30 charter members and 15 garden railroads, the
society grew to over 1,000 during the boom years of the last century. We now have about 300 members and 100 layouts.
The BAGRS have hosted the National Garden Railway Convention (NGRC) in 1988, 1993, 1998, 2006, 2016 -- and soon 2023.
The mission of our society is to:
1. Develop and support community among local garden railway enthusiasts; and
2. Promote garden railroading.
To achieve this, we:
1. Schedule and coordinate open house layout tours for members;
2. Participate in National Garden Railway Conventions;
3. Publish a website and monthly magazine;
4. Host an annual meeting and periodic clinics; and
5. Support special interest groups for live steam, gardening, demonstration layouts and advanced modeling.