Well, the bell has tolled.
Have been receiving emails from the Miniature World of Trains™ since their 'great 'inception back in 2011 (actually 2009, but I signed up for the emails from'11)
With always stating how they were moving ahead, always finding new premises, new layouts, yadda, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Well here's the latest email, quite long but very informative with explanations how it began and its' meandering path to a hopeful conclusion.
If you want to know how it actual came to a crashing stop, just scroll down to the parts in yellow.
The End of the Miniature World of Trains™
Message From
Founder and President Frank Ruby
03/27/23
Overall Project Update
From Frank Ruby
Founder and President
The return of the Miniature World of Trains™ status!
First a little back story.
Since 2010 the Miniature World of Trains™ has been trying created a top notch world class group of highly sophisticated model train displays that are both fun but educational as well.
Examples would be Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg and the Porsche Museum in Germany, Grand Maket Rossiya in Russia, Little Canada in Canada and Entertrainment in Ohio to name a few. However, the new Miniature World of Trains™ wanted to create a new group of new displays unlike anything seem in North America. More details available via the links below.
Back in 2010, right after the non profit version of the concept was created, a 30,000sf former Winn Dixie was offered to the MWOT™ concept for free. The catch, it needed about a one million dollar over haul! We had to pass on that deal.
At this same time we created the first Christmas Display for the Children's Museum of the Upstate with full sponsorship for MTH-Railking, Lionel and Atlas O. We did this in the space of two weeks for Thanksgiving.
In the forth quarter of 2010 the concept negotiated a $1.5M sponsorship donation from the Siemens corporation via 7 separate $200k donations from each division of the company. The deal was almost complete in late 2010 when one of our board members did not follow up as current I pleaded that he do. When he finally did so, the Siemens contact went back to Germany for Christmas. When he returned in 2011, Siemens was reorganized into 5 divisions and our contact was in a new position. We could not resurrect that deal.
Soon after I negotiated a lease of just $20,000 p/m for an old Sam's Club on Laurens Rd. But they wanted to sell the building for a mere $3M dollars. I was working on the funding with BB&T bank and the State of South Carolina at the same time MWOT™ created a second Christmas Display for the City of Fountain Inn which drew some 10,000 in its limited two week run in early December 2010 and the redisplay located at the N Pleasantburg office location through Christmas 2011.
During this time a development company purchased the Sam's Club building for cash and promptly tore it down for future development.
Following the success for the Fountain Inn display MWOT™ was approached by a local grocery chain to take over one of their closed properties. After 4 months of negotiations we could not come to an agreement.
That same day the MWOT™ Beta test location came available and the deal for the 5,000sf to create the first MWOT™ HO test display and house the current Christmas Display was agreed to that same day!
A 2.5 year lease was signed for the MWOT™ Test which would allow us to seek a new location. That lease ended in the summer of 2015 when the board of directors decided to end the non profit. Though the parking issues in the area and new construction with a construction crane to be placed right outside of entrance, the BETA test still drew some 80,000 in total of the two years. This was done without parking or any advertising!
But, until the last month, we have not been able to find a viable location, though we got close with a 60,000sf former grocery store back in late 2019.
Then the Covid situation hit and in early 2022 the new for profit Lillput LLC was formed to find a viable location.
Well after a year of searching and losing out on several locations that a AAA fitness business was scooping up, we finally have found a location that this fitness company seems not to be seeking that will work for MWOT™!
Late last month CEO Kelly Orr submitted a Letter Of Intent to lease 27,000sf of space just off I-85 in Greenville, SC. I have hoped to have this great location open by the holidays in 2023! But the owner seems to be dragging their feet.
As of this update $700,000 has been committed to getting the venue for the project started by June 2023 if not sooner! But that does not seem to be likely to happen as of this update.
Already, I have the plans for the new larger O Scale Christmas Model Train Display™ and the new larger Miniature World of Trains™ HO Display have been created for this location but we have no commitment from the owner.
The plan was to start building the Christmas Model Train Display™ as soon possible along with the set back barriers for the first two displays. At the same time we wanted to begin the addition of 16' and 10' high partition walls, update the flooring and paint. At this point this will not happen and there are no other locations for the project in the Greenville, SC area.
The only other option is to build from scratch. However, the cost to acquire the land and build PHASE I is $7M. So, as of this update I do not think the project has investors to reach the $7M threshold.
Where does the blame sit for the funding issues the project when it was a non profit and there was plenty of locations to lease?
Originally, the first president of the non profit version for the concept was Roland Stadelman. He advised he could get the needed $1.5M from his clients in the Tryon, SC area. Just after the submission of the 501c3 paperwork to the IRS, he abruptly resigned for the Board of Directors and thus the potential funding went away. At this point I took over the reins of the non profit as president.
Once the 501c3 was approved in early September 2010 we began looking for locations and funding. This is when board member Ed Eichelberger and I worked on the Siemens deal. Because of his lack of follow up the $1.5M deal went away!
After this, Roland Stadelmann rejoined the team again in mid 2011 promising the funding from his contacts. Not one dollar was donated from these contacts. Simply stated he lied! He quit again!
So as of today with about half of the needed $1.5M committed I can not find a location to house the project. The build from scratch option is not going to happen at this point either with no one with deep pockets stepping up to fund the project.
So, after trying to get the viable project funded over the last 13 years I am giving up and will not be moving forward with any activity. I have wasted all this time. So I am done! Frankly, I have other things to do. I tried and have failed.
The LOI is still out there but I do not hold out any hope that this will be accepted by the owner of the property. If, by some miracle it is approved then I will step back in but and will not be actively working on the project as of this update. As of last week no decision has been made by the property owners.
So, it seems it is time to let go of the dream to get the Miniature World of Trains built after 13 years of trying.
Now I will move on and work on my personal display the Denver, Front Range and Rocky Mountain Railroad (DFR&RMRR). This display will incorporate some of the special effects and features I developed for the MWOT™ project. I will be sharing the current status of my railroad via a new YouTube channel I am currently working on.
Thanks to everyone that supported the project since 2009!
Frank Ruby
Founder and President
03/27/23
Never though it would work, as from the start it was always talk and not much action.
Maybe first get all the funding organised before advertising that it was coming.
Just my two cents worth.