Club Info
Eastern Jackson County Mainliners
HO Modular Railroad Club Rules
DCC-DIGITRAX Equipped
I. This set of club rules supersedes any previous version, and may not be altered or changed except by approval of the membership. (See section IV-F)
II. Code of Ethics: All members of the EJCM should adhere to this code of ethics. Members will have free access to other member’s work and equipment at many times. Do not abuse this privilege.
A. Do not touch or otherwise alter the modeling work of other members at any time without their express consent.
B. Do not borrow, without specific permission, another member’s tools or equipment.
C. The safety of all members’ property should be carefully guarded by every member, particularly when interacting with the public.
D. It is each member’s responsibility to make sure they secure the club facility at all times unless present in the room. Violation may result in revocation of key privileges or expulsion from the club upon majority vote of the membership.
III. Membership Requirements and Fees:
A. The fee for individual (18 years and older) and family membership is $60.00 per year. There is no additional charge for family members that include spouse and children under 18. Annual fees are for the use of the club for any expense as needed.
B. Fees for new members are pro-rated on a monthly basis deducting $5.00 for each month elapsed starting in January.
C. Annual fees for current members are due in the month of January. Annual fees may also be made in equal payments of $30.00 each in January and July of each year. There will be no refund of any fees should an individual member drop from the club. (The above fee structure is effective beginning in January of the year following the year of adoption of these rules. Current fees at the time of this adoption are $50.00 per year.)
D. Applicants for new membership in the months of November and December of any calendar year may have free membership including waiver of utility fees (see E. below) for those months only, upon the payment of a full year’s dues for the ensuing year.
E. A utility fee of $30.00 per month (rate established effective July 2010) will be assessed each member (current or new) for the payment of current and projected monthly utility bills. It is recommended that all utility fees be paid monthly or quarterly. Any excess utility fees remaining may be used for club expenses as needed.
F. If a member voluntarily leaves the club, he/she is responsible for the payment of any unpaid annual dues and/or monthly utility fees through December of the year dropped from the club rolls. He/she may rejoin the club at any time and will be subject to any and all new member rules and requirements as well as the payment of any unpaid dues and fees for the year of dropped membership. For a member who is expelled from the club by club action, membership ceases immediately with no refund of any prepaid dues or utility fees.
G. Children under the age of 13 years must be under direct parental supervision at all times. Children 13 to 18 are the parent’s responsibility, but may be present under general club supervision.
H. After six months of consistent active membership, an adult may be granted a key and access to the club facility upon review and approval by the club officers. Please refer to the Code of Ethics, above.
I. New members are encouraged to build an operational module meeting all standards set by the club. The module must be a minimum of four feet in length. It may be increased by two foot increments to suit your needs with the maximum overall length and number of modules to be determined by the member. The theme of the module is the member’s choice.
IV. Officer Requirements and Duties: Nominations for officers will be taken during the meetings in November and the first meeting in December. The elections will be held during the first meeting in December.
A. To become an officer, one must be a member in good standing for at least 2 years.
B. The president shall conduct all monthly meetings and be the public spokesperson for the club unless another individual is appointed for such duties.
C. The vice president shall assume the president’s duties during any absence. The vice president shall also serve as the club treasurer should the treasurer relinquish his/her duties or become incapacitated. The vice president will be authorized as a co-signer to all banking transactions.
D. The secretary is responsible for all club correspondence, must maintain records of all club meetings, keep membership records and provide new members with DCC number assignments.
E. The treasurer must be at least 21 years of age or older. The treasurer will collect all monies, pay all debts and bills and make deposits of club funds on a timely basis and provide a financial statement to the club on a semi-annual basis in January and July of each year. If the treasurer cannot fulfill his/her duties, they will be assumed by the vice president until such time as a new election is held.
F. Officers will receive and review all proposals for revisions of the club rules and present such revisions, as they deem appropriate for club approval. A general review of the club rules will be conducted every five years.
G. Officers shall not be affiliated with any business that might profit form the club so that no conflict of interest can occur.
V. Club Purchases: Any purchase made for the club needs membership approval prior to the purchase. If a member desires reimbursement for a club expense, a receipt or other proof of purchase must be presented to the treasurer within 45 days of the purchase.
VI. Standards of Construction: The standards for the construction of a module and the wiring are available on line from the club web site or directly from the club.
For any new modular construction or any existing module undergoing major renovation that will include storage tracks for locomotives, the use of route selective PECO switches is strongly recommended. As an alternative, a cut-off switch may be utilized to “deaden” the track. This allows DCC controlled locomotives to be stored on a dead siding free of any power while not in use.
VII. Appearance of Modules: The following is a list of standards, which should be met by all members of the EJCM who wish to display a module and operate trains with the club. Club members, upon request, will help you to meet these standards. The purpose of these standards is to encourage high-quality, visually pleasing modules. If you are unsure or think you have an exception to any of the rules and/or standards please present your situation to the club officers for their consideration. In some instances, the membership may need to be asked for their opinion concerning your issue.
A. Visual Appearance. Your module needs to be sceniced to the best possible level according to your ability and should have a finished and natural appearance. There will be no items that are severely unrealistic or out of scale. All construction material should be thoroughly covered with paint, well-secured foams, ground coverings, or commercially purchased materials such as stone or ballast. (Natural material such as earth, sand, gravel and etc. are expressly prohibited.)
B. Ballast. The ballast on your track must be a manufactured, non-metallic, commercially purchased material. It must be thoroughly glued down so not to interfere with the track or any other working part, especially at switches, crossovers or at the ends of the module.
C. Fastening Requirements. Attach at least 2 cup-hooks facing out on the back side of the module at 3’ or 4’ intervals to facilitate the mounting of the inner skirting. At least one c-clamp per modular scene is required to clamp scenes together. Additional clamps may be used as needed.
D. Front Skirting. The skirting used on the modules is of one standard color of broadcloth, FOREST GREEN. Stores do not necessarily use the same codes so we will provide you a swatch for color matching. The skirting must thoroughly cover the front of the module including the module base and framework and shall not be pleated. The skirting should be mounted with two sided Velcro-type tape and shall extend to the bottom of the wooden legs and one inch beyond each end of the module for overlap.
E. Lexan. There shall be installed on all modules, in a competent, sturdy, and attractive manner, a piece of clear Lexan, no less than 10 hundredths and no more than 15 hundredths on an inch thick. The front guard should be at a height exactly four inches from the top of the mainline railheads and perpendicular to the railheads. It should be exactly parallel to the front face of the module. The front skirting must be placed in front of the Lexan.
F. Backdrop. The top of the backdrop shall never be less than 14 inches above the mainline railheads and shall be exactly 14 inches above the mainline railheads at the ends of the modular scene. Exceptions to the height rule may be granted upon review and approval of the club. For the sake of uniformity, the club stocks SKY BLUE paint, and it will be used on your backdrop so as to blend in with other backdrops. The use of a commercially available full or partial backdrop scene or a fully painted scene is acceptable for the front of the backdrop if it meets all other criteria. The back side and edges of all backdrops must be painted the same color as required for the front.
VIII. Locomotive and Rolling Stock Standards: When we operate our trains, we work by a system in which each member provides his/her own train, sets it up, and monitors it while in operation. The club has established no guidelines by which the locomotives and rolling stock must adhere to, except that they are HO scale, DCC controlled, of standard gauge and not so protrusive as to hit any pass, tunnel, or bridge through which the mainlines traverse, or in any way interfere with another passing train. The only time that the club will enforce this standard is when the train is having multiple problems and it is severely detracting from our operational display. We do recommend that all trains be of good quality and utilize Kadee couplers and metal wheels for smooth operation. Locomotive and rolling stock wheels must be kept clean.
IX. General Practices: Each module must be constructed to a specific size and in a competent manner. This includes the electrical work which must be safe and well hidden. The general construction of each module should be “glued and screwed” allowing the module to stand on its own without wobbling. Parts that interface with other modules should be able to do so easily. Each module MUST be well maintained. Dust, broken plaster, broken scenery, mis-aligned track, poor electrical connections, chipped backdrops, chipped or broken Lexan and dirty skirting are all regular occurrences and MUST be regularly maintained.
X. Club Trailer: The trailer is used to transport the club owned modules and accessories to any show that the club attends. The club is not responsible for transporting individual modules to these shows. Therefore, it would be wise to build any module to fit a vehicle or trailer that the member will have regular access to. The trailer is NOT to be borrowed by members for their personal use.
XI. Operations: Delinquent members may not participate in club events. Children under 13 years of age may operate trains during public outings under direct parental supervision. The member/parent is considered the responsible member.
XII. Module Options: Be advised that building a module or modular scene incorporating one or more of these options may have an impact on the ability of the club to incorporate your module into a given show space. While every effort will be made to fit in all modules that are made available for shows, the club will omit modules if necessary doe to space limitations or other arrangement constraints.
Option A – Rear extension of module. Modules may extend to the rear beyond the standard 24 inch depth, but not beyond a point 44 inches from the centerline of the first mainline track since this track is centered at four inches from the front of the module. This creates a 48 inch depth. At the ends of the module or multi-modular scene, the backdrop must be brought forward to a point 20 inches from the center of the first mainline track. This may be done with the use of sidewalls or by curving or angling the backdrop as necessary to bring it into conformity.
Option B – Front linear extension of module. Modules may extend to the front, but the front edge of the module may not be more than 16 inches from the centerline of the first mainline track. This allows for a maximum forward projection of 12 inches from the standard modular alignment. Front extensions are additional depth. No module at any time can exceed a 48 inch depth. In no case shall the back edge of the module and associated backdrop be less than 20 inches from the centerline of the first mainline track. At the ends of the module or modular scene, the Lexan guard must return to a point four inches from the centerline of the first mainline track. This may be done either with the use of end pieces or by curving or angling the Lexan as necessary to bring it into proper alignment. If a member wishes to build a tee extension on the front of the module, he/she must obtain club approval.
Option C – Night scenes. Standards for night scenes have not been established. Members wishing to build such modules should consult with the officers regarding acceptability.
XIII. On-Track Etiquette: With the adoption and implementation of the Digital Command Control system as our operation system, it has necessitated the acceptance of guidelines and rules to use while operating trains on the club layout during formal run sessions or when attending a public show. We have the ability to put multiple trains on the tracks at the same time and to perform a variety of realistic operations with our trains. Because of this ability, we are also forced to pay more attention to what is going on around us to avoid damage to equipment…ours or other club members…and to avoid undue delays during these run sessions. This section outlines these rules and guidelines.
A. During the run sessions, the person assigned to run on a certain track at a specified time “owns” that track for the scheduled time. Any other person wishing to use or foul that track MUST obtain permission of the “owner” before occupying or fouling the track.
B. ALL persons operating trains MUST use a functioning radio headset (as agreed upon by the club) prior to moving onto ANY mainline or operating any switch that could cause another train on the layout to derail or deflect to a different mainline track or siding and at ALL times during their run. With more and more activity taking place on the layout, direct communication is required to know what is going on around you.
C. When switching into or out of a yard or siding, keep the foul time to a minimum. When you are fouling the main lines, you are stopping the other members that are entitled to run at that given time. If you are not switching during a “scheduled” run time, clear the main lines as the scheduled trains approach so that they can enjoy running their trains also.
D. When scheduled to run at a specific time, be sure to get your train set up and ready to run PRIOR to that time so that you can move onto the track at the specified time.
E. At the end of your scheduled run time, clear the track in a timely manner so that you do not delay others that are scheduled to run. If you are running a train that is especially long or one that requires special handling to get off the track, begin removing it in enough time so that the next scheduled operator can run their trains at the proper time. Your time is over and you should be clear of the mainline when the next scheduled time arrives.
F. Stay with your train! It is easy to get distracted by talking to other members or the public. Ask them to walk with you so that you can stay with your train. Remember, there are other people running on the layout too, and you need to be aware of what is happening around you.
G. Keep chatter on the radios to a minimum. We all like to talk on the headsets, but pay attention to what is being said and if you hear someone asking for train information or advising of a problem, stop the unnecessary conversation so that the operators involved can communicate with each other.
H. When running trains, it is necessary to “tweak” the throttle every few seconds to keep it active. This is necessary so that you don’t find yourself facing an oncoming, crossing or derailed train with an inactive throttle and no control of your train.
I. We want to encourage our younger members to operate trains, but as stated in sec. X, they MUST be under DIRECT parental supervision. That means that if your child is running a train, you must be with them at all times, not running another train on the opposite side of the layout. By staying with them and teaching them the proper way to handle trains and how to interact with the other members, you will be improving their experience at the show or run session and getting them ready to be successful members of our club when they are old enough to join on their own.
XIV. Storage of Materials by Former Members “CLOSET POLICY”: Dropped members (sec III. F.) who leave personal materials at the club facility must remove same within three months of the last membership date. If not removed, a CERTIFIED notice will be sent to the last known address giving 30 days for final removal of any and all materials. Any materials remaining after 30 days of the acceptance or return of the notice will become club property subject to disposal at the club’s discretion.
Rev. Mar. 2011
