I was thinking of starting a ho modular club in town. it seems that there is a number of people that would be interested in doing one but I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to go about it. the local club died due to the increase in the rent of the clubhouse and then the local hobby shop closed its doors as well. with residencial property going up at 6% per month, it does not seem possible for a permanment layout. that leaves the modular route the only possible one for success. what I was wondering is what standards are popular? I have the HOTRak standards that the ottawa club uses, as well as the nmra standards as well. there is also one in the handbook for modelrailroads v3. what other standards are available. is there a way to make the mainline more interesting than a giant oval, perhaps by using multi modual sets? any suggestions on how to go about it, what expenses the clubs usually cover, how much should dues be etc would helpful. I live in red deer alberta if anyone is in the neighbourhood. thanks in advance
Your big descision to make is whether you want to have modules or a modular layout.
If you want to be able to go to a train show with other HO modular groups and use thier modules along with yours to create a layout then you have to strictly adhere to the standards. Doing this will greatly limit the flexability you have on a single module level although it increases flexability on a layout level.
The modular group I belong to is part of a larger club with a permanent layout. The modular layout is sort of an advertisement for the club and has generated about 40 members over the past few years. We have a modular layout. This means when we built the modules we worked out what we wanted to do with the people around us, the tracks can go anywhere as long as they join up with the next module, also the scenery matches up. Fully assembled it is a 60’x60’ L shape layout, but we can set it up as an oval if there is not enough space for the L. For example the atrium of the George Bush library wasnt large enough for the L, so when we displayed there we had a 20’x60’ oval. Our modules are big, heavy and cumbersome. 3x4 feet with mountains on most. So we move it as little as possible. We have had great luck getting empty space in malls for free and leaving it set up there. We go in on the weekends and run. I would talk to mall owners in your area as this is a great deal for both of you. The mall gets a draw for visitors and you get a place to set up your trains.
With free mall space you cannot charge admission, but you can leave out a donation jar. Nobody likes dues, so our group doesnt have any. Each member pays for the materials for thier module(s) and we leave the jar out to cover electricity bills. We always have money left over, so we use the money to buy things for the layout such as a DCC system or a fridge for drinks, and the drinks themselves for that matter. You should also have switches for each of your lines that allow you to select DC or DCC. That way people with decoders can run DCC a
We have a small permanent club layout in the basement of the one of the city buildings. The sheriff’s office is above, talk about security! City charges nothing and we are open for special events. Talk to your city manager or council members, they may be able to help.
Unless there are a lot of HOTrak modules within a few hundred miles, you might find it better to go with the NMRA standards or the Free-Mo standards.
My club has been using the design adopted in the NMRA RPs for nearly 18 years now (since before the NMRA adopted its module RPs) for our display layout, and have staged several large multi-club layouts with mainlines of over 700 feet at train shows. That, to me, is the biggest advantage going with the NMRA standards.
However, Free-Mo is a lot more flexible. It isn’t designed for making large loops. Modules can be any length, and contain any amount of curvature. The Free-mo specs are more desinged for prototypical single-track modeling. One thing I like about Free-Mo is that the standard track height is 50", rather than 40", which makes for more comfortable operation. You can find details on Free-Mo at http://www.free-mo.org/
My club is in the process of adopting a branchline spec to work in conjunction with our NMRA-spec modules. The idea is that the branchline modules will be guilt to Free-Mo specs, but with legs that can be set to NMRA-RP-compliant 40" railhead height, or to 50" Free-Mo-compliant height. I’m in the process of building an interchange yard/junction module to go from an outside corner of our current double-track display layout modules to single-track (lowered) Free-Mo modules. Another member of Rails on Wheels is building a module that brings a single-track branchline off to the inside of the layout, again compatible with lowered Free-Mo modules.
One thing that is a consideration when deciding whether to adopt Free-Mo standards as either your primary standard or a secondary standard is that it’s really set up to run under DCC. If convincing people in your area that investing in decoders for any locomotives they want to run on the layout is likely to be a big battle, then you might want to start with a double-track module standard like the one in the NMRA RPs.
Details on what we’
Your profile doesn’t say where in the world (guessing Canada since you mentioned ottowa?) or what part of the country you are from, but before going to all the effort of starting a new club it might be wise to do some research an make certain their isn’t already one around somewhere. Here in the Denver area there are at least eight, and probably a whole lot more I don’t know about.
To do this one would need to make “junction” modules. That would mean making them wider than the normal “standard” ones. I’ve always envisioned ours expanding to have with three legs branching out from a wye junction. We have “blob” modules for the ends so that instead of making the modules into a big donut we just have a giant dog bone.
PICKY! PICKY! PICKY!
Having been involved in the startup of a model railroad club in Germany in the early '70s - our club was not modular, of course - I can give you some cautions that could avoid troubles.
You ain’t gonna be able to please everyone so it is essential that you include in your planning as many elements as possible in order to please as many as possible. This is best done with a suggestion box and a committee that will sort through these suggestions to see just what the (potential) membership desires.
Modular railroads are, essentially, flatland ovals; somebody, I am sure, wants to model Gore Canyon on the Rio Grande and sooner or later this individual interest will temper and he will pick up his ball and bat and go home. We may believe in democracy but, socially, we reside in a pecking order and conflicts over position and prestige are going to erupt; these can - and will - make inroads into your membership. I will bet you dollars to donuts that within a year your (sustaining) membership will be half of your (start-up) membership.
I belong to an NTRAK club; you can include private modules in your set-up planning but you need to have enough community held modules to insure that you can meet your commitments when the time comes; nothing is more frustrating than to have some member “pick-up-his-ball-and-bat-and-go-home” two days before that all-important display. I’m afraid that a ten-module set-up, whether it is N-Scale or HO isn’t going to be very impressive.
I wish you luck; keep us posted on your progress.
I belonged to a HO modular club for many years. The club owned four 90 degree corrner modules. Members owned six fot modules,built to club standards and profile. The modules had a two track code 100 main line and a dual guage mountain line. The layout was DC control.
Over time it became difficult to find places to display our layout, because of liability issues. We incorporated as a not-for-profit organization (501c3). Most malls and other public places demanded that the club have liability insurance of at laest $1,000,000, even for a free show in a mall. We purchased the insurance.
Then, transporting and storing the modules between shows became a problem. We ended up purchasing a trailer to transport our modules. (more cost). Because the modules were stored on the trailer between shows, maintaining the modules became a big problem. It was also a big problem getting enough help to transport, set up, tear down and transport the modules home from a show. Plenty of members would show up to run trains diring the show. We had a very nice layout and recieved a lot of positve comments about it.
I like the FreMo or N-Track concept where modules are interchangeable and you put a layout together based upon who shows up.
JIM
Save for his preference of FreMo, I can echo every one of Jim’s comments regarding starting up and operating a modular group. I was a part of two long-running (20 years+) groups in this area of the hobby, so I think I can offer some reasonally good advice.
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You need an interested group of a significant size at the outset. Attempting to get going with just a handful of folks is very hazardous. You will certainly loose a number of fella’s early on for all the reasons posted previously. You must end up with a viable number of people who are willing to participate fully, not just turn up for running at shows.
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You need a place to meet almost from the outset. Community centers, churches, basements of hobby shops, etc. are often available without charge. Sometimes, a round-robin arrangement at member’s homes can work but this isn’t a very good idea if the group becomes of any real size.
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As previously advised, hold a pow-wow at the first or second meeting concerning what the goals of the group will be, the sort and era of the modular layout to be built, powering system, etc. These must be established before starting to build anything. There should be some unifying theme to the layout.
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You’re way ahead of the game if you can have one or two members who have built modules before. If possible, have an example of a finished module at the first couple of meetings for inspiration.
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If you can get one talented guy willing to build all the module frames, you’re another step ahead. You can’t imagine what sloppy carpenters many hobbyists are! If you want the layout sections to all fit tightly together at show time, they better be built to fairly close tolerances. Be sure to establish a uniform length, width, and track arrangement. If the standard is 6’ in length, you can’t have guys building 4-footers, too. Ending up with uneven numbers can result in a nightmare situation at a show.
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For those of minimal experience, simple module concepts are a m
Last fall I was part of a group that started a model railroad club. There was a small group of guys in town that wanted to get a club going, so they placed an ad in the local paper. I answered that ad and said I too was interested in joining. All we had was half a dozen guys that wanted to do something. I contacted city hall and located an unused space on the second floor of a downtown building that suited our needs. It helped that I knew the space was vacant and know the city hall staff well. We pay about $300 per year for the electric, thats it!
Nine months later we have a massive modular (but permanent) layout under construction, and we have 15 members. Our dues are $10 per month . We hope to have the mainlines running soon.
The reason we went modular is so in the event we have to move out. We have no intention of taking the layout to any events. We just realized that we are at the mercy of others and things can change, so we felt that a modular type of benchwork could easily be dismantled and moved, should we ever have to or want to.
Or two 180 degree curves. My son had one of the outside 1/4 corners for the modular club he belonged to. He suddenly became one of the most important people at the club. It got better when they added two “inside” corners so then there were 6 outside corners making it less critical for each outside corner holder.
Very true. Our club is a “way freight” operational oriented club, so we made a switching display layout. It didn’t attract anyone. As soon as we added two loops and got trains running continually, we attracted more people than we knew what to do with. Make certain to use DCC because that allows a whole lot more trains moving on the same amount of track.
first of all thanks for everyone who responded to my inquirery. I know that in edmonton and calgary, the two closest cities in alberta, canada, where I live there is some clubs that run a modular layout that only fits with it’s self. I am unaware of any clubs that use any of the standards in the alberta area. if someone knows of them, please let me know. as far as layout space for free, that has been looked at and is why the local club finally gave up. red deer has an economy driven by the oilfield and we have so many people moving to town that there is simply no vacant space anywhere. the city is out of room, I know because I work for the city. there simply is no place that can be afforded for a permanent layout.
the best thing that seems likely for me is to find a common modular set so that the trains can be hooked up to a group of modulars from another club and see what can be created by joining forces. this would have the effect of creating enthusiasim in the club and would be really cool to see and be a part of.
as far as freemo and the bendtrak standards, I have not heard of them and will be following up on them as soon as I can get some sleep. your links are a great source of help to me, I glanced at them and will look at them when it is not this late at night. I know there are other things to respond to but I need to go back to work in the early morning and must get some sleep. I will have more time to respond tomorrow night to the rest of the questions that I have. thanks to all for your help. be back tomorrow night \
darcy
I agree that a layout neeeds to be a showpeice and that means that having lots of trains running for the public. it is hard for the ones not running the trains to enjoy them if you do not know what is going on and the intracacies of the area of operations. still I would like to be able to have formal operating sessions on the layout. I never thought of asking the malls but I am sure that it might be possible to draw people in for both. I will be looking into this helpful suggestion. I am also looking into other modular clubs in the area although at the moment I know of none in the area at all. all this mean more homework to find out where the nearest modular club is and what they are using.
I agree that the beginning will be tough and that it can not be all things for all people. how do you minimize this problem? I have thought that multi modual sets, where the ends only match the required design requirements, and the middle, be it three or four moduals would be used to do what ever a person wanted their modual to be. this would allow for a single track over a trestle if the second track is hidden under a tunnel or by some other means. it would allow the individuallity of the people in the club to grow and the continuity of the railroad to exist as well. I would value your insight into this idea as I think it would help avoid the issue that you brought up.
The malls might actually pay you to set up there.
Just thought that I would update what is happening. I have found that there is several free mo clubsin the alberta area. I have found that there is also several clubs with uique moduls in the area as well, but thses are only mated with thenselves. As I looked into what free mo was, I foound that it was exactly what I was looking for in a club. I have found most people like the idea of a modual club, every one likes the use of dcc, with one person not likeing digitracs in favor of a different brand. all said, I have four people that are interested in joining a club, with several of thier friends interested a s well. it looks like this fledging club will become a reality. will keep inforned when we get this off the ground. thanks for all the help in setting this up. I had never heard of freemo so this forum has already been very helpful
e
You may want to look into free-mo. I think there are some pros and cons to this group. The pros are that you can work at your own pace on your own module. The cons; I think there high level of expectation scares off percpective participants.
Here are the links: http://www.free-mo.org/