FAQs

Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. Below, we have tried to  answer the most common questions visitors to our web site may have. If  you find that your question is not answered on this page, please email  our webmaster at webmaster@nwvrailroad.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When are the NWV meeting times?

Meetings are held every Wednesday at 7:00 PM at the NWV location.  We have adopted a somewhat free-form set of activities that follow a cycle over a month.  The first Wednesday is usually for layout projects, i.e. construction, modelling, maintenance, etc. followed by a Wednesday evening of operating trains.  There are exceptions, so the Calendar page of this site should be consulted as the schedule changes on occasion.

Often the last Wednesday of each quarter, (in March, June, September and December) is used for business meetings. Occasionally, we meet on Saturdays or Sundays for special projects or operating sessions.

A group of people also meet once each month for a  Friday morning operating session.

2. Where is the NWV Model Railroad Association and layout located?

We are located at 57 River Road, Unit 1011 in Essex Junction, Vermont.  Our entrance is up the hill in the back of the complex. Click on our Directions page for more details.

3. What is an Operating Session?

Operating sessions are when we run the layout as much as possible like the way a real railroad operates. Trains run on schedules and they deliver loads and empties to industries modeled on the layout. We try to  follow real practices as much as we can. We use a dispatcher via radio with the train crews and yard master to manage the traffic during an operating session. It really makes the layout come to life!

4. What about non-members? Are they allowed to come to an NWV activity?

Absolutely!  We welcome guests at our activities, although there may be fees charged for attending some of our educational sessions, such as clinics or participation in operating sessions.  Visitors are discouraged from attending on the nights we have a business meeting for the membership. There will not be an opportunity for experiencing any of our activities on the layout on those nights. For all other Wednesday nights, there is no fee to come and observe the layout, ask questions and meet some of the members.  We welcome folks who want to come and see what we do.  We strive to keep our calendar on this web site up to date with the latest activities and events put on the by the NWV.  Please refer to the information in our Calendar to learn about our upcoming events and activities.

On occasion, we schedule educational activities for members and non-members.  Such activities may be attended by visitors or non-members for a fee.  The minimum fee for each visit is $10 for non-members over 15 years old and the fees for visitors between 8 and 15 is half that amount.  For some of the clinics that use more expensive materials, the fees will be higher.  Please contact the NWV at info@nwvrailroad.org to inquire about an activity or clinic that you would like to attend to learn what the fees will be..  We’ll also try to highlight those events on our calendar ahead of time. Examples of such fee-based activities that you may be interested in are:

• Participating as a crew member in one of our operating sessions
• Attending one of our educational clinics.
• Going on one of our educational outings

At least once each quarter, the NWV has a business meeting of the general membership to discuss and vote on business pertaining to the operation of the NWV Model Railroad Association.  During those meetings, we are unavailable to escort any visitors around our layout.

5. Do you have an age limit for members?

We have a minimum age limit for members of 12 years old. We offer different classes of membership as defined in our By-laws.  Children under the age of 18 must have a parent accompanying them during NWV activities. Please refer to our Membership page for more details.

6. What is a Run What You Brung event?

Run What You Brung events are the NWV’s casual layout operating sessions.  Members may bring and run their favorite HO scale DCC locomotives and HO rolling stock to operate in place of NWV equipment.  Provision is made for such equipment to fit in with the general operating scheme of the layout. This means that members may run regular NWV operations using their equipment instead of the NWV equipment or they may operate outside of the NWV operations on the layout.

7. What are the Golden Spikers?

Some of our members have a lot of miles on them and driving at night isn’t as easy as it used to be.  A group of us decided to get together during the daylight hours for our operating sessions.  We thought of several monikers and finally settled on Golden Spikers.  I’m not sure what it means but it’s got to be better than Old Codgers.  Anyone is welcome to attend our daytime operating session if their schedule allows.  These daytime sessions are listed on our web calendar page.

8. What Can I Do with a Model Train Collection I No Longer Want?

The YouTube video “How to Sell A Model Train Collection You Don’t Want” provides a good overview of how to sell or donate a model railroad collection that you may no longer want or may need to dispose of from a loved one who has passed. The NWV accepts some collections as donations, but we do not get involved in appraising or selling collections for others. Please see our Donations page for more information.