Now Proudly an Active 501c3 Organization!
PO Box 2645
Indianapolis, IN 46206
naptownmrr@gmail.com
(317) 643-0779
Member:
Frequently asked questions
The NWR offers a Single Person Membership with additional "Rider" Options for family. The Base Membership dues are $30/mo or $360 a year. This grants 1 Voting power, a key to the building, and 24/7 access. For Parents with children, there is a $5/mo add-on for children under the age of 18. For Children over the Age of 18, the add-on is $10.
Membership starts with filling out a form and introducing yourself, your interests, your skillset, and any goals you may have. Probationary Members are required to attend 2 Meetings, 2 Operating Sessions, and 3 Worknights, the latter being our regular Monday/Thursday nights. After completeing those requirements, Probies will be voted in by the Club during the next regular Meeting. We used to require a 6 month period, but that has been lifted in 2019.
Yes and No. A DC locomotive runs on ~12v DC power, and DCC layouts tend to use ~14v AC power. (that's why a DC motor hums on DCC) if the locomotive does not have a decoder in it, that AC power CAN harm the motor, but it is over a period ot time and is NOT instantaneous. If the engine is running (usung that current) and only out for a short period of time, it should be fine.
several places have devices called reversing units that reverse the track power polarity on turnback loops. (one current being put into the path of another current running the opposite direction like two creeks meeting) on a DCC locomotive, the decoder senses this reverser and inverts its inputs to the motor automatically. a DC engine, lacking this decoder, will start to try to go the other way. If the engine behind it has not hit the reverser yet, they will end up pusjhing against each other until you stop both engines or burn out the motors. One reversing unit is located under the Monon Junction track coming out of Staging.
That depends largely on the project at hand. Usually, no. We will foot the bill for small things, and gneral scenery materials, and on some caseswill split the costs, but more extravagant pieces will fall to the membership putting in their time. For example, there is a recent signalling project in Possman, the controlling systems were paid for by the club, but the signals themselves were bought by the member undertaking the project.
RELATED: The club may choose to buy rollingstock, as that is a general scenery peice and enjoyed by all members, however much of it is donated by the members of the club, not bought
Yes, and it is perfectly harmless to the engine, however, in the past, early MTH locomotives have been shown to be sensitive to fluctuations in track, DCC current, and gremlins. I have chased several around the layout because they stopped communicating and went supersonic into a curve. The more recent releases (particularly their SD70s) have not shown the same tendencies, but it is worth noting that DCS=/=DCC
Yes, and it is perfectly harmless to the engine, however, in the past, early MTH locomotives have been shown to be sensitive to fluctuations in track, DCC current, and gremlins. I have chased several around the layout because they stopped communicating and went supersonic into a curve. The more recent releases (particularly their SD70s) have not shown the same tendencies, but it is worth noting that DCS=/=DCC
If the first Monday doesn't work for you, there is usually SOMEONE there other Mondays as well. If THAT doesn't work for you, Thursday nights are our usually scheduled work nights. We cannot guarentee that anyone WILL be there, or that anything is running, or that anyone is available to offer a tour, but we'll do our best.
We endeavor to be friendly, but one of the perks of being a member is that you have the freedom to show up whenever you want and enjoy the layout in your owen privacy of friends. And sometimes those members may not feel safe opening up the layout to strangers unannounced. And other times, we may be hosting a private tour group, such as a Historical Society, or the NMRA, or a school group. As a general rule of thumb, if you don't see the Crossing sign, or our own sign out, we ask that you come back on a regular date.
Yes, and it is perfectly harmless to the engine, however, in the past, early MTH locomotives have been shown to be sensitive to fluctuations in track, DCC current, and gremlins. I have chased several around the layout because they stopped communicating and went supersonic into a curve. The more recent releases (particularly their SD70s) have not shown the same tendencies, but it is worth noting that DCS=/=DCC
Yes, and it is perfectly harmless to the engine, however, in the past, early MTH locomotives have been shown to be sensitive to fluctuations in track, DCC current, and gremlins. I have chased several around the layout because they stopped communicating and went supersonic into a curve. The more recent releases (particularly their SD70s) have not shown the same tendencies, but it is worth noting that DCS=/=DCC
For that information, please check the calendar page and watch the Facebook page (It's on the right hand column, and open to non-Facebook members). Usually, we'll have a table at GTE as well. However, as a club we recently decided to limit ourselves severely on what shows we attended. It's nothing personal, its just that as a club, we were committed to so many shows that it felt like work and the actual layout was not getting any attention. It stopped being fun, and that was kinda the whole point.