Model railway clubs

Newportnobby · July 30, 2011, 03:26:52 PM

I'm thinking of joining the local MRC - what do the readers consider to be the average annual fee please? thanks

poliss · July 30, 2011, 04:07:16 PM

Leyland MRC charge £120.00 a year. That's the only one in Lancashire that lists the fee online.
http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/other/clubs.shtml

scotsoft · July 30, 2011, 05:05:41 PM

The Newcastle & District Model Railway Society charge £40 per year, they give you a few weeks grace to see if you want to join which is not a bad thing.
I'm not a member as they don't do n gauge

and the annoying thing is the are about a 10 min walk from where I live

poliss · July 30, 2011, 05:12:27 PM

It's about a 10 minute walk from where I live too!

Richard @ N'Tastic Scale Models · July 30, 2011, 07:10:13 PM

If member of NGS I would recommend your local area group. List on NGS website and in journal. I am a member and former leader of the SK group in Cheshire / South Manchester. We meet at members house, Poynton Community Centre or local pub. Our membership is £5 per year plus we get some money from NGS. Our AGM in July has for the last couple of years been at the Station Buffet at Stalybridge Station, including food (corn beef hash).

Newportnobby · July 30, 2011, 08:43:10 PM

Quote from: poliss on July 30, 2011, 04:07:16 PM
Leyland MRC charge £120.00 a year. That's the only one in Lancashire that lists the fee online.
http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/other/clubs.shtml

Hi Poliss- that's the one I was thinking of, but wanted to get an idea of annual subscription. I know there are all the costs for premises, materials etc and would imagine at that price the costs of locos/rolling stock may come into account but it still seems a little steep compared to the other posts in reply. They have a small exhibition in 2 weeks time so I'll go along and talk to them.

Claude Dreyfus · July 30, 2011, 10:27:11 PM

The club I am a member of has an annual sub of £50.00, plus a weekly sub of £2.00. Plenty of N gauge there...just not a lot of UK outline!

Lawrence · July 30, 2011, 10:37:58 PM

I looked into joining a couple of clubs a few years back, one wanted £60 per year plus £1 per week for coffee, the other wanted £14 per month which is nearly £170 a year

I went to a couple of free evenings at both and found them rather unwelcoming of newcomers, any offers of assistance with the most menial of tasks were met with shuffling of feet, glances away or feigned deafness.

To balance that I do know members of both clubs outside of the club environment and they are really decent blokes.

This forum is all the club I need and I can pretty much get an answer to a question within a couple of hours rather than waiting a week

Newportnobby · July 30, 2011, 10:48:33 PM

Quote from: Lawrence on July 30, 2011, 10:37:58 PM
I looked into joining a couple of clubs a few years back, one wanted £60 per year plus £1 per week for coffee, the other wanted £14 per month which is nearly £170 a year

I went to a couple of free evenings at both and found them rather unwelcoming of newcomers, any offers of assistance with the most menial of tasks were met with shuffling of feet, glances away or feigned deafness.

To balance that I do know members of both clubs outside of the club environment and they are really decent blokes.

This forum is all the club I need and I can pretty much get an answer to a question within a couple of hours rather than waiting a week

I agree they can be 'closed shops', but I'll talk to them at their Exhibition. The only N gauge layout there will be 'Grange over Sands' which I saw at the last Wigan show - a pretty decent layout. £120 p.a. might just keep me in coffee - I drink gallons of the stuff (defannicated of course)

Claude Dreyfus · July 30, 2011, 10:59:21 PM

Unfortunately many club's have to base annual subscriptions on their outgoings...such as accomodation and the like. In our case the annual rent is about £850 for the room we use, plus extra for the main hall we book five times a year. There is also expenditure on the layouts; which is not unusual for a club.

We look at it as about £3.00 a week...which is not bad value.

OwL · July 31, 2011, 03:01:34 AM

Quote from: newportnobby on July 30, 2011, 03:26:52 PM
I'm thinking of joining the local MRC - what do the readers consider to be the average annual fee please? thanks

Dont bother with MRC's mate. Channel all that potential subscription money into your layout, then exhibit it. Then watch all those 'domino house' MRC types crawl all over you at the next public exhibition and beg you to become their next 'top boy' in their face fits only domino club.

If you join most MRC's, you will be the new boy who knows 'eF' all (regardless of age and modelling experience). Build your own independant layout and show it off at every exhibition, and watch all your local MRC's scouts/old school generals sniff round you like flies on doggy doo doo, begging you to be the next christmas 2011 dinner guest speaker as long as you join 'THEIR or MY club'.

eF the MRC's, stick with the

you will learn alot more, and this is 'all of OUR club'

jonclox · July 31, 2011, 08:45:14 AM

Quote from: Lawrence on July 30, 2011, 10:37:58 PM

This forum is all the club I need and I can pretty much get an answer to a question within a couple of hours rather than waiting a week

Agreed 100%

..............and its cheeper than most 'clubs'

Newportnobby · July 31, 2011, 08:52:28 AM

Blimey Owl,
Sounds like you have had a bad experience with MRC's
There's no doubt this forum is the best thing since the 9F's were built so I think I'll save that £120 and wait for the latest 'must have' offering from Farish/Dapol

lesmond · July 31, 2011, 09:45:27 AM

I was a member of my local MRC for nine years, and ended up as treasurer for three of those years, ten years or so ago.

In all the time I was there, there was a very definite "closed shop" attitude. As an example, I took time off work and wired the track feeds and point motors on a section of the then new club layout, only to find the resident "electrician" pulled it all out and did it all again the next day. Needless to say, I wasn't too happy, especially as I had done it correctly, labeled it and written it up. that was the last electrical work I ever did in the place. This was the case many times over, not just to do with electrical matters, and caused many rows, bad feeling, and several resignations. There was a happy ending (from my point of view, anyway) as on its first outing (at the club show) the layout failed rather spectacularly and had to basically be rewired on the day, with no labeling of the wires, or such advanced techniques as colour coding in evidence. Not that I'd be vindictive, or anything

As a result of this and other experiences, I'll never be a club member again. Forums such as this (especially this one) are much more friendly and knowledgeable, information and opinion is freely and willingly exchanged, and there is plenty of good natured banter.

Lesmond

darren.c · July 31, 2011, 09:46:46 AM

i belong to to the crawley modelrailway society i have been a member there since i was 15 years old it was the best thing i ever done all them years ago. i am now the vice chairman of the club i also am the layout leader for there OO gauge layout wellbridge.clubs give you the practicals of building layouts that you cant get from forums also the knowledge base in a club is amazing
daz