The inspection committee will inspect, certify and approve your equipment for use on the new layout utilizing the standards as seen below. This equipment will be inclusive of each locomotive and piece of rolling stock (freight, passenger, maintenance of way and/or miscellaneous cars). There will be an exemption list for certain cars and locomotives that cannot be modified without major surgery. The exemption list will also include requirements for the exempt cars/locomotives and how they have to be blocked in a train. Once a car or locomotive has been approved it will be entered into a database by the individual assigned to certify rolling stock thus preventing that piece of equipment from additional inspection unless modifications are made. Should modifications be made to an already approved piece of equipment that impacts the existing standards, then said piece of equipment will be required to be re-examined.

The club will have a three-foot test track with coupler height gauges on each end, wired for DCC. This test track can be used for compliancy purposes or to program DCC locomotives. Accompanying the test track, the club will also have a scale for checking individual car weight to ensure it meets NMRA standards.

Equipment Requirements:

1.)   Each locomotive and all rolling stock will be required to have metal wheel sets with RP-25 flange wheels. The metal wheels serve multiple purposes: they attract less dirt and grime, provide a greater level of glide and allow for the use of resistors or resistive paint (across axles) when cars are spotted on track(s) with signal detection (without a locomotive).

2.)   Each piece of rolling stock will be checked using the club scale to ensure it is properly weighted to the NMRA weight standards relative to each type of car. This will provide a greater level of stability with longer train consists, preventing cars that are either too heavy or to light to be utilized on the railroad. If each car is properly weighted to the NMRA standards then weight should not be a contributing factor if a derailment occurs.

3.)   Each locomotive and all rolling stock will be required to have body mounted, metal, and sprung, knuckle (Kadee style) couplers that are properly positioned. The coupler height gauges on the test track will ensure that each car or locomotive meets the vertical requirement. The purpose for body- mounted couplers provides for consistency in pressure when backing a consist or cut of cars on any type of track: tangent, curved or crossovers. When the two coupler styles are mixed together it creates a recipe for disaster, especially for passenger trains or longer freight trains because of the imbalance of where the pressure is applied (trucks and car bodies). When stretching out the slack, it allows for a consistent flow of torque through the bodies of the cars rather than the trucks and bodies which can easily set up a derailment (usually on non-tangent track). The use of metal couplers provides greater strength in medium and long train consists. Since our railroad is going to have a sizeable mountain division the couplers must be the proper height as well as maintain the greatest strength against wear and possible failure. Most plastic couplers traditionally lose their rigidity and are more prone to failure. If we eliminate this risk(s), then we dramatically increase our chance for a smoother operation. Further, this will provide another mark of consistency in everyone’s rolling stock, making it easier to uncouple and couple cars.

If any piece of your equipment meets all of the above requirements, those pieces should be ready for inspection. However, if any one of the above requirements needs to be addressed, please do so before bringing the car or locomotive in for inspection. You will find that most of the newer equipment produced today already comes with metal RP-25 flange wheels. However, many couplers are still plastic. Should you have questions about these requirements, the correct size of wheel for any of your cars (menu to be added) or need assistance making the necessary changes, please contact one of the club equipment certifiers.

In an effort to make the process easier, the following is a list of manufacturers of qualified replacement wheels:

IHC (replacement 31” wheels, replacement heavyweight or commonwealth style passenger trucks)

Kato (replacement trucks)

As mentioned earlier, there are and will continue to be exceptions added to the list. If you find a piece of your equipment on the exception list as it pertains to the above standards and none of these components have been modified from the factory, the equipment certifier will approve your car or locomotive.

Exception list for equipment requirements:

1.) None known at this time

3.) Athearn PA & PB 1 locomotives; due to the construction of the truck and frame there is no reasonable way to modify the locomotive for body mounted couplers

     Athearn Genesis Trinity 4-bay Hoppers; due to the coupler pocket size, there is no replacement coupler available at this time.