The Prince William County Model Railroad Club has five types of membership. These membership categories are described in the following table. To join our club, print out a membership application. We'd love to have you as part of our group!
Category |
Dues |
Description |
ACTIVE |
$60/yr |
Can vote, hold office, and participate in all the club's functions. |
ASSOCIATE |
$18/yr |
May participate in some club activities.They may not vote or hold office. |
JUNIOR |
$12/yr |
Members who are less than 18 years of age. Junior members must have the consent of a parent or guardian to be considered for membership. Junior members may participate in club functions. They cannot vote or hold office. |
HONORARY |
Waived |
These members are appointed by a majority vote of the club. Honorary members may participate in club functions. They may not vote or hold office. |
PROBATIONARY |
$9.00/
90 days |
These are individuals who have applied for membership. The probationary period is 90 days. Probationary members may participate in club functions. They may not vote or hold office. Those members who are granted active membership are reclassified as Active members at the end of the probationary period. |
The Beginning
The Prince William County Model Railroad Club was founded by a small group of model railroaders in 1991. A sheet of paper hanging in a local hobby shop in Dale City, Virginia announced:
"Anyone interested in starting a model railroad club, please leave your name and number here."
And so began the creation of the Prince William County Model Railroad Club (PWMRC). Five members started meeting at each other's homes and word of the club spread quickly and membership began to grow.
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The First Layout
In June of 1991, the same local hobby shop that posted the club notice offered some space in a back room to build a layout. The members quickly organized, created a charter and established a treasury and formally called themselves the Prince William County Model Railroad Club.
The first layout was a 16 foot double mainline layout in a dog bone shape. This entertained most of the membership for some time. The layout was moved in 1992 to new quarters in the hobby shop after the shop owner acquired a larger store up the street. From 1992 to 1993 the layout continued to develop with the incorporation of a large yard, several sidings for industries and a spur leading up to a second level to be worked on later. Several Saturday sessions brought in many onlookers as scenery and track work was completed. Unfortunately, due to rising rent, the PWMRC was asked to remove their layout in the spring of 1993. The layout was dismantled and the club began meeting in member's homes after that.
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The Modular Layout
In Fall 1994, the PWMRC was approached about the use of a building in Olde Town Manassas for a club layout. The club initiated talks with Historic Manassas, Inc. Also at that time, the 1st Annual Manassas Railway Festival was in the planning stages. PWMRC was asked to provide a modular train display for the festival. Following National Model Railroad Assoc. standards, the modular railroad construction began in February 1995. The club unveiled its modular railroad at the 1995 Manassas Railway festival. Eighteen modules made by club members were hooked together for the one day event. The layout featured two mainlines and used conventional cab control for model train operations. The Railfest marked the beginning of a new era for PWMRC. The members enjoyed the modular concept and voted to do more shows.
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The Club Thrives
By the beginning of 1996, the prospect of occupying a building in Manassas had fallen through. However, the club's interest in modules had grown and as a result, participation in professional and community shows was on the rise. PWMRC was traveling from Timonium, Maryland to Richmond, Virginia with their modules. At each show, more people became interested in the club and membership began to soar. 1997 proved to be the busiest year to date with 13 shows and several railfan excursions, as well as the business meetings being held twice a month. The club also entered the digital age with the purchase of digital command control equipment (DCC) from Digitrax®. DCC enabled more trains to run at one time in different directions on the same track without controlling electrical blocks. Members were now able to operate scheduled train meets at passing sidings with ease.
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The Historic Quantico Depot
With each passing year, our club grows in numbers, skills, and ambition. We have a busy calendar of modular shows scheduled including participation in the Boy Scout Train Show held each year in Dale City, Virginia. With more than 110 HO modules, it is one of the largest modular layouts in the world. In addition, the club has entered into a lease with Virginia Railway Express to occupy part of the historic Quantico Depot in Quantico, Virginia. We are building a high-quality permanent layout in the Depot. We open our layout to the public on a monthly basis and for special events. Each month we welcome new members into PWMRC.
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Our Purpose
Our purpose has always been to provide a forum for model railroaders to join, learn and teach the hobby of model railroading to each other and to the public. But more importantly, it is an organization that likes to have fun! Come join us -- you can e-mail us or get a copy of our membership application.
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