GMRRC - Equipment Standards

1. These standards shall apply to all equipment which is intended for public exhibition.

2. All equipment shall conform to N.M.R.A. standards and recommended practices as supplemented below.

3. COUPLERS: All couplers shall mate with a "KADEE" coupler and shall conform to the following;

a. Preparation and installation shall conform to coupler manufacturer's instruction sheet.

1. The coupler must be checked with "KADEE"coupler gauge for alignment; no more than + or - 1/8 knuckle height variance is permitted.

2. The coupler must have free side to side movement, and be self centering.

3. The coupler must have limited vertical movement, and the glad hand must clear a Kadee coupler gauge.

4. The knuckle must be clean of flash on both the face and inside of face.

b. All couplers shall be body or frame mounted except when prototype dictates otherwise.

Truck mounted couplers are not permitted.

c. To prevent shorts, couplers shall be insulated from the frame and metal trucks.

4.TRUCKS:

a. All trucks shall allow free action over vertical and horizontal curves. A simple test to insure this (on a standard Athearn box car) is to tilt the top of the car, 1/8 inch on each side of the car, without the any wheel lifting off the track.

b. If using sprung trucks, the springs shall be soft and flexible enough to allow all wheels to stay on the rails at all times.

5. WHEELS:

a. It is recommended that the wheels be N.M.R.A. Recommended Practice # 25 (RP-25).

b .Wheels shall be concentric on the axle, and equal distant from axle ends.

c. Wheel spacing on the axle shall conform with a N.M.R.A. wheel gauge.

d. Metal wheel sets shall be installed so as to avoid shorts through trucks, couplers, and car frames.

6. WEIGHT: Equipment should conform to N.M.R.A. recommended practices for weight.

7. Diaphragms, if used, shall slide freely against each other.

8. All equipment shall bear owners identification.

9. Equipment not conforming to above standards may be approved by the Superintendent on an individual basis.

10. New members shall have their equipment checked by the standards committee, and noted in the equipment register, to demonstrate knowledge of the above standards to the satisfaction of the committee.

11. Any member whose equipment malfunctions three times in a single operation session, shall have the problem equipment bad ordered by the Superintendent and removed from the layout by the owner, or a designee of the owner. The equipment may be replaced on the layout after being brought up to club standards.

G.M.R.R.C. Approved 10/14/96

Here is a prototype photo from mid-2005. Is it part of our club fleet? No.