The club currently has 40 active or “in process” members, coming from as far away as Waterville OH, Defiance OH, Oregon OH, Farmington Hills MI, Southgate MI, Flat Rock MI, and Tecumseh MI .
As of December 1, 2023, BMRC membership is closed as we have again reached our limit. Anyone desiring to join may contact us at the club and be put on the waiting list.
To attain membership status, a new prospect should attend a few meetings just to get acquainted. If you are interested, you may then submit an application and be added to our waiting list. When a membership position becomes available the next person on the waiting list (based on earliest application date) will be contacted. If he is still interested, he will become a probationary member for 3 to 6 months. At a business meeting during your probationary membership your application will be voted on by the membership. If you are voted into full membership, you will receive a key to the club along with all the privileges and obligations of full membership. Membership dues are $35 per month and the first month’s dues are due when the key is issued. Members are encouraged to attend at least 50% of all meetings, and are obligated to help with the club’s fund raising and building and railroad maintenance activities as much as possible during the year.
Student member dues are $5 per month and student members are not issued a key, nor can they vote. Students are permitted to apply for membership at age 12 but student members between 12 and 15 must be accompanied and supervised by a parent.
We are flexible on the participation requirements. Our retired members tend to dedicate more time to the club and our younger members with families and jobs are generally seen less, but are no less important to the club. We welcome all specific interests and skill levels. We have members who have only run a train around the Christmas tree and others who have been in the hobby for 40+ years. All are welcome and our club is a great place for those who are new to the hobby to learn new skills. There is always something to do. Jobs Include: carpentry, electrical operation and maintenance. track maintenance, ballasting, scenery development, scenic detailing, structure modeling, operations support, housekeeping, car inspection, and many more.
If you are more of an operator than a builder, there is a place for you too. We have members who merely enjoy the social aspects of running trains at our open houses and operating trains during our operating sessions. Our operating sessions attempt to operate the railroad as prototypically as possible. Learning operating jobs and then teaching others is an important aspect of operations. One of our most enjoyable operating sessions is when we invite another MR club to come in for a joint session. We’ve had joint sessions that have kept over 50 people busy operating the railroad for over 4 hours. BMRC has visited other club operating sessions as well.
One thing that prospective members should keep in mind……… BMRC does not “rent” its outstanding layout to people for $35 a month. Membership means far more than having a convenient, air-conditioned place to run your trains. Maintaining a club like BMRC involves a lot of time-consuming work every year. That work and the other responsibilities that go with owning a facility like ours must be shared by all the members. New members should have the same desire and determination to have BMRC survive into the future as our present and past members have for the past 30 years.
If you are interested in joining our group or would like to learn more, please call the club at 517-486-0404 or email us at vp@bmrr.org
Business meetings – first Wednesday night of the month at 7 p.m.