VIME Membership

If you are interested in joining the club this is a good place to get some info on what we do, and what we can offer.

Membership is open to everyone, whether you are currently a model engineer or not. We have people from all walks of life in the club and while many of our members have a keen interest in trains this is not true of all. We hold club meetings on the first Thursday of every month at 7.30pm, other than July and August, in the Schoolhouse in Heritage Acres. There we get to hear how the club is faring and what plans are upcoming, and to be part of the decision making process for what happens. Also, to take the opportunity to chat to members we may see regularly or have not seen for a while. Most meetings include a Show and Tell session as well as presentations on subjects of interest to members.

There are also working parties at the Heritage Acres track site every Friday and Sunday mornings from 9am-12pm, although members are often on site working on various projects at other times as well.

Members are responsible for operating the trains when we have events, and this brings us into contact with the visiting public. This provides an opportunity to give others pleasure and an opportunity for members to share information about the history and workings of railways, and Model Engineering in general. There are also times when members run trains purely for their own pleasure, outside event times.

The club is very social, and between the members there are 100s of years of Model Engineering and also industrial or other experience. If you have a project you are trying to complete, and need advice, there will be someone in the club who can offer assistance, and in many cases probably lend a hand as well. The club also hosts a number of Social events during the year. A magazine, ‘The Safety Valve’, is published about 10 times a year giving information about club happenings.

There are several classes of Membership. The main class is Regular Membership. This is for those over 18 years and living locally to Victoria, or who expect to be regularly taking part in site activities. Social Members generally wish to keep in touch with what VIME is doing and may visit the site infrequently, or for social reasons only. Junior Members are from 14 to 18 years and can be trained in areas of interest and to operate equipment and be part of club train operations.

If you would like to join our club please download, print, complete and send in the membership form available below. Membership rates and instructions on where to submit the form are contained therein.

Further information can be obtained from the Vice President responsible for Membership, at the ‘Contact Us’ button on the Main Menu.