RAILROAD.NET is a railroad enthusiast community and resource providing online forums, articles, pictures, and much more. Everyone on the Internet has access to the public sections of our site. However, to post messages on any forum or view our member list requires a free, easy, and quick membership registration.

1. Personally Identifiable Information
   When you register with RAILROAD.NET, we ask you for your email address, name, and a username and password of your choice. Also, your IP address and the date you signed up are automatically collected by our database. To register, you fill out a small online form and hit the Sign up button.
   
   We only require that you provide us with your name, email address, username, and a password. If you would like to add more information about yourself you may do so by updating your profile. Other members of the RAILROAD.NET community will be able to contact you if you provide additional contact information.
   
   Your email address is used if you forget your password and request it be sent to you. The other information you provide can be listed in our member directory. This allows other members with similar interests to contact you beyond the forums.
   
   You can update your personal profile at any time. Simply go to the edit my profile link , when you are signed in. Edit your information; click the button to save your changes, and your profile is updated. If you would like to be completely removed from our database, member name and all, please contact us.
   
   Your IP address is automatically collected when you register as a member and when you post a message. This information is stored in our database and used for safety and security. This information will only be viewed by railroad.net administration if a problem occurs.
   
2. Data Collection
   RAILROAD.NET alone collects and stores your information. The only people with full access to your profile are you and the administrators of RAILROAD.NET. If you decide to allow your information to be listed in our member directory, then other members can view the information you provide in your profile.
   
3. Opting In
   Any member may opt in to allow his or her profile information, including name, location, email address, URL, ICQ#, Yahoo! ID and AIM screen name, to be viewed by other members. All RAILROAD.NET usernames and the date they joined will be listed in our member directory regardless.
   
4. Communication
   If you choose to reveal your contact information to other members, someone may contact you. If you choose not to reveal such information then you will only be contacted by RAILROAD.NET if you forgot your password and request it be sent to you, if there is a problem with something you posted, or if an administrator needs to contact you during the regular course of maintaining your account.
   
5. Third Party
   We do not disclose personally identifiable member information to any third parties unless a subpoena, court order, or any other legal process obligates us to.
   
6. Forums
   Be aware that any personally identifiable information that you provide online using our forums becomes public information. This disclosure can increase your chance of receiving unsolicited email, so use your discretion when disclosing such information online.
   
7. Cookies
   A cookie is a small text file that is placed in your browser's cache on your hard drive that contains bits of information, such as your Username when you are logged in.
   
   Session ID cookies terminate when you close your browser. Persistent cookies, however, will stay on your hard drive for a certain time period, but may be removed using your browser's delete cookies function (See your browser documentation for help). We use Session ID cookies to keep track of your particular user session on our server, allowing us to provide you with personalized content when you are logged in. We may also use persistent cookies for additional functionality, such as a "Remember Me" feature when you log in.
   
   Cookies are linked to personally identifiable information, but that information is limited to the information that you provide in your profile. For example, a cookie may contain your Username when you are logged in, which could be used to look up your personal information (Should you choose to allow the public to see it) in the Member Directory.
   
   You may choose not to accept cookies, but then you will not be able to use many features of the site, such as posting to the Forums, submitting Events, or logging in. The cookies we use are for logging you in and providing personalization.
   
   Cookies benefit you by allowing us to take advantage of the latest Internet technologies to provide you with the best web site applications.
   
8. Children
   We do not collect age, so we do not know if any children are accessing our site or registering with us. Therefore, we have no parental consent process. If your child is a minor and part of our community, and you want his or her information removed from our database, please contact us or have your child sign in to remove any personally identifiable information.
   
9. Security
   You and the railroad.net administration have access to your data via username and password. Other members may only view your information if you choose to allow us to list that information in our member directory. We review our web security periodically to make sure that your information is secure and protected.
   
10. Links
    RAILROAD.NET contains links to other web sites. Please note that by clicking on a link, you enter another web site whose privacy policy may differ from ours. Therefore, we encourage you to read their privacy policy.
    
11. Changes to this policy
    RAILROAD.NET may change this privacy statement. If there are any significant changes to this policy, we will alert all of our members by sending an email to the address provided in their profile before the new policy goes into effect.
    
12. Contact us
    If you feel that any of our practices violate this privacy statement, please contact us immediately.