|
President's Message
Gordy Robinson MMR®
Happy Holidays, fellow model railroaders! As we approach the NMRA's 90th anniversary in 2025, let's prepare to celebrate this remarkable achievement. Over this past year, we've lost some beloved members like Allen McClelland and Mike Brestel, but our hobby continues to thrive with new and returning enthusiasts.
I recently attended the British Region Convention, where I reconnected with long-time friends and engaged in lively discussions about the NMRA's future. A key takeaway was the importance of model railroad education to the NMRA. This is a unique offering that sets us apart, providing a pathway for modellers to advance from beginners to experts.
As we plan for the next 90 years, let's make sure we are the go-to source for model railroad knowledge and skill development. While YouTube is helpful, nothing beats learning from fellow modellers in our global community. Our shared experiences and support create a rich environment for growth and enjoyment.
Enjoy the holiday season with your loved ones, and don't forget to make time for some modelling. Recharge for 2025 and think about your New Year's resolutions — perhaps attending the National Convention in Novi, MI, introducing friends to the NMRA, or earning an AP Certificate.
Happy Holidays!
Gordy Robinson MMR®
NMRA President
| | |
|
STATION No. VI NMRA National Convention
Barry Hensel
Station No. VI Publicity Chairman
| Hello NMRA members! In the last NMRA eBulletin, we introduced ourselves to you, told you a bit about our HQ hotel and convention site, and touched on 3 of the important reasons for attending a national convention – layout tours, op sessions and clinics, and our great pricing policy. Let’s take a look at a few more activities and reasons for attending STATION No. VI, taking place on July 14-19, 2025 in Novi, Michigan. | |
STATION No. VI Yard Sale: At the HQ hotel, we’ll have a room set aside for our Yard Sale. This is not an auction, but a simple sale of items that you and other participants bring in for sale. Bring an item – structure, rolling stock, locomotive, detail parts, whatever you wish – and we’ll sell it for you! Items are registered with our Yard Sale team and then you place them on a table. Other convention attendees will be allowed to view the room and select items they wish to buy. They simply take the item to the check-out table, pay for it (no haggling – the price is the price) and they are on their way with their new-found treasure. Our team keeps track of your sold items and takes a 10% commission. The rest is held in cash for you to pick up at the end of the week. You can attend a convention, have great fun, and also make money! | |
|
The NMRA will be hosting the traditional National Train Show during STATION No. VI for two days on Saturday and Sunday (not Friday), with layouts, vendors, and displays. The show will be held at a nearby convention center. You can drive there in about 15 minutes, or you can purchase a bus ticket to get a ride to the show. Your registration includes a ticket to the National Train Show, so all you have to do is... attend!
Let’s talk turkey... or chicken... or BBQ... or just basic food! The HQ hotel has a full service restaurant for your convenience. We’re also planning on a concession stand, serving lighter, quicker meals (burgers, wraps, etc.) during the convention hours. If you want to get away for a bit, well, we’ve got you covered there, too. How about close to 50 eateries within 3-4 miles of the HQ hotel? We’re talking fast food to sit-down meals of all kinds and price ranges, including many local favorites, some nationally known, and some very unique local establishments. We’ll have listings of these in your event program.
|  | |
Well, that’s all we have room for in this issue of the NMRA eBulletin. We’ll chime in again in January 2025, as we get even closer to our convention dates – July 14-19, 2025. STATION No. VI is only eight months away. Register now and get in on the fun in 2025!
Questions? Please visit nmra2025.com and use the contacts page to let us know what we can answer for you!
| Correction: The photo above was incorrectly attributed in the September/October issue. It is from Doug Tagsold's 1/72 scale Colorado & Southern RR. | |
|
Proposed Change to the Achievement Program Author Requirements
Ray Persing
Achievement Program National Manager
| |
|
The AP staff have approved the following change to the Author AP Certificate. The intention is to update the requirements to clarify expectations and the points earned towards the certificate for blogs, podcasts, and online videos. We'd like member feedback on the proposal prior to presenting it to the NMRA Board at the January meeting. Please send comments to Ray Persing, AP National Manager, at trpersing@gmail.com.
Replacing the existing Author Requirements, Section C (see nmra.org/author) will be the following text:
C. Electronic Publications
This is for material published on a public electronic forum, such as the Internet. A key requirement is that material must be educational in nature (e.g. prototype information applicable to modeling or some aspect of modeling). No more than half of the total required points (21) for the Author certificate may be claimed for Electronic Publications.
Written material on a blog, website, or online magazine earns credit at the same rate as published articles in Region publications. All photos, drawings, etc. are treated as 1/3 of a page. (NMRA SIG publications are covered elsewhere in the requirements.)
Audio/Visual material such as online videos earn credit at the same rate as clinics in non-NMRA Region sponsored events. Credit earned is for each hour of completed production time (e.g. a 1-hour video earns 2 points).
Podcasts earn credit at the same rate as clinics in non-NMRA Division sponsored events. Credit earned is for each hour of completed production time (e.g. a 1-hour podcast earns 1 point).
In all cases:
- Material that is published in more than one place can only earn credit once.
- The address (URL) of the material must be included with the certificate application. If the material is published on a non-publicly accessible forum (e.g. a private BBS), it is not eligible for credit.
General:
- Regional AP Managers are authorized to evaluate work for credit for both printed and electronically published work. Final determination of what material is acceptable for credit, and how much credit it earns, lies with the National AP Manager.
- For all material that is the work of more than one person, each person may claim 1/2 of the applicable points, provided that they did at least 40% of the work involved.
- Material that is electronically published and has a formal editor is credited at the same rate as printed material. This would include the publications of historical societies, NMRA organizations, and others who have a formal editor to manage content, and have moved to electronic publishing in addition to or in lieu of print publication.
| |
The companies listed below give discounts to NMRA members when orders are placed using a special discount code. Check them out! You can find descriptions of these companies and their products, links to their websites, and the discount codes on our Partnership Page at nmra.org/partnerships . Remember you need to be logged into our site as a member to see the codes! Go to nmra.org/user/register to register your name on the website. | |
|
Bespoke Rail
CatzPaw Innovations
CB Train Junction
Clever Models
Custom Model Railroads CMR
Coastmans Scenic Products
Composite Designs
Conowingo Models
Cowcatcher Magazine
Daylight Sales
Deepwoods Software
Deluxe Materials
Diorama Hobbies
Dwarvin Enterprises
East Coast Circuits
Enterprise&National Car Rentals
Evan Designs
Feight Studios
Fusion Scale Graphics
Gatorfoam
Great Decals!
Green Frog Productions
Highways and Byways Model Railroad Graphics
| |
|
Hot Wire Foam Factory
Ipswich Hobbies
ITLA Scale Models
K.I.S.S. Method
LaBelle Woodworking
LARC Products
Logic Rail Technologies
MAC Rail
Micro-Mark
Mine Mount Models
Miniprints
Model Train Catalogue
Modelers Decals & Paint
Motrak Models
MRC (Model Rectifier Corp)
MrTrain.com
Mudd Creek Models
New Creations Victorian Railroad Buildings
Nick and Nora Designs
Northlandz
NScaleWorks
Old Depot Gallery
Old West Scenery
| |
|
R & J Details
Ram Track
RR-CirKits
Scale Model Plans
Scale Railroad Models
Scenery Solutions
Showcase Miniatures
T-TRAK by Denniston
Team Track Models
The Model Railroad Benchwork Store
The N Scale Architect
Tichy Train Group
Touch of the Brush Weathering
Train Installations
Train Show, Inc.
Trainmasters TV/MRH Store
Trainz
TSG Multimedia
UGEARS
USA Airbrush Supplies/Badger
White Rose Hobbies
WiFi Model Railroad (LocoFi)
Yelton Models
| |
|
Editor: John Bate, Canadian District Director
The NMRA eBulletin is an official bi-monthly production of the National Model Railroad Association, Inc. Publishing Department (Riley Triggs, Manager). Its purpose is to keep every NMRA member informed about organization news and events. If you know of an NMRA member who is not receiving this mailing, please direct them to nmra.org/members to update their email address. If you no longer wish to receive these mailings, please don't mark them as spam. Instead, click the safe Unsubscribe link at the bottom of this page. ©2021 National Model Railroad Association, Inc., P.O. Box 1328, Soddy Daisy TN 37384.
| | |
National Model Railroad Association nmra.org
| |
| | | |
