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NMRA 2021 Rails by the Bay -
Join us next summer in
Santa Clara!
The clinics program for NMRA 2021 Rails By The Bay has grown dramatically and promises to be among NMRA's best.
Among other offerings, Mark Juett MMR® will present no fewer than five clinics covering setting up for operations, car forwarding with JMRI, planning and wiring for DCC, using JMRI with Decoder Pro, and installing sound decoders.
Others include William Jameson, who will instruct on making custom decals at home; Jesse Walden will offer an operating system for smaller layouts; Tony Thompson will instruct on modeling freight traffic; Frank Markovich MMR® will describe building parts of the "Magic of Scale Model Railroading" exhibit at the California State Railroad Museum; and Bob Weinheimer will describe operations on his Pennsylvania Southern plus the evolution of his operations scheme.
Join these outstanding clinicians next summer! Rails By The Bay is headquartered at the Santa Clara Marriott Hotel from July 4-11, 2021. A dedicated team of volunteers is working to make this a great convention.
2020 has been a year unlike any other, and we appreciate your patience and positive support as we continue to develop the convention under challenging conditions.
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New and revised DCC standards are ready for member review
The NMRA DCC Working Group has completed the development and approval of the following DCC Standards which are now released for membership review.
The review period ends on February 10, 2021 to allow time for submission to the Board of Directors at their February 20, 2021 meeting.
S-9.1.1 Decoder Interfaces
S-9.1.1.1 Six and Eight pin Decoder Interfaces
S-9.1.1.2 JST-9 Decoder Interface
S-9.1.1.3 21 MTC Decoder Interface
S-9.1.1.5 Next 18 and 18S Decoder Interfaces
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In Memoriam
Jan Wescott (1940-2020)
Jan Wescott, one of the driving forces in the NMRA during the decade of the 2000s, passed away on Christmas Day, 2020. Her 80th birthday was less than a week away.
Wescott had spent her career in human resources at a leading hotel chain and thus had a keen interest in what made people tick. She became interested in the NMRA in the 1990s when her husband Robert built a model railroad in their Las Vegas home. Wescott was soon hosting Cajon Division meets at her house, and brought new life and energy to the Division by instituting a myriad of activities.
Her energy and enthusiasm didn't go unnoticed by NMRA National, and in the early 2000s the late John Roberts, then NMRA president, appointed her chair of the NMRA's Education Department. In 2005 she was made chair of the Membership Services and Promotion Department (MSP) where she developed several new programs, including membership contests and the first NMRA news eblasts, which were sent to Region Presidents and Division Superintendents. She received an Honorary Life Membership in 2009, and when the MSP Department was divided and absorbed by other departments in 2010, Wescott retired from service to the NMRA.
After her husband Robert's death, Wescott moved first to Tennessee and then to rural Alabama.
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Another new company added to our Partnership Program
The companies listed below give discounts to NMRA members when orders are placed using a special discount code. Click on the links below to go to their websites. You can find a more detailed list and the discount codes on our Partnership Page at https://www.nmra.org/partnerships . Remember you need to be logged into our site as a member to see the codes! (See the pink box below.)
Our newest partner is listed in RED.
If you're a manufacturer or know of one who'd like to join our Partnership Program, please contact Jim Gore, At-Large North American Director, at alnadir@nmra.org.
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Important NMRA eBulletin news you may have missed
Thanks to volunteer Tom Bensberg, all NMRA eBulletin issues are archived on the NMRA website and these links will send you directly to them and show what edition of the NMRA eBulletin they appeared in.
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Remember: your email address has to be registered on the website (not just with Headquarters) to get to the Members-Only portions of our website!
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The NMRA eBulletin is an official bi-monthly production of the National Model Railroad Association, Inc. Publishing Department (Don Phillips, 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 here 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.
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A few words from the president
Happy New Year!
As we begin a new chapter in our cruise around the sun, let's pause for a moment or three to reflect on the last year, remember those we've lost and wish the best for all of us in the coming years.
Okay, we have a potpourri here, so let's have a look. Although the Covid-19 virus has forced us to cancel or postpone a number of activities to which we'd all been looking forward for years, it has not yet beaten us. Technology has allowed us to keep in touch with one another, "share the know-how" (a phrase I've shamelessly stolen from the British Region) and move forward. No, this has not been as cool as face-to-face gatherings might have been, but it is far better than hunkering in the bunker with nothing to do except read books and mope around.
Not so many years ago if you'd told me that I'd be able to hold meetings with folks from Australia, New Zealand, the Orkney Islands, England, Switzerland and Canada simultaneously joining the discussions within the United States, I would have been...skeptical. Yet I did this during the last year. And the NMRA benefitted from the discussions. In December we formed the LCC Advisory Group, consisting of a couple of knowledgeable Board members, the Chair of the Standards & Conformance Department and a representative from the OpenLCB/LCC community to coordinate activities related to the development of Layout Command Control, which has enormous potential for improving our hobby. Take a look at the article below.
The S&C Department has also been busy and has added several proposed DCC standards to the NMRA website for review and comment. You can read about it in the story in the left-hand column. On the mechanical side of things, we have received new Standards Gages that will be reviewed for accuracy within the next few weeks prior to being placed on the market. If these pass the rigid testing to which they'll be subjected (and I expect that they will indeed pass the tests), we'll have accurate gages available to you and the public in early 2021.
The Education Department is busy renovating clinics and articles on the NMRA website, so be sure to check on them as well. There is a lot of good information there for the taking, and it can be especially helpful to new modelers.
As is true in most years, the beginning of this new year also brings some changes in the NMRA leadership team. It's election time again!! You should be receiving a ballot shortly. Please consider it carefully, vote it and return it! Several positions are "contested" positions, in that there are multiple candidates. All candidates offer various benefits to the NMRA, so please choose wisely. The winners will be your Association's leaders for the next few years. As the saying goes, "Don't Forget to Vote!!"
If the number of entries for the 2021 calendar is any example, many of you have been busy in 2020 as well. Thanks to all for your entries! The calendar crew has noted that this was a tough year for making choices due to the high volume and quality of the material submitted. Those of you whose images were selected can obtain AP Author points for those images, so remember to add them to your lists. We did have some issues with calendar distribution, though none were related to the NMRA, which had the calendars in the mail to you in late October. Again, since this a volunteer Association that is dealing with governmental agencies, please keep the commentary civil!
And that leaves one other big item in the potpourri bag... the Santa Clara 2021 convention. Will it or will it not occur??? Only The Shadow knows for sure, and he ain't talking. The Convention Committee is moving forward with plans to hold the event, which may have to have a somewhat different format than we've enjoyed in the past, but they are nevertheless optimistic that it will be a success. As with most public gatherings these days, though, they're subject to the dictates of the city, county and state, so please keep an eye on things as we get closer to the summer.
With that, I'm out of space, so please, stay safe and have a Happy New Year!
High Green!
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2021 Board of Directors elections
NMRA Vice President / Administration
Next February, we will be holding our 2021 Board of Directors Elections. The following positions are up for election:
- All members worldwide will be voting for the President and Vice President.
- Some members will be voting for the Director for their district.
- All members worldwide will be voting on a Board of Directors proposed by-law revision.
Ballot packages are being designed specifically for your district. Your ballot package will include candidate statements, the proposed by-law revision, the No Campaigning Policy, and the ballot. As we have for the last few years, the ballot will not be published in the magazine.
Eligible U.S. members with an email address on file will be invited to vote electronically through Electionbuddy, a secure online voting system. Your election invitation should arrive around FEB 1 and the election will close on MAR 1. Eligible U.S. members who do not have an email address on file will receive a paper ballot via postal mail. Completed paper ballots must be postmarked no later than MAR 1.
Eligible NMRA Canada members with an email address on file will also be invited to vote electronically through Electionbuddy a secure online voting system. Your election invitation should arrive around FEB 1 and the election will close on MAR1. Eligible NMRA Canada members who do not have an email address on file will receive a paper ballot via postal mail. Completed paper ballots must be postmarked no later than MAR 1.
Eligible members living outside the US or NMRA Canada with an email address on file will receive their ballot through email. Eligible members living outside the US or NMRA Canada who do not have an email address on file will receive a paper ballot via postal mail. Completed ballots must be postmarked no later than MAR 1.
You should receive an email about the election or a ballot in the mail sometime after January 15, 2021. Do not be alarmed if you learn that one of your friends has received their ballot when you have not. Since the ballots are being distributed from different locations and in different manners, the ballots will most certainly arrive at their destinations at different times. Please take the time to vote, and thank you for being a member of the NMRA.
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NMRA appoints LCC® Advisory Group
During recent video conferences between OpenLCB, an unincorporated association, and the Board of Directors of NMRA, the question/request for the formation of an NMRA LCC® Working Group was brought to the forefront.
Establishment of a Working Group in the NMRA generally implies that there will be developing, drafting and publishing something. For DCC, the Working Group is charged with developing and maintaining DCC Standards, Recommended Practices and Technical Notes and Instructions. Since OpenLCB independently writes draft Standards and Technical Notes for LCC®, the concept of a Working Group does not seem appropriate. However, the NMRA needs a group to review OpenLCB documents for submission to the Board of Directors for adoption and to provide OpenLCB with guidance on the development of LCC® and continuing review of progress. To meet those objectives, effective on December 10, 2020 NMRA has formed and I hereby appointed an LCC® Advisory Group that includes, as initial members, Alex Shepherd (OpenLCB and NMRA Member), John Bate (Canadian District Director), Gordon Robinson (At Large Worldwide Director) and Carl Smeigh (Manager, S&C Dept). The S&C Manager will manage the LCC® Advisory Group on behalf of NMRA. The Advisory Group will: 1. Complete and submit for joint acceptance, a memorandum of understanding between the NMRA and OpenLCB. Work on this document has been on going under the title TR-9.7.0.0 which should become a Memorandum of Understanding signed by both parties. 2. Review the original concept of LCC® and update this concept with current innovations and ideas. The results of this effort will be provided to OpenLCB identifying areas that may need development desired by the NMRA. 3. Review the current status of LCC® Standards comparing them to desired goals for LCC®. Areas that need continued development will be provided to OpenLCB for action. 4. Receive documents from OpenLCB for review and submission to the Board of Directors for adoption following the standard method of review per the Executive Handbook or follow-on directives. 5. Provide quarterly status reports to the Board of Directors on the on-going development of LCC® by OpenLCB.
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NMRAx Needs You!
NMRA Marketing Consultant
The NMRAx team could use a little help. If you have the skills and time to fill any of the roles listed below, please contact Christina Zambri. - Graphic Artist: to produce promotional and/or production content. Estimated commitment: 3 to 4 hrs per month
- Social Media Marketer: to share and post information about upcoming events and new YouTube content. Commitment: 2 to 3 hrs per month
- Social Media Moderator: to monitor the chat during events, and provide links to help viewers find further information. Commitment: up to 6 hrs per month
- Hosts: Can you be the face of NMRAx? We need our clinicians to be introduced and interviewed by someone. Is that someone you? Commitment: up to the individual
- Production: Do you have the skills to help make our stream happen? We are looking for someone in an American time zone with the skills to help us do just that. Commitment: up to the individual
Of course we are always looking for clinicians, layout owners, historians, rail fans, etc. to share their knowledge and experience with others.
Full training for all roles will be provided.
Remember, if you volunteer your skills to help the NMRAx team, that time may count toward earning your "Volunteer" certificate in the Achievement Program! It's an easy, fun way to earn an AP certificate!
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Have an event coming up? Let the NMRA calendar(s) know!
If your Division or Region has an event coming up, no matter if it's virtual or in-person, be sure to have it posted on the NMRA website's calendar.
It's easy to find the website calendar, and even non-NMRA members can see it. Just go to www.nmra.org and look at the dark blue bar near the top of the page. Click on "Calendar" and you're there!
To get your event listed in the calendar, drop a note to our volunteer, Bob Feuerstein, at calendar@nmra.org. Give Bob the dates and location of your event. Bob will see that it gets posted.
And if your Region has any virtual conventions coming up, let us here at the NMRA eBulletin know. We'll post all Regional events, real or virtual, in the calendar at the bottom of the page. Just send the dates to one of the editors. (See the gray box at the bottom of the left column).
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The new NMRA Company Store is ready to
open for business!
New Year, New Store! The NEW NMRA Company Store is going LIVE beginning in January 2021. Unlike the old store, the new Store is fully integrated with the NMRA website, with an all new look and feel.
If you are registered on the website, and are logged in, the Store will recognize you, offer NMRA member-only items in addition to publicly available items, apply member pricing (where applicable), and allow you to track your order on the NMRA website.
If you are NOT registered on the website you will not get member pricing, and will not be able to track your order, although you will get any emails that are generated regarding the order. [Editors' note: for information about being registered on the website, see the pink box in the left-hand column.]
The NMRA Store provides the ability to join, renew memberships, subscribe to NMRA Magazine, purchase products such as books, NMRA track gages, decals, NMRA logo wearables, and make donations to the NMRA.
We're looking forward to seeing you in the NMRA Store as we welcome 2021!
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Region and National Conventions
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Newest Master Model Railroader® recipients
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665. Brook Qualman (NCR)
666. Larry Swigert (LSR)
667. Scott Kremer (NCR)
668. George Gaige (MER)
669. Emory Luebke (MWR)
670. Neil Maldeis (TLR)
671. James Marquardt (NCR)
"Master Model Railroader" and "MMR" are registered trademarks of the NMRA
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In an upcoming issue of NMRA Magazine
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-
My Ops Box
- Weathering a Flour Car
- A Tale of Two Tanks
- Over-weathering vs. "Normal"
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