September/October 2024

President's Message

Gordy Robinson MMR®

Can you believe it? Next year, the National Model Railroad Association will be celebrating its 90th anniversary! That's nine decades of fostering the love of model railroading, connecting model railroaders across the globe, and inspiring generations to explore the magic of scale model railroading. Since 1935, the NMRA has been the heart and soul of the model railroading community. From our humble beginnings as a small group of passionate hobbyists to our current status as a thriving organization with over 15,000 members, the NMRA has played a pivotal role in shaping the hobby we all love. As we approach this momentous milestone, I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of you, our dedicated members, for your unwavering support. It's your passion, creativity, and dedication that have made the NMRA what it is today.

In the coming year, we'll be celebrating our 90th anniversary in style. Get ready for exciting events, special programs, and exclusive content that will commemorate this historic occasion. We'll also be looking ahead to the future of model railroading, exploring new technologies, trends, and opportunities that will keep our beloved hobby thriving for years to come.

So, stay tuned! The NMRA's 90th anniversary is going to be a year-long celebration you won't want to miss. Let's raise a water tower to the next chapter in our incredible journey!

Gordy Robinson MMR®

NMRA President

STATION No. VI NMRA National Convention

Barrie Hensel

Station No. VI publicity chairman

Hello NMRA members! The 2024 NMRA National Convention is complete and the 2025 National convention – STATION No. VI – is heading down the track at full steam ahead! Registration is open and we already have over 100 registrations. Go to nmra2025.com to see all of the event details and the registration page. Here are some highlights.

We have two slogans for STATION No. VI: "This is a convention like no other" and "This is not your father’s convention". However, while we will be different, we will honor the traditions of past conventions. Our main objective is to provide a great event at the lowest possible cost. Consider this: basic registration is only $125! That includes all clinics (except Modeling with the Masters), operating sessions, layout tours, and National Train Show admission. There are some extras such as prototype tours, dinners, shirts, etc. but the cost to get “in the door” is very low and includes a lot.

STATION No. VI will be at a suburban hotel, convenient to freeways, and there will be free parking. The hotel has a restaurant, and we will have a low-cost concession stand providing three meals a day during the convention hours. There are also over 50 restaurants, at all levels, within three miles of the hotel.

Everyone is welcome! You do not have to be an NMRA member to attend STATION No. VI. There is no difference in cost for NMRA members or non-members. Everyone pays the same.

Lastly, let’s touch on three of the main reasons to attend STATION No. VI: clinics, op sessions, and layout tours. We expect to have at least 90 clinics and most will be given twice. We expect to have at least 60 layouts open for tours. We expect to have 20 op sessions which will accommodate about 300 operators. All layout visits and op sessions will be self-guided, saving the cost of bus transportation and allowing you to visit for as long as you wish.

Have we wetted your appetite yet? We’ll be sharing much more information in the next few months. There will be more activities like the yard sale room, pizza party, and some great prototype tours. STATION No. VI is only 10 months away. Register now and get in on the fun in 2025!

Questions? Please visit nmra2025.com and use the contacts page to get in touch. We'd be happy to hear from you.

Here are some layouts you can visit at the convention. Barry Hensel's Reading Lines, Central Division (HO), and Ron King's Erie Railroad (HO).

Digital Projects Update

Gordy Robinson MMR®

NMRA Secretary

The NMRA Magazine Digital Edition which was launched in April 2022 has grown to a subscriber base of approximately 62% of global NMRA members. Prior to the digital edition we had about 62% of NMRA members who subscribed to the print edition of the magazine so we now have about the same number of members able to access the digital edition. Soon, our members in Australia and New Zealand will be asked if they now want to receive the digital magazine, so those members should look out for an email from the NMRA at some time in September to share their opinion directly with us.

The NMRA Interchange (a.k.a. Discord) launched last year and now has 1000 members on the platform. Whilst this isn't for everyone its been a great tool to enhance member engagement, and especially to connect those members who can't attend a local Divison meeting. We have also seen members adopt Discord as a collaboration tool for projects on a local level, including event planning for modular meet ups, conventions and Division/club activities. Give it a try.

The new NMRA Membership System should go live at the end of March 2025. This is a significant project and while the initial roll out will be internally within our HQ team, we have a roadmap that will replace the End of Month Reports with direct access to membership data for all Regions and Divisions, connect our digital systems (website, NMRA Magazine, etc.) with one account, provide event registrations for national and regional events, and give members self-service to interact with their own records. However, although all of that will be delivered over the coming years and not all at the end of March, we have at least started on the journey.

Achievement Program App: Our IT team has been developing an app to track and validate your journey through the Achievement Program. We will be moving to beta testing of the app with two Divisions in the Fall of 2024, and my hope is that the application will be rolled out worldwide by the end of 2025. The app will not replace the paper process we have today but will augment it, allowing you to keep all your evidence and track your own journey. When the time is right you can then validate your progress with other members, verifying attendance at events for volunteer points, or participation in op sessions for your chief dispatcher certificate. Your local AP team can then see your evidence and provide direct feedback through the app.

Nomination Deadline Extension

Mike Cummings

NMRA Secretary

The NMRA Board of Directors voted at the Annual Summer Meeting to extend the deadline to November 15, 2024 for the submission of candidates' names for consideration for the following positions in the 2025 Elections.

At Large Worldwide Director

Western District Director

The Atlantic District Nominations Committee has already completed its review of candidates for the Atlantic District Director position.

The Board also voted to extend the deadline for nominations by petition for the 2025 Elections to December 15, 2024. Any member that is interested in utilizing the petition process should contact the Secretary at the address below for information regarding the process.

Mike Cummings

Secretary NMRA

secy@nmra.org

Funds for Your Division

Fred Soward

Central District Director

There’s a new Email address for submitting your Division’s $200 matching funds request. The NMRA Vice President, Rick Coble, is now handling those requests. Rick’s email is vp@nmra.org.

As a quick reminder of the program, each Division may receive one matching payment of up to $200 USD annually to assist with activities or events that increase member retention. Examples of qualifying expenses include, but are not limited to, materials or handouts for clinics, model contests, layout tours, prototype tours, or subscriptions for e-mail communications services.

You should obtain pre-approval for matching funds by completing the application form available here and emailing it to vp@nmra.org. Rick will sign and return the qualifying application to you. After your event, send receipts for your out-of-pocket expenses plus your signed application form to Jenny Hendricks, NMRA’s Chief Administrative Officer, at hq@nmra.org. Jenny’s team will arrange a payment to your division's Treasurer promptly.

New Member Benefits Marketing Materials

Fred Soward

Central District Director

We recently created five new items for your Region & Division member recruiting and retention efforts. These were announced during the NMRA National Convention in Long Beach and are available now from NMRA HQ.

The trifold is gone. Instead, you now have five separate rack cards. Each has an explanation of a category of member benefits on the front of the card. On the back you’ll see more details of each of the individual benefits in that category. Now, when you’re speaking with potential NMRA members or with current NMRA members, you can share information about every NMRA member benefit or you can focus your efforts on the interests of the individual you‘re speaking with. The five cards are:

Overview: An overall listing of NMRA member benefits.
Fellowship: Expand your circle of friends.
Education: Grow your model railroading skills.
Publications: Keep up to date with the latest information.
Discounts: Your membership can pay for itself.

To request the new Promo Pack for your Division or Region, send an email to the NMRA Administration Department at hq@nmra.org.

Coming soon: We’re currently working on processes to allow you to use the NMRA’s rack card template to create your own Region and Division rack cards, tailored specifically to your group’s specific member benefits.

Upcoming Conventions

Sept 19-22 Lakeshores '24, Rochester, NY (NER)
Oct 10-13 North Central Express 2024, Northville, MI (NCR)
Oct 11-13 Ocala Express, Ocala, FL (SSR)
Oct 17-20 Piedmont Junction, Durham, NC (MER)
Oct 25-27 79th NMRA British Region Convention 2024, Berkshire, UK
March 27-30, 2025 Daylight Limited, San Luis Obispo, CA (PCR)
May 15-18, 2025 Buckeye Express, Dublin, OH (MCR)
May 15-18, 2025 TLR Convention, Wilmar, MN (TLR)
June 26-29, 2025 Blues Express 2025, Baton Rouge, LA (LSR)

Partnership Program

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

Coming soon to all members

Surfliner 2024 Coverage
National Contest Results
The Beginnings of JMRI
The Piedmont Pilgrimage
Why Standards Matter: Standards and Continual Improvements

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.

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