July/August 2022
Can't Miss Tour! The Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA) is one prototype tour that you won't want to miss! The TRRA trip is generally not open to the public, but is available to our Convention attendees! Depart from St. Louis Union Station and head out across the Mississippi River into Illinois where you will travel along the riverfront and enjoy the Madison Yard before looping back around to the Missouri side and past numerous popular landmarks in St. Louis. Points of interest abound on this unique excursion. Sign up now so you don't miss out on this tour! To register for the Gateway 2022 Convention or to add this tour to your package, please visit: gateway2022.org.
Interested in Layout Design? Then the Layout Design Special Interest Group (LDSIG) Layout Tour is something that you won't want to miss! These layouts exemplify design features that successfully represent the goals of the LDSIG. They will be open specifically on Wednesday, August 10, 2022, for visits, and without the time constraints involved with a bus tour. In addition, the tour layouts may not all be open for the convention bus tours. To learn more and to add this tour to your registration, please visit gateway2022.org. For more information about all of the Convention's LDSIG special events, please go to ldsig.org/st-louis-2022-convention-details.

President's Message
Gordy Robinson MMR®
The 1st July is my wedding anniversary and on the 2nd it’ll mark the end of my first year as NMRA President. The passing of another year is always a good time to reflect. Humans tend to connect annual reflection with the passing of a new year and is something that we do only at the end of December. However, as model railroaders, the time away from the basement in mid-summer, when family and other outside chores eat into modelling time, is the best time for reflection and a model railroading energy boost.

As I look back on the past year and prepare my statement for the NMRA Summer Board meeting in St Louis, I am immensely proud of our achievements. We have an organisation that’s on track to grow our membership for the first time in many years. We've seen the launch of our Digital NMRA Magazine, worldwide e-ballots, member feedback surveys, increased member recognition, and the growth of our partnership program. And elsewhere in this eBulletin you'll read about the update of our beginners' guides.

In year two it's looking like we’ll be able to deliver even more for you our members and continue to grow our organisation. If you are in need of a refresh and a model railroading energy boost to prepare for another model railroading season, there is no better opportunity than our national convention in St Louis in August. There is still time to make plans to come and join us for 7 days of model railroading, fellowship, and a chance to stock up on goodies at the National Train Show.

Gordy MMR®
NMRA President
Volunteers Needed
The NMRA is run by volunteers. Get involved by contributing your expertise and time.

General Counsel

The NMRA is seeking expressions of interest of members to serve as General Counsel to the Board of Directors and the officers of NMRA. The primary role of NMRA General Counsel is to advise the Board and officers concerning policy decisions, to prepare or review contracts and other legal documents concerning transactions, and to ensure compliance with Ohio law concerning corporate meetings. Applicants should be admitted to the State Bar of at least one US state and hold an active license to practice or the ability to convert an inactive license to active, have at least 10 years of experience in full-time legal practice, preferably in corporate or transaction matters, and either hold professional liability insurance that is currently in force or have the capability to obtain it. Experience in Ohio corporate law is a plus. Experience working with nonprofit boards is a plus. To express interest, send email with a resume or CV and statement of qualifications to president@nmra.org

New Volunteers

All NMRA Departments are actively recruiting new volunteers year-round, so if you want to share your experience & skills and help the NMRA deliver something you are really passionate about, then please reach out to me.

Sincerely,

Gordy Robinson
NMRA President
Hard to Read as an Email?
John Bate
eBulletin Editor
Some readers have had difficulties reading the eBulletin as an email, but have had a better experience with a web page. All eBulletins, Dispatches, and Turntables are available as web pages on the NMRA web site. You may need to wait a few days before the pages appear, and you will need to log in as a member to the website.

Then you can easily find the page by using the search feature (at the top right) to look for "eBulletin 2022", for example.
New Beginners' Guide
Michael Hohn
Education Department
The Education Department of the NMRA is pleased to announce the launch of new Beginner’s Guide!

After two years of work from conception to completion, the new Guide is the product of over a dozen authors, editors, and reviewers.

The Beginner's Guide covers all aspects of model railroading, including chapters on getting started, planning, building benchwork, laying track, wiring, scenery, motive power, rolling stock, structures, operations, weathering, and tools. A final section covers special topics: narrow gauge, logging, and historic modeling.

We hope you find the new Beginner’s Guide to be a useful tool in your modeling journey. If you have any questions, please contact Michael Hohn at educate@nmra.org.

The Beginner's Guide may be accessed at nmra.org/beginners-guide
Division Retention Event Matching Funds
Christina Zambri
Marketing Department
Since retaining the members we recruit is so important, I wanted to remind the Divisions about the NMRA Division Retention Event Matching Fund Program! Many Divisions already do a fantastic job at retaining members through their activities, but a number of them forget that they can actually receive funds for these events! Simply plan a special Division event like a hands-on clinic, a Division picnic, maybe a Division tour to a railroad facility, or any other event that will help remind members what’s so great about the NMRA. If you do, National NMRA would like to help defer some of your expenses with our Division Retention Event Matching Fund Program. Just fill out the simple application form for approval, hold the event, then turn in some receipts and paperwork, and you’ll be reimbursed up to $200 for one event per Division per year (up to 50 Divisions per year). This is an ongoing program so take advantage of it every year for special retention-focused events.


Please don’t hesitate to contact me at marketing@nmra.org with any questions.
We're looking for a few good layouts - twelve, to be exact!
Mike Brestel
NMRA Calendar Editor
Cover photo and O scale modeling by John Sethian, Exton, Pennsylvania
You're proud of your model railroad. Why not share it by sending us a photo
or two for the 2023 edition of the NMRA Calendar?
The Calendar is distributed to every U.S. member* as a fundraising project. To have your layout photo considered for inclusion, just follow these easy steps:
  • Take a horizontal (landscape) photo of your layout.
  • Submit your photo as a digital file. Files must be at least 300 pixels per inch and 8" x12" (a minimum size of 8.6 megapixels – larger is better.) Accepted file types are tiff (preferred) or jpg (highest quality only).
  • Write a caption describing the action in your shot, the scale, the builder, and the photographer. Include that information on a separate piece of paper or as a text or .doc file on your submission CD, DVD, or thumb drive.
  • Limit your entries to no more than your four best scenes.
  • Be sure to include your name, address, membership number, phone number, and email address with your submissions.
  • By submitting images for the NMRA Calendar, you are giving permission to the editors to alter them as needed (cropping, smoke and lighting effects, etc.)
  • Be sure to indicate specifically if you do not give permission to alter your images.

Send to: NMRA-Attn: Calendar Project
PO Box 1328
Soddy Daisy, TN 37384-1328

or UPS/FedEx address:
8414 Gulf View Dr., Suite A
Soddy Daisy, TN 37379

Questions? Contact Mike Brestel at mbrestel@zoomtown.com.
Sorry, we cannot receive photo files electronically at this time.
  
Photos must be received by July 15, 2022 for consideration.
 
*Extra copies of the NMRA Calendar are available to all members while supplies last. Check with HQ for details.
Notice of 2022 Annual Meeting
Mike Cummings
NMRA Secretary
The National Model Railroad Association, Inc. will hold its 2022 Annual General Meeting on Thursday, August 11, 2022 at the Marriott Grand, 800 Washington Ave, St Louis, MO. The meeting begins at 8:00 PM CDT. All members are welcome.

You may send questions to the President prior to the meeting. Questions may be on any aspect of the NMRA. Questions and answers will be posted on the NMRA website no later than August 3, 2022.

Questions to the President should be submitted in advance to the Vice President at vpresident@nmra.org beginning July 1, 2022 and no later than July 20, 2022.
Notice of 2023 Elections
Mike Cummings
NMRA Secretary
The following NMRA Board of Directors positions are open for election in 2023:
 
  1. Central District Director,
  2. Canadian Director, NMRA Canada President, NMRA Canada Vice President, and
  3. Regional Advisory Council (RAC) Director.
 
The current Central District Director is term limited and therefore is ineligible to be a candidate for this election. The current Canadian Director, NMRA Canada President, NMRA Canada Vice President and RAC Director are eligible to be candidates for this election.
 
Please check Section E of the Corporate Policies & Procedures Manual at nmra.org for the extent of the districts affected. Candidate statements are limited to 400 words.
 
Thinking Of Running for an NMRA Director or Officer Position?
 
Please consult the document Thinking about running for an NMRA office?
 
Central District Director
 
Submission of candidates' names for consideration for the position of Central District Director shall be submitted to the National Nominating Committee Chair Pat McCarthy at nominations@nmra.org no later than July 1, 2022.
 
Canadian Director, NMRA Canada President, and NMRA Canada Vice President
 
Submissions of candidate statements for the Canadian Director, NMRA Canada President, and NMRA Canada Vice President shall be submitted to Brian Stokes at  cannominations@nmra.org no later than July 1, 2022.
 
Regional Advisory Council (RAC) Director
 
Submissions of candidate statements for RAC Director shall be submitted to Pat Raymer at psrprez@nmra.org no later than September 1, 2022.
 
Candidates may wish to run for these positions by petition and not be subjected to the decisions of the appropriate nominating committees. Requirements for submitting by petition are contained in the CPPM. All submissions by petition shall be received by the NMRA Secretary at secy@nmra.org no later than September 15, 2022.
 
Members with questions about the nominations or the election may contact the NMRA Secretary at secy@nmra.org.
Now available to everyone(*)
  • Pete Smith's Loon Lake Railway & Navigation Co.
  • Modeling Memories
  • A Craftsman Kit Redo
Coming soon to everyone
  • Building the DRT NO. 165
  • Creating Turbine Vents
  • Auxiliary Contacts for Tortoise Switch Machines
  • Indy Junction 2022 Recap
Partnership Program
The companies listed below give discounts to NMRA members when orders are placed using a special discount code. 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.
Bear Creek Model Railroad
CatzPaw Innovations
Clever Models LLC
CMR Products
Daylight Sales
Deepwoods Software
Deluxe Materials
Digikeijs
Dwarvin
East Coast Circuits
Feight Studios
Gatorfoam
Great Decals!
Green Frog Productions
Hot Wire Foam Factory
K.I.S.S. Method
LaBelle Woodworking
LARC Products
Logic Rail Technologies
MAC Rail
Micro-Mark
Mine Mount Models
Miniprints
MinuteMan Scale Models
Model Railroad Benchwork
Model Train Catalogue
Modelers Decals & Paint
Motrak Models
MRC (Model Rectifier Corp)
Nick and Nora Designs
Northlandz
NScaleWorks
Old West Scenery
Ram Track
RR-CirKits
Rusty Stumps
Scale Model Plans
Scalecoat Paint
Scenery Solutions
Showcase Miniatures
Team Track Models
The N Scale Architect
The Old Depot Gallery
Tichy Train Group
Touch of the Brush
Train Installations
Train Show, Inc.
TRAINZ
Trainmasters TV/MRH Store
TSG Multimedia
UGEARS
Unreal Details
USA Airbrush Supply
WiFi Model Railroad
Upcoming 2022 Conventions
Did you miss?
Thanks to volunteer Tom Bensberg, all NMRA eBulletins and NMRA Dispatches are archived on the NMRA website. Here are a few links to items you may have missed.

eBulletin articles
Dispatches
Newest Master Model Railroader® recipients
704. Doug Burton (PNR)
705. Richard Maloney (MCR)
706. Malcolm Jenkins (AR)
707. John Witt (MCR)
708. Dean Smith (MCoR)
709. Craig Drenkow (MCoR)
710. Robert Cook (MER)
711. David Clune (PNR)
712. Ross Balderson (AR)

"Master Model Railroader" and "MMR" are registered trademarks of the NMRA. A list of all MMRs can be found at nmra.org/master-model-railroaders

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