March/April 2023

View as Webpage
 

President's Message
Gordy Robinson MMR®

We all know that collaboration is an important aspect of model railroading, and can take many forms. It could involve working with other model railroaders on a shared layout, exchanging ideas and techniques, or joining a club or organization such as our own that is dedicated to the hobby.


One of the most common forms of collaboration in model railroading is working on a shared layout or project with other hobbyists. This is a great way to combine resources, knowledge, and expertise to create something larger and more complex than one person could build on their own. Working together can be a fun and rewarding way to build relationships with other hobbyists.


We know how important it is to exchange ideas and techniques with other model railroaders. By sharing ideas and techniques, we learn from each other and improve our own skills. The NMRA has now created the NMRA Interchange for members. Since its introduction in January we have over 500 members collaborating through this platform. With the ability to share text, pictures and even meet face to face, the NMRA Interchange really is connecting our world.


Whether it's working on a shared layout, or exchanging ideas and techniques on the NMRA Interchange, the NMRA continues to build a community in the world’s greatest hobby.


Gordy


Gordy Robinson MMR®

NMRA President

Funds for Your Division

Chris Palermo

At-Large North American Director

The NMRA’S $200 matching funds are under-used – apply for your division's award today!


For many years, the NMRA has offered matching funds to all divisions to assist with the cost of member retention activities. In early 2022, the Board of Directors increased the amount of these annual awards to $200 USD per qualifying division. I manage and track this service for the NMRA, and was pleased to arrange fourteen awards in 2022, primarily to divisions in the central and northeast US. But those in Canada and the western US are “leaving dollars on the table” — so why not consider applying today?


To receive an award, simply conceive and plan a division event that promotes member retention. For ideas about activities, try looking at the Division Superintendent’s Handbook, available online (members-only login required). Examples of qualifying expenses include materials or handouts for clinics, model contests, layout tours, prototype tours, and subscriptions for e-mail communications services. Any out-of-pocket expense that is credibly associated with your efforts to retain and satisfy existing members should qualify. If you’re unsure, ask me via email to alnadir@nmra.org.


Next, obtain pre-approval for matching funds by completing the simple application form available here and emailing it to me at alnadir@nmra.org. I’ll sign and return a qualifying application to you. Hold your event, then send receipts for your out-of-pocket expenses plus your signed application form to Jenny Hendricks, NMRA’s Chief Administrative Officer, at nmracao@nmra.org. Jenny’s team will arrange a payment to your division's Treasurer promptly.


Each division can receive one matching payment of up to $200 USD annually. While the Board wants your division to receive funds, we’ve budgeted funds for a limited number of divisions, so these funds could run out. Apply early, run a great member retention event, and thanks for your continued support of the NMRA.

2023 International Convention

Howdy, y’all! The 2023 Texas Express is arriving August 20-26 with a whole boxcar load of interesting rail tours. We’ll have back shop visits of the McKinney Ave trolley, historic rail excursions on the Grapevine Railroad and Texas State Railroad, a guided tour of three historic stations, the Museum of the American Railroad, and the BNSF Network Operations Center, Headquarters and Alliance Yard. One of the great tours is a pure railfanning experience that will take place in the Saginaw, Texas industry district.


Saginaw is one of the most active rail areas in the entire state of Texas. There are massive grain elevators, railcar repair facilities, and rail yards all within very convenient proximity to each other, that make this a railfan’s dream day.

Included in this tour will be an opportunity to go inside and on top of one of the very large grain elevators! Anchored by these huge grain elevators, this hassle-free railfanning location offers a chance to see the intersection of three lines of the BNSF and Union Pacific. BNSF's Fort Worth Subdivision (former Santa Fe) from Gainesville to Temple runs through Saginaw from north to south, and Union Pacific's Duncan Subdivision (the former Rock Island line from Wichita, Kansas) approaches town from the northwest running parallel to the BNSF Wichita Falls Subdivision for several miles south from Hicks Airport. At Saginaw Interlocking, the UP line curves to the south to parallel the BNSF Ft. Worth Sub toward downtown Ft. Worth. In addition to the mainline traffic, there is industry switcher action and work at the UP Saginaw Yard to watch.

 

Remember to check out previews of our featured model railroad layouts now in your monthly NMRA Magazine at nmra.zinioapps.com. If you are a first-time digital reader, you must first register using the same email address that you use on the NMRA.org website. You may create any password you like. You can then access all NMRA Magazines on both desktop and mobile devices.


And please don't wait to register for the convention, so that we can firm up our planning efforts to bring you the best experience possible. Visit 2023TexasExpress.com to register and see the latest details, and then follow us on Facebook and Instagram for details, updates, and info on all of the fun we've got in store for you!

Joining the NMRA Interchange

Speed Muller

IT Manager, NMRA

Have you joined the Interchange yet? If not, follow these steps to get connected!


  1. Go to nmra.org/nmra-interchange
  2. It will ask you to log in to the NMRA website if you're not already logged in. If you are not registered with the NMRA website yet, now's the time to do it. Click the "Need a username? Register now" button, and get set up. Use the email address on file in the NMRA membership system (probably the one where you got this eBulletin). The system will email you a link to set your password.
  3. Now you should be in the NMRA Interchange page. If not, click this link.
  4. Click on Member Info in the top right corner and scroll down get your exact Member ID. You'll need that later.
  5. Read through the page and then follow the "Interchange Server Invite" link at the bottom. This is a special link just for you and will look something like https://discord.gg/xxxxxxx
  6. You will be taken to Discord (the platform that hosts the NMRA Interchange) where you will be prompted to sign in, if you already have an account there, or prompted to register, if not. If you need instructions for creating an account or logging into Discord they can be found here.
  7. Once you accept the NMRA Interchange Invite, and you are logged in, you will land in #the-lobby with a message on what to do next.
  8. We suggest that you read and agree to the #rules first. Just click on #rules and then click on "thumbs up". Then click on #the-lobby again to do the most important step.
  9. Discord and the NMRA need to check with each other, in order to verify that you are a current NMRA member with an email on file. You start the process with the /onboard command. Now, this is very sensitive to the type of device you are using, so just type the first few letters /onb at the bottom where you see a + sign in a circle. It will complete the command for you in a pop-up just above that. Click on the /onboard command. Add your membership number (6 characters followed by a space and then two more characters) just as you noted in step 4. Example: /onboard input: 123456 0A
  10. Discord and the NMRA computers will have a chat, and then you will receive an email containing a /clearance command. That's your entry ticket. Copy and paste the whole line into #the-lobby (at the + sign again). Example: /clearance input: 654321
  11. You're in! You will not have to do any of this again. If anything derails, you'll get a message telling you what to do next, and we also have Moderators in the Interchange standing by to help.
  12. If all went well, you'll now see more than 350 channels (those # things). We suggest you start by going to #introduce-yourself and then scroll up to #the-workbench to see what others have done and shared! Then find your Region and Division and say "hello" there. And then start participating and enjoy!

Standards and Conformance

Andy J. Zimmerman

Standards and Conformance Manager

The S&C Department has lost a key player. Immediately after attending the Amherst Railroad Society show, Larry Eggering of Jacksonville, Florida passed away in his sleep on Monday, January 30th. Larry took on the role of the DCC Working Group Manager in March of 2022 and had established himself well with his team and manufacturers alike. Larry's hard work and dedication to the hobby earned him a Meritorious Service Award at the NMRA National Convention in St. Louis in 2022. Larry will be missed.


The S&C Department has named Carl Marchand as the new DCC Working Group Manager and Brian Kopp as the Deputy Manager. While they will certainly have some big shoes to fill with Larry's passing, Carl and Brian stand ready to tackle the issues and keep us moving forward.


After a long search, the S&C Department is pleased to announce that we have found a new manufacturer of our NMRA standards gauges. A production review will take several weeks. After we receive samples and verify that these gauges meet our standards, we will begin the process of manufacturing and distributing them.


The manufacturer of our clearance gauges, State Molded Plastics, has closed its doors. The S&C Department has found a new manufacturer, Quality Plastics in Fredericksburg, Ohio. Currently we have a sufficient supply to support the demand until our new manufacturer begins production.

Volunteers Needed

The NMRA is run by volunteers. Get involved by contributing your expertise and time.


New Volunteers


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


Gordy Robinson

NMRA President

president@nmra.org

We're Looking for a Few Good Layouts...

Photography and HO scale modeling by Richard Walz, Northampton, Massachusetts.

...12 to be exact! You’re proud of your model railroad. Why not share it by submitting a photo or two for the 2024 edition of the NMRA Model Railroad 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” x 12” (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 as a text or .doc file.
  • Include your name, address, phone number and email with your submission.
  • Please limit your entries to no more than your four best scenes.


To submit your files for free go to wetransfer.com.

If you don’t see the “Upload files” box (shown below) click on the “I just want to send files” link at 

the bottom of the page. 
  1. Click (+) Upload files. Locate and add your files.
  2. Email to: scwd.email@gmail.com 
  3. Add your email address.
  4. Add the title: 2024 Calendar .
  5. Add your name, address & phone number.
  6. Click the transfer button.
  7. You will receive a confirmation email.


Note: By submitting images for the 2024 NMRA Calendar, you are giving permission to the editors to alter them as needed (cropping, smoke and lighting effects, etc.). Please indicate specifically if you do not give permission to alter your images.


Photos must be submitted by July 15, 2023 for consideration.


Questions? Contact Mike Brestel at 513-481-0185 or mbrestel@zoomtown.com
Partnership Program

The companies listed below give discounts to NMRA members when orders are placed using a special discount code. Newly added companies are in bold red. 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.

CatzPaw Innovations

Clever Models

Coastmans Scenic Products

Conowingo Models

Custom Model Railroads

Daylight Sales

Deepwoods Software

Deluxe Materials

Digikeijs

Dwarvin Enterprises

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

Model Rectifier Corp (MRC)

Model Train Catalogue

Modelers Decals & Paint

Motrak Models

N Scale Architect

Nick and Nora Designs

Northlandz

NScaleWorks

Old Depot Gallery

Old West Scenery

Ram Track

RR-CirKits

Scale Model Plans

Scenery Solutions

Showcase Miniatures

Team Track Models

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

WiFi Model Railroad
Newest Master Model Railroader® recipients

729. Susan Werner (MCR)

730. John Robert Coy (MWR)

731. Rick Martin (PNR)

732. Richard Remiarz (TLR)

733. John Decker (PNR)


"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

Upcoming Conventions

Now available to all members
  • Dean Ferris' Oregon Joint Line
  • A Tale of 3 Locos & a Fallen Flag
  • Making Coniferous Trees
  • Destination MMR Part 2

Visit nmra.org/nmra-digital-magazine

Coming soon to all members
  • Jerry Schoenberg's PRR Allegheny Division
  • A Tale of 3 Locos & a Fallen Flag (pt. 2)
  • Track Dirt Science
  • Destination MMR Part 3
  • MoPac Depot in Ottawa, Kansas
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.


Dispatches

  • Announcing the NMRA Interchange! 2023-01

eBulletin articles

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
 
Facebook  Twitter  Linkedin  
 
National Model Railroad Association | P.O. Box 1328, Soddy Daisy, TN 37384-1328
Unsubscribe itmanager@nmra.org
Constant Contact Data Notice
Sent by candir@nmra.org powered by
Trusted Email from Constant Contact - Try it FREE today.
Try email marketing for free today!