Category: News

Gerry Leone, (soon to be former) NMRA Communications Director

The tour of the new, highly-restricted Chinese High Speed Rail Facilities which Hasea.com, our NMRA counterpart in China, was going to schedule for the NMRA representatives has been temporarily cancelled, with hope of rescheduling later in the year.

The Winter Board of Directors Meeting will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Sheraton Suites Galleria-Atlanta, February 8-10. Although the Board meets in a closed caucus the evening of February 8, the general meeting on February 9-10 is open to all NMRA members. This year’s meeting has a jam-packed agenda, including discussions about the eBulletin, an electronic newsletter meant to supplement NMRA Magazine. Also, because our membership has dropped from 19,500 to 18,800 in one year, the Board will discuss ways to attract new members. A task force which has studied the challenges of attracting Generation X, Generation Y, and Millennials will be making a report at the meeting.

The Board is reviewing bids for upcoming conventions.Indianapolis has thrown its hat in the ring for the 2016 convention, andSydney,Australia, andOrlando,FL, may be vying for the 2017 convention. No decision has been made on either convention.

The NMRA continues to receive donations for “The Magic of Scale Model Railroading” exhibit at the California State Railroad Museum. While we haven’t yet hit our goal of $250,000, we’re getting closer every day. When we do, we will trigger a matching donation from an anonymous donor. If you, your Division or Region, have questions about the exhibit, contact Howell Day Museum Committee Chairman Allen Pollock at 573-619-8532. You can contribute via the web by visiting www.nmra.org and clicking on the Donation link, near the top of the homepage.

As I mentioned last month, I’ve turned in my resignation as Communications Director as of the Winter Board meeting next month. It’s been a fun run and I’ve enjoyed it. I don’t exactly know what the fate of these InfoNet News eblasts will be beyond this issue – that will be up to my successor. So if you, or anyone you know, would like to apply for the position, please contact President Charlie Getz at charliegetz@yahoo.com.

Gerry Leone, NMRA Communications Director

Donations for “The Magic of Scale Model Railroading” Exhibit at theCaliforniaStateRailroadMuseum continue to pour in, including:

• The World’s Greatest Hobby campaign has pledged $50,000
• Cincinnati Division 7, in the Mid-Central Region, has pledged $15,000

Current pledge and donation now total over $200,000, but the NMRA still needs an additional $50,000 to meet the $250,000 matching challenge pledge by an anonymous donor. If you, your Division or Region, have any questions about the exhibit, please contact Howell Day Museum Committee Chairman Allen Pollock at 573-619-8532. You can also contribute at the NMRA website by clicking on “donation” near the top of the homepage.

The Winter Board of Directors Meeting will be held inAtlanta,Georgia, at the Sheraton Suites Galleria-Atlanta, on February 8–10. Although the Board meets in a closed caucus the evening of February 8, the rest of the meetings are open to all NMRA members.

Hasea.com, the model railroad association ofChinawhich has aligned itself with the NMRA, has invited the NMRA President and a few other NMRA officials to tour the new, highly-restricted Chinese High Speed Rail factory and facilities in February. No foreign visitors have ever viewed these facilities. Hasea is a network of 100,000 Chinese rail fans and modelers. The NMRA Board has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Hasea to share our standards and organizational knowledge.

The Peachtree Express 2013 website now lists all prototype, general interest, and layout tours. There are photos and some videos of the layouts. Watch NMRA Magazine for Peachtree Express 2013 layout features.

Bill Kaufman, Vice President of Special Projects, is spearheading a new eBulletin concept – an electronic communication sent regularly via email to interested NMRA members. The project is still in the planning stages and will be presented to the Board of Directors at the Winter Meeting in February.

I’d like to repeat this important news again this month: John Stevens, the NMRA Secretary, has announced the slate of candidates for the 2013 national elections. Ballots will be in NMRA members’ hands early next year. Candidates are:

At-Large Worldwide Director:

• Stan Ames
• Mike Brestel
• Larry Smith, MMR
• Leslie Eaton, MMR

Atlantic District Director:

• Alain Kap
• Kathy Millatt

Western District Director

• Larry Alfred, MMR
• Jack Hamilton, MMR

Western Director (and 4D member!) Jack Hamilton and his committee are working on a new Long Range Plan for the NMRA. Jack is seeking input from members. He writes, “The October edition of NMRA Magazine put out a general call to members for input for NMRA strategic planning. There have been a number of excellent responses to the call but not nearly in the numbers that might be suggested by the normal level of grousing and gripes about the organization. This is your opportunity to make a difference and have some direct say in the direction the NMRA takes into our future. This is your organization and your ideas and input will be treated with equal value and respect. Please read the October article and make your desires known to Western District Director Jack Hamilton via email or mail at10731 Warren Road NW,Silverdale,WA 98383.”

Lastly, on a personal note, I’ve turned in my resignation as Communications Director as of the Winter Board meeting. It’s been a fun run and I’ve enjoyed it. I don’t exactly know what the fate of these InfoNet News eblasts will be beyond January – that will be up to my successor. So if you or anyone you know would like to apply for the position, please email President Charlie Getz.

I hope everyone has a peaceful, restful, and wonderful holiday season!

Gerry Leone, NMRA Communications Director

National Election

NMRA Secretary John Stevens announced the 2013 National election candidates. Ballots will arrive early next year. The candidates are:

At-Large Worldwide Director

Stan Ames
Mike Brestel
Larry Smith, MMR
Leslie Eaton, MMR

Atlantic District Director

Alain Kap
Kathy Millatt

Western District Director

Larry Alfred, MMR
Jack Hamilton, MMR

Other News

President Charlie Getz has named Jim Lupfer head of the Convention and Trade Show Department, replacing Bob Amsler, who remains NMRA Counsel.

An interview with President Getz is in the current Model Railway Show podcast. Jim Martin talks with him about his plans for the NMRA. To listen, click here, or go to iTunes and download Episode 44. All episodes remain on the TrainLife website, so you can listen to them anytime. In two weeks, Charlie will return to the podcast to discuss “The Magic of Scale Model Railroading” exhibit at the California State Railroad Museum.

Western Director Jack Hamilton and his committee are working on a new Long Range Plan for the NMRA. Jack is still looking for input from members, and writes, “The October edition of NMRA Magazine put out a general call (“NMRA – Where do the tracks lead?”) to members for input for NMRA strategic planning. There have been a number of excellent responses to the call but not nearly in the numbers that might be suggested by the normal level of grousing and gripes about the organization. This is your opportunity to make a difference and have some direct say in the direction the NMRA takes into our future. This is your organization and your ideas and input will be treated with equal value and respect. Please read the October article and make your desires known to me at westdir@hq.nmra.org.”

Allen Pollock, Museum Committee Chairman, would like to put the word out about fundraising efforts for the California State Railroad Museum’s “Magic of Scale Model Railroading” Gallery Project. Allen writes, “You’ve read the article by President Getz in the November NMRA Magazine about the Gallery project. I’m asking for your help. We’re close to making it happen, so please discuss the idea of making a donation with your Region or Division Boards. If all participate, we’ll be successful in raising the $250,000 we need by early next year to receive the matching grant. Right now we already have $160,000 of the needed funding. If you have any questions or need additional info about this unprecedented chance to spread the word about our hobby, contact me directly at 573-619-8532.”

From Vice President of Special Projects, Bill Kaufman: “Sometime in February, the NMRA national will send out an Electronic Bulletin. It will be filled with calendars, Divisional success stories and the like. Sent out every two months, it is not intended to replace NMRA Magazine, but to be a collection of teasers with links to info. We hope you like it. One key to its success is email addresses. We currently have emails for about 75% of our members but more is better and we know some of what we have are wrong. If your email address has changed (or you never gave it to us) please send it to secy@hq.nmra.org.”

Brett Lambert has left the Kalmbach Memorial Library to pursue other career interests. We wish him the best and thank him for his many years of service. In his absence, requests will be handled by the HQ staff.

The Standards and Conformance Committee has been working with Bachmann and Soundtraxx to be sure both companies are in conformance to NMRA standards for DCC decoders. In the past there have been some concerns about each company’s wiring harnesses not meeting specs.

The Winter Board of Directors Meeting will be held inAtlanta,Georgia, on February 8–10. All NMRA members are welcome to attend. Times and location will be announced later.

Ken Liesse

The next Board of Director’s meeting of the 4D will be held at 1:00 on Saturday, Nov. 17th. However, the location has changed from our normal spot. We will be meeting at Mitzel’s on 84th in Kent. From Hwy 167, take the Central Ave./84th exit and go north one stoplight. Mitzel’s is on the right.

Any member of 4D is welcome to attend the BOD meeting. If you have business you’d like to bring before the Board, send an agenda item to either Secretary Jean Melvin or myself by the Wednesday before the 17th.

Gerry Leone, NMRA Communications Director

About half of the money needed to meet the “matching gift” to the Magic of Scale Model Railroading exhibit at the California State Railroad Museum has been raised. An anonymous donor has offered $250,000 if we can raise a matching amount. In addition to NMRA member donations, manufacturers have made substantial donations. No NMRA dues are used to fund this project. Watch for an article in the November issue of NMRA Magazine for more details on the exhibit and fund raising efforts.

The newly formed NMRA Marketing Department is working with Amtrak stations in major cities to get modular layouts placed there in an effort to raise awareness of our hobby.

• The NMRA website is undergoing a facelift and update under the direction of our new IT Director, Ben Sevier, and his web team. Members should see the changes within the year.
• As part of an effort to improve communications with members, and specifically those who don’t receive NMRA Magazine, the NMRA leadership team is discussing adding an “eBulletin,”  a short, concise emailed newsletter which will list NMRA news, announcements, and other important information. It won’t replace NMRA Magazine, but instead will be an adjunct to it and will be available free to those members with email. A proposal will be made to the Board of Directors in February.
• The Executive Handbook and By-Laws Committee is currently working diligently to simplify and shorten both documents, making it easier to understand our organization and how it’s run.
• The Winter Board of Directors Meeting will be held inAtlanta,Georgia, February 8-10, 2013. All NMRA members are welcome to attend. Times and location to be announced.

Al Lowe

Click photo for enlargement

In case you were not in attendance, the NMRA National Committee presented its Meritorious Service Award to the 4D’s own Didrik Voss, MMR, for his service as Standards & Conformance Department Manager. The photo shows Ed Liesse making the presentation at the 4D Summer Meet in Issaquah.

Gerry Leone, NMRA Communications Director

After several years of work by incoming NMRA Secretary John Stevens, all U. S. Region boundaries are now defined by state and county boundaries instead of zip codes. This will help keep boundaries stable as the U. S. Post Office redefines zip code areas.

Michiana Division co-founder Jim Six, college professor and experienced education expert, has agreed to lead a team charged with developing a standardized clinic format to help ensure consistency and uniformity for clinics made available to Divisions and Regions. The format will be based on one currently in use in the Michiana Division.

Following the recommendation of Standards & Conformance Department head Didrik Voss, MMR, the Board directed that all eight DCC-related Recommended Practices now become NMRA Standards. Further, in the future the issuance of a Conformance Warrant is not to be influenced by Recommended Practices but will be based solely on adherence to applicable NMRA Standards.

President Charlie Getz appointed outgoing president Mike Brestel to replace Larry DeYoung, who retired as publisher of NMRA Magazine. Charlie also announced thatMike has also agreed to serve as assistant to the president to ensure a smooth transition between administrations.

Chief Financial Officer Frank Koch reported that the attendance of the National Train Show inGrand Rapids was the fourth-best ever. Saturday’s attendance exceededSacramento on the same day. Three more booths were sold at Grand Rapids thanSacramento.

Looking ahead to next year’s convention in Atlanta, the Peachtree Express team reports that it’s putting the finishing touches on a series of short videos featuring selected layouts that will be on tour during the convention. The videos will be posted to YouTube and will be able to be accessed from links on http://www.nmra2013.org

The Peachtree team is also proud to announce that there will be a number of Civil War-related tours – both rail-related and general interest – as well as a “Civil War track.”

And it’s not too soon to plan for the 2014 convention! The Cleveland Convention’s website is now up and running and taking registrations at http://www.2014cleveland.org.

Gerry Leone, NMRA Communications Director

Here is the August NMRA InfoNet News.

• Charlie Getz is the new NMRA President. Mike Brestel passed the reins to him at the Annual business meeting inGrand Rapids. Charlie says his first order of business is to simplify the NMRA’s organizational structure.
• New Board Members: Pacific Director Michael Bartlett (Australia) andCanada Director Fred Headon became members of the Board inGrand Rapids. Michael replaces Peter Jensen; Fred replaces Clark Kooning, who took over for Don Hillman who retired for health reasons.
• Charlie appointed Western Director Jack Hamilton to lead a new Strategic Planning Committee, which will prepare a plan to help guide the NMRA into the future. He’ll make a preliminary report at the winter Board meeting.
• The Sacramento National Convention host group presented the Board of Directors with a check for $7,500 to be donated to the Diamond Club. Diamond Club funds are used for scanning and posting archival photographs and artwork of the NMRA’s Kalmbach Memorial Library.
• Charlie updated the Board on the state of the “Magic of Scale Model Railroading” exhibit at the California State Railroad Museum (CSRM). An anonymous donor has pledged $250,000 in matching funds and, as of late July, donations of at least $160,000 were still needed to achieve the match. The funds must be received by the end of 2012. The exhibit is expected to cost between $500,000 and $750,000. The “Magic of Scale Model Railroading” exhibit will be seen annually by 600,000 visitors to CSRM.
• Page Martin, Garrett Ewald, and Barrett Johnson were named to the Marketing Department during the convention. Each individual has professional marketing experience and is tasked with developing advertising and promotions aimed at retaining existing members, re-enlisting lapsed members, and attracting new ones.
• Ben Sevier of the Pacific Southwest Region has accepted the position of Information Technology Director for the NMRA.

Remember: if you change email addresses, be sure to send your old and new email addresses to: NMRA-infonet@earthlink.net.