Bob Rorabaugh, 4th Division Membership Chairman

The annual Model Train Exhibit at the Washington State History Museum, Tacoma, Dec 21 to Jan 1 (closed the 24th and Christmas Day), is a wonderful opportunity for all of us who love the hobby and want to grow our ranks. If you plan to attend, would you linger at our NMRA booth for some intentional time? “Each one win one (a new member).” Be the “face” of the hobby and the NMRA. Engage passers-by, perhaps prepared to tell parents with children why you love this hobby.

Reasons to attend:

  1. It’s the holidays, and your local Sears store doesn’t have a railroad layout on display, but at this show, there’ll be a bunch of modular layouts.
  2. You’ve got kids in your world. They may be grandchildren, neighbors, a Sunday school class, etc. You can go to the Museum’s website and download a poster. Make the call to a teacher or some parents. Invite them to add this event to their holiday schedule!
  3. Just because you’d like to grow the NMRA, and would come just to share the booth experience.

Our association is 20,000 strong. Let’s have that many “owner’s reps.” I’m appealing especially to you who live within an hour of the Museum in the ol’ train station, downtown Tacoma. That’s from Seattle to Olympia, and places like Bothell, Puyallup, Snoqualmie, Bremerton, Shoreline, etc. Of course you can come from Mt. Vernon, Centralia and Port Townsend. Don’t be shy. I’ll see if I can get you into the museum for free, so bring your NMRA membership card and mention at the door that you’re serving our NMRA educational exhibit. If you must pay, then be sure to see the rest of this wonderful museum. There’s more to see than trains for you and those you invite.

Thanks for considering this request. Just don’t all come at once.

By the way, here’s my e-mail: rorabaugh@msn.com.