What Is The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA)?
Enjoying model railroading and prototyping is a hobby you can do alone-but the enjoyment of watching others reactions or being able to ask questions on specifications or historical references with friends may cause them to find other enthusiasts.
There are hundreds of clubs in the USA alone that have surfaced for model railroading, one of the largest being the NMRA, the National Model Railroad Association, a non-profit , educational association that promotes model railroading and impacts standards within the industry.
The NMRA sets its focus on its members all across the globe with over 150 divisions or groups of members spread out in 18 regions across the globe. With their yearly convention and the “National Train Show” the NMRA manages to continue building excitement in the industry for model train hobbyists to enjoy. A leading group for the advancement of train hobbyists for over 70 years the NMRA has been there for its members and will continue to be there for many years to come.
The NMRA has set many standards that still exist today. Having been founded in 1935, they still maintain a list of Standards and Recommended Practices available to manufacturers and hobbyists. The Kalmbach Memorial Library, one of the larger railroad reference centers in the world is partially maintained by the NMRA. The Kalmbach Library has more than 5,000 books as well as over 100,000 prototype photos and over 50,000 modeling, prototype and historical magazines, a great resource center for anyone into prototype railroading.
A few resources that the NMRA makes available to its members include:
-Being able to access the Kalmbach Memorial Library, an excellent resource on railroads and model railroads
-Association with other modelers and a monthly magazine
- Access to Regional and National conventions
