Again?

Once was a member.

and I’m thinking of rejoining if only to connect with other model railroaders in my area. Like with any organization that involves people there will be agreements and disagreements even on the simplest of matters. I read with interest the recent article in MRH about “Good enough” and thought this should bring some interesting replies and it did. My thoughts on good enough and I know I’m veering off thread are that with track work and electrical good enough is not good enough but with everything else it is IMO. An example, I use strictly Athearn blue box for my rolling stock, I replace the trucks and wheel sets and weather the cars, they look good enough and this goes back to agreements and disagreements. I can hear the laughter about my choice to use blue box “junk”

Dave this is the topic that

Dave this is the topic that will not die, unlike your horse. I will assume the person listed above is not just trolling for an avenue to complain about something.

I am a member because the organization offers an insurance option that is very beneficial to my club if we are 100% membership. Most of the NMRA events are too far away to be worth while for me to attend, that is just the nature of the beast due to where I live. Other folks that reside in closer proximity to the events could more easily take advantage of them. In many cases the social aspect of this group is one of its biggest benefits to many folks.

In addition to the broad organization there are some special interest groups that might also be of interest to some modelers, the layout design group and the operations group to name two. There maybe more.

Add in the fact that this is the organization that helped a great deal with establishing standards and continues to refine them so we have better products than we other wise would have had. There may still be more of this to come. There is also a wealth of information regarding these things available for members.

Now that is just some of the benefits from the organization. The ones that are important to you are for you to select. There maybe more of interest to you.

This topic does seem to come up about every six months or when ever someone does not get picked or has issue with a policy that the NMRA has. That is not meant to sound demeaning in any way regarding the previously mentioned folks, I am only mentioning those things as they seem to be a trigger for questions regarding the organization. Another one that seemed to start lots of complaining was the selection of a national convention in a country other than the United States. I think that one killed Dave's horse.

NMRA?

Never been a member. Didn't see a reason. My long time modeling friend (model trains, that is) has been a life long member and was responsible for an annual regional meet until he aged-out.

Like their HO gauge, though.

Now, if I could just remember where I put it.

erdnA

I agree with Rob in Texas.

I've been a member since 1994.  I belong to a modular club that used to set up in shopping malls a few times a year.  The promoter was an organization called West Rails.  We only set up at indoor malls, unless we were invited to set up in an empty store.  Our insurance was through the West Rails organization.  Then 2 things happened.  The malls in So Cal. found a new revenue source by renting space in the aisles where we used to set up to small kiosks selling various products, so there was no more room for model railroads to set up.  The second problem was that the insurer for West Rails decided to quit selling our insurance policy, and West Rails folded up shop.  This all occurred around 2000.

Our club could not set up displays anywhere without liability insurance, and when we tried to find it the cost was overwhelming.  NMRA offers a very reasonable liability policy to clubs that are 100% NMRA members.  Basically it is that every ember of the club must join the NMRA, and then the club pays for an additional annual membership in the club name, and as long as we maintain 100% NMRA membership we have the necessary coverage.

Without the insurance coverage we would not be able to set up anywhere except for one set up we do around Christmas in a nearby city hall that prefers to provide their own liability insurance and does not recognize the NMRA insurance.  I'm not sure if they charge us a small fee for their insurance.

If we did not have the NMRA insurance policy, the club would cease to exist as an operating club.  We could continue to meet to talk about trains and show off our models, but we would not be able to set up a layout except at local NMRA meets. 

In So. Cal. we don't have basements.  Some people have built layouts in out buildings, or their garages.  The cost of real estate in So. Cal. metropolitan areas is such that if you are not a multimillionaire, or already own significant size property, you can't afford to consider an extra building on your property.  Some clubs purchased buildings to set up a permanent layout in.  Others have rented space, or in some cases are using public buildings in exchange for opening up the club to allow visits by the general public like the San Diego Model Railroad Museum.  Many clubs that rent space have disappeared after landlords canceled their leases.

Standing on the shoulders of our ancestors

I let my membership lapse during the usual kids/family/career model railroading hiatus but re-enrolled when I became active again. I personally enjoy the hobby and I know that I benefit from many aspects of it that wouldn't exist if not for the institutional framework. I don't feel burdened by a sense of indebtedness, I just know that I'm very fortunate to be living like a kid in a candy store and I want that experience to be as widely available as possible. 

Jeff Allen

Not Any More

I was for a few years when we lived in MN. Found it hard to break the in club cliques at the monthly meetings. Dropped out after a very well known nationally, member decided to try and make a fool of me at an open house.

After moving to MO I looked into it again. There are local members, but from what I could find the monthly meetings are a 3 hr drive  one way. No thanks

Jack

Camaraderie

Put simply, I am a (life) member (since about 1987, and the main benefit I enjoy is meeting and developing friendships with other model railroaders.  We here in the Puget Sound Region have a pretty active division (4th Division, PNR), and one thing we do is have monthly clinics in, I believe, 8 or so different locations around the area.  Plus division and region annual meets/conventions.  Lots of opportunities to learn new skills, meet new people, and see some other's modeling efforts.

I always chuckle to myself when I see someone bashing the NMRA, then in another post they will mention they recommend using an NMRA gauge for trackwork, or they weigh their rolling stock to NMRA standards.  

I think of membership in the NMRA as simply a choice I make to be a part of a fraternal organization.

Al Carter

No Thanks .....I have no use

No Thanks .....I have no use for them being I like narrow guage not much coverage really anywhere for us logging Nuts.......... And that includes this Forum

I normally stay away from

I normally stay away from this topic, but will offer a few words this time. I believe there are many reasons to be an NMRA member. To me the best reason is the many NMRA regional conventions -- NOT the national convention. At the annual regional conventions you can get together face-to face with other model railroaders you do not see regularly. The sharing that goes on is great. Better yet are the several clinics at each regional convention. Much can be learned from the clinics. I have attended many and I have presented many. It is always rewarding. The friendships you make and renew are well worth it.

Jim Six

YMMV

Being a life long lone wolf it took a bit of convincing to check out the NMRA. At this point I had only met two MMR's, Paul Scoles and Laurie McLean from Australia. Both were fantastic people to get to know and represent the best examples of generosity and helpfulness.

Laurie continued to encourage me to get involved with my local division and with some additional prodding from Geoff Bunza I attended my first NMRA meeting. At that meeting I met Charlie Comstock and was inspired by a wonderful group of folks including a clinic on sound by Bruce Petrarca! As fate would have it Jack Hamilton was also there and gave a presentation on the AP program.

Well I joined up and began a wonderful journey of meeting new friends while completing my AP's to be awarded MMR #559.

I understand that not every area of the country has the same level of participation as ours, but maybe your area does! 

For me it is no longer what I can get from the NMRA, it is what can I do to help my fellow members. I can only hope to be a shadow of Paul, Laurie, Geoff, Bruce, Jack, and Charlie and many more that have helped me, but I am going to do the best I can to emulate them.

Give it try!

Ross A

Off-and-On member

I've been a sporadic member since the late 1960's but I'm currently back in again, probably more for the magazine and access to the members portion of their web site than anything else. The club to which I belong has folks active in the local NMRA division and region and we were just having this very same discussion the other night during one of the club's Christmas Open House events. No surprisingly, it turns out that there were as many reasons for joining as are people in the club.

I guess that the complaints that I've heard or read about concerning the NMRA aren't any different than those I've experienced in other charitable/veteran/church organizations. The gripes quite often seem to involve people who seem to be in the organization more for their own ego than for the purpose of the group. These folks are unfortunately found in all walks of life and we just have to deal with them.

the NMRA

Seems to have skipped over this area. I know of no local membership activities. If they were doing anything of interest I'd be happy to join them.....DaveB

NMRA for standards and RPs

I first became an NMRA member in the early 90’s when I joined the DCC standards committee, and I’ve stayed an NMRA member ever since (burned out on the DCC committee though) to support the standards and RPs process.  In my view the benefit of having standards maintained developing new standards is well worth the cost of membership.  I don’t take advantage of any other membership benefits, although I do benefit indirectly from some of the shows they sponsor.

Anyway, from my point of view, membership is totally worth it to keep the standards and RPs alive and kicking.

N M R A

The NMRA has been good to and for me.In the seventys and eightys I was active in the  A P program. aquiring many, certificaes. .Life got in the way . Mid life crissis , I started a business building models . using the knowledge I gained from the A P program Thank you N  M R A . I'm now gathering up my awards and finding  only need 1 item to quolify for my MMR.  Im now a member in good standing. hopefully to get my MMR .For me it has been a POSITIVE  experience. Hope to share my knowledge, at meets by giving ,clinics.  RAY

A Supporter

I also have been a member on and off since starting in the hobby. Despite being pretty much islolated from other modelers, I support the organization for much the same reason I support the MRH mag &TMTV. Each has opened doors for me and introduced my to all walks of life that enjoy the hobby. Lionel Strang often says in his AML Podcast that the hobby is growing because of the way that social media allows us to connect as people. 

For other narrow gauge modelers, such as Craig, it should be noted that the standards we viciously debated in the NMRA and strong arguments by John Allen, for example, helped form what we enjoy today. 

If there had to be one reason to join it would be to meet people. I wish I’d met Scoles but enjoyed an afternoon with Jim Vail and a long chat with Koester and Keith Gueterez. Joe F. and Jeff were at that NTS as well along with Dave Rees of BlueRail Trains. It’s the people for sure.  

Local v/s national

I agree with Al, as this is my region. I joined so I could attend the convention in Portland (which was irony as my employer wouldn't give me one day off for it). I was welcomed to the region warmly and have maintained my membership for that reason, even though as a working stiff, I rarely can make any of their events. That's my issue, not theirs.

Now, as for the National stuff, I am very disappointed. As I posted earlier, I'm done with submitting anything to the NMRA. I had offered to do cartoons for the magazine, having been published in several newspapers and magazines over the years and all I got was a "thanks, but we got a guy" response. What they had only ran a few issues and quite frankly wasn't even remotely funny (or well-executed). Got zero response to an article idea I tried to pitch soon afterward.

They've made it clear that unless you know the secret handshake, don't bother. I'll keep my membership because the local guys are decent, but I never, EVER want to read one word begging for submissions or saying they can only print what comes in. I offered, they weren't interested, and that is that. Life's too short to play, "Mother may I?," especially when MR has said they want some of my work. When I get rolling with cartoons, they'll get them (unless MRH would like some).

Other Choices

“That time of year to bring up the NMRA subject huh?”

As I have said before I don’t find any value on joining or supporting the NMRA.  Unlike “once upon a time” , today there are endless clubs, groups, on-line communities, etc. that offer assisstance, support, etc. for the model railroader.

I also find the NMRA to be out of date and somewhat out of touch with today’s younger modeler.  I looked at the NMRA acheivement program for example but many of the skill sets are no longer relevant today such as scratch building rolling stock.  (I get a few modelers still do this but the majority do not)

With the membership decline, there is no local sponser in my area even if I had an interest in the NMRA acheivement program.  

Joe

Like others have said....

I like the NMRA for the standards and also for the regional conventions.

NMRA

I agree with Al Carter and Jim Six. I have been a active member for about 20 years now. I enjoy the local club at the district level which is the DSED based out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We hosted the regional convention in 2018. It is a great we to meet like minded  members. We also learn from other members on how to do things we don't understand. It is a win-win for everyone. We, the NMRA has set standards which allow us to run locomotives and train cars for different companies on anyone's track and it all works together. That is also true with DCC and the new LCC. 

Wes Garcia

BNSF Sioux Falls Division

For me

it hasn't been worth it.  I joined the NMRA about 8 years ago.  The reality is, I just couldn't see the cost/benefit from a membership to continue, and then when Charlie Getz made some comments in a press article about young people that underscored the disconnect some of the leadership has, I let it lapse.  Mr. Getz has since backtracked from his comments and with others in leadership, I've been debating rejoining, but it's still the cost/benefit. 

To me the biggest benefit of the NMRA is connections with other modelers, but in my neck of the woods, it is a bit of a wasteland.  The connections I have made have been through Facebook and this forum.  I have not connected to a single person in my few years in the NMRA.  Like others said, if I was in a more active region, it would probably be a no brainer, but to pay for virtually no benefit isn't worth it.

Whether or not any of us

Whether or not any of us understands the full extent of the good that the NMRA has done for the hobby, or cares much, the fact is that all of us have benefited one way or another from the work and travails of others who have gone before us who needed to solve intractable and thorny problems.  DCC would be a real mess, even without MTH's swath paralleling it in DCS, if it were not for the good will of, first the kind folks at Lenz and, the NMRA forming a committee and dealing with the topic before it got too spread out.

One doesn't normally belong to, or join, a charity or other organization that needs support.  One just supports it with a few coins now and then.  That's how I do it with most forums that need my help, and which I enjoy frequenting now and then, and with Wikipedia, as examples.

An organization is only ever as strong as its membership, as its members want it to be, and as it gets good quality, and determined, leaders.  It doesn't demand our blood, but it does demand our commitment, often, and our willingness to do some heavy lifting now and then.  Maybe just in reaching into our pockets one more time.

So far, I have their site and published standards to use.  I have their DCC norms.  I have their wonderfully useful HO sheet metal gauge....couldn't begin to guess how many times I have used it to diagnose problems....many hundreds for sure over four layouts.

Consider also that the various manufacturers placed their products on the table in compliance with the NMRA's standards.  Track spacing, turnout consistency and reliability, and so on.  Atlas, Model Power, BLI, MTH, Hobby Craft, Digitrax, NCE, Roco, Trix,...they have all worked to comply with, and therefore support, not just the membership of the NMRA but ALL people who purchase their various products.

The less people feel inclined to belong to organizations that have as their mission to help to standardize, to make predictable and reliable, items that we use, the more stressful, awful, less pleasant, more frustrating, and more expensive the hobby will be.  We'll make more mistakes in our selections thinking that they are likely to work simply because they have the letters spelling "HO" on their packaging. 

If you can't find it in yourself to actually support the NMRA financially, at least purchase their scale-appropriate gauge from them or a dealer/supplier.  It's a tool virtually anyone in the hobby should have.

People make the difference

I too used to wonder what the benefit of NMRA membership was. Yes, they did good work in the past with standards. Important work. Despite what folks say about DCC and its being old technology, when you make a standard that everyone can use it needs to be backward compatible. The system works and works well. 

Beyond that I wondered what's in it for me. So I reached out to someone that was a couple of hours away and he was very welcoming and we hit it off well. My assigned division had been inactive for some time and we discussed that. When the time came to reinvigorate and bring back the division I put my money where my mouth was and became actively involved in my division as president and with a few other hard working people, we have a division, a newsletter and a website. We've signed up 10 new people and one has received his Golden Spike which he very much appreciated. 

I've met lots of people and even though they are a fair distance away, we are a large division, I am happy to know them and wouldn't have otherwise gotten to know them. I am better personally and modelling wise for knowing them. 

Aside from that there are some good discounts available from manufacturers that come with membership. Like anything, you get out of it what you put into it. I believe that no matter what organization you are talking about. 

Is the NMRA perfect? NO! Can it be better? YES! I hope I'm one of them who is making it a little better in my corner of the world. I have high expectations of the NMRA, and plan this year to go to my first Region Convention. Maybe it isn't for everybody but I do believe everybody can get something out of it if they put something into it. 

Standards

I have been a member since 1972.  The standards and RPs are what keeps me a member.  I also attend some of the local division meetings when I can and the monthly magazine has a few interesting articles.

As an example:  Without the standards DCC would hardly exist today.  I remember when there was no standard.  You committed to one manufacturer for everything.  If he went under, raised his prices too high, you were stuck.  Locomotive manufacturers didn't offer anything but DC - too many non compatible systems to be able to support them all.

With the standard, DCC has taken off.  Since your decoders work with any NMRA compliant system, there are now many locomotives with them installed.  Even MTH has made their latest decoders (protosound 3) so they work with DCC.

I can understand the cost concern.  The current dues are more than double what I paid in 1972 (adjusted for inflation). So it's a little pricey.

Paul