Rich Mahaney, NCR president, conducted a clinic on five operational features for model railroads, focusing on interchanges, freight houses, team tracks, rail transload facilities, and safety considerations. He provided real-life examples, emphasizing their importance for enhancing operational activity and interest in model railroading, and offered practical modeling tips for enthusiasts.
Quick recap The meeting began with introductions and discussions about model train layouts before focusing on website updates and new NMRA branding guidelines. The group reviewed logo requirements and discussed
The November 2025 meeting is scheduled for Saturday, November 15th at 10am, held in Conference Room A at Foster Family Community Health Center, Traverse City, MI. Attendees can join via Zoom. The agenda includes introductions, reports from officials, discussions on future meetings, and a Show & Tell segment.
TJ Stratton hosted a clinic on building resin railroad car kits, highlighting a temporary shortage of materials but expecting new orders soon. He emphasized the advantages of resin kits for niche models, detailed necessary tools and assembly techniques, and encouraged participants to reach out for help while fostering communication through an email group.
The meeting covered administrative updates, financial matters, and a detailed presentation on building model train car kits by T.J. Stratton. Discussions included the importance of preserving older items, the resin car project, membership discounts, and upcoming presentations. Next steps were outlined, including communication plans and follow-up sessions for members.
The October 2025 meeting is scheduled for Saturday, October 18th, at 10am in Conference Room A, Foster Family Community Health Center, Traverse City, MI. Participants can join in person or via Zoom. The agenda includes introductions, reports, a clinic, and future meeting dates through January 2026. No meetings occur in summer.
David Zolnierek’s clinic focused on creating aspen trees for model railroads, offering insights on species, growth habits, and seasonal appearances. The presentation included detailed tree-making techniques, materials, and practical model layout tips, concluding with a PowerPoint and distribution of tree models for attendees.
The meeting covered technical issues, equipment updates for a railroad session, and organizational matters like membership challenges and financial reports. Presentations included tree modeling techniques and Tortoise switch machine maintenance. Discussions highlighted difficulties attracting younger members and updates to the NMRA’s Achievement Program website, concluding with a recap of various projects and experiences.
The September 2025 meeting is scheduled for Saturday, September 20th at 10am in Conference Room A at the Foster Family Community Health Center, Traverse City, MI. Participants can attend in person or via Zoom. The agenda includes reports from various officials, a clinic on tree making, a break, and a show and tell session. Future meetings are scheduled for October 18, November 15, December 20, and January 17.
This guide explains how to download the Zoom application and join meetings using invitation links or Meeting IDs. It emphasizes etiquette tips such as muting microphones, raising hands to speak, preventing background noise, conserving bandwidth, and addressing in-person connection issues to ensure productive video conferences for all participants.
