Forum NMRA poll

[trainman203]

Log in and report.

1.  Are you in the NMRA?
2.  Why or why not?
3.  What benefits have you experienced from membership?
4.  Are you in regular contact with any other local members?
5.  Have you attended any conventions?

I'll respond with my comments shortly.

[Terry Toenges]

1. No
2. I pretty much do my own thing without a lot of rules.
3. None
4. No
5. No

[Quentin]

1. No
2. I'm 18 and haven't thought about it
3. None
4. no
5. Yes, actually. Last year, the St. Louis convention.

[Fred Klein]

1. No
2. No - Not a joiner - I like to do my own thing
3. None - not a member
4. No - live out in the country. Nearest hobby shop is 95 miles away.
5. Yes - did a day trip to the 2021 National Narrow Gauge convention just to buy stuff

[trainman203]

Ok, my response:

1.  Yes
2.  I had been in the NMRA as a teenager back in the 1960s. I even submitted a winning design for their 1969 golden spike centennial letterhead. After re-engaging in model railroading in 2007, I thought about rejoining but at the time did not. There's a club in New Orleans that I thought about joining that requires 100% NMRA membership so they can get NMRA sponsored insurance.  I never did join because I was traveling so much at the time and was never there when they had meetings. I finally did join the NMRA last year, mostly out of curiosity in to see what I could gain from being a member. I mostly hoped to make contact with other model railroaders that might be in the area that I didn't know about.

3.  Actually, nothing up to now.

4. I was able to post a very detailed description of my layout on their website in a directory that they have, thinking that someone would respond and want to come visit. The only other listings in the area were the club that I had already seen and didn't join, and a contemporary diesel era layout I wasn't interested in seeing. In 6 months I've heard from no one. At first I thought some of the members of the club might call, but none have. I know they are all modern era mainline types who would have no interest in my branch line steam operation.

5.  The upcoming national convention this year will be in the Dallas area. It's a little far to travel for me, but not as far as St. Louis was last year. I did find out that the entrance fee to the convention only covers you getting to the front door and standing in the hall. Every event in there it appears has some kind of additional fee to attend. So it could really add up to a lot more than the retired on a pension me could afford. i'm still thinking about Dallas this summer, but unlikely that I will go. The layout tours are all gigantic layouts like I could never have, plus no one appears to be interested in the kind of railroad that I'm trying to create.

So, all in all, in my case, NMRA membership does not appear to be worth the $70 or so annual fee. I might re-join a second time just to go to Dallas, if I decide to, but it's a pretty long way to go for me,  and the total expense will be unknown until I get there and decide which individual activity I would wish to attend.

The NMRA does have a few full-time employees, but most of the operation appears to be a hierarchy of volunteer officials from national level, branching down to multiple regions with all kinds of officers.  I don't know what kind of power brokering goes on, but after re-joining, I fail to gain a warm and fuzzy feeling about this organization.

[jward]

1. No

2. I was a member at one time. Due to family responsibilities, I do not have the time to attend meetings (wife requires constant care.) And lie Terry, I tend to do things my own way, but my ways are learned from older generations who taught me well.

3. The meeting were fun and I got to see alot of local clubs. As for the contests, I am in the hobby to get away from the competitive rat race, not bring it into my hobby.

4. One, who is my best friend for almost 40 years.

5. No. Just the local monthly meetings.

[Len]

1.  No.
2.  I'm not a joiner.
3.  N/A
4.  No.
5.  No.

[Ken Huck]

1. No
2. Why?
3. N/A
4. N/A
5. No