The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

for those involved in the hobby or business of

model railroad Railway modelling (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale. The scale models include locomotives, rolling stock, streetcars, t ...

ing. It was founded in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in 1935, and is also active in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, the

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, and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It was previously headquartered in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mar ...

, and was based in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...

next to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) from 1982 to 2013 and has since relocated to

Soddy Daisy Soddy-Daisy is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 13,070 at the 2020 census and estimated to be 13,619 in 2022. The city was formed in 1969 when the communities of Soddy (to the north) and Daisy (to the sou ...

General

The classifications listed below are from the A.A.R. Individual roads may use other designations. Illustrations show a typical member of the class detailed underneath the following a class description indicates a rare or obsolete type.

Industry involvement

The best-known activity of the NMRA is the defining of

standards Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object t ...

, and advisory documents known as Recommended Practices (RP), for

equipment. Many standards defined by the NMRA are widely followed by the industry and modellers, including their

H0 scale HO or H0 is a rail transport modelling scale using a 1:87 scale model, scale (3.5 mm to 1 foot). It is the most popular scale of model railway in the world. The rails are spaced apart for modelling standard gauge tracks and trains in ...

track and wheel standards (S-3, S-4) and related RPs (RP2, 8, 10-15, and 25) and their

Digital Command Control Digital Command Control (DCC) is a standard for a system to operate model railways digitally. When equipped with Digital Command Control, locomotives on the same electrical section of track can be independently controlled. The DCC protocol is de ...

(DCC) standard set (S-9.1, S-9.2, and RP9.1.1 through RP9.3.2). The RP25 wheel design in particular has been critical in ensuring the reliability and interoperability of US-prototype model railroad equipment, since practically every manufacturer of such equipment uses wheels conforming to the RP. This is in marked contrast to the British market, in which there is no accepted standard among manufacturers. In

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, the ''

Normen Europäischer Modellbahnen german: Normen Europäischer Modellbahnen (french: Normes Européennes de Modélisme ferroviaires, literally European Standards for Model Railways, known in the UK as Normal European Modelling Standards (NEM Standards)) are standards for model rai ...

'' (NEM) standard is widely followed, but this is generally further away from prototype accuracy than NMRA standards, and the NEM wheel design is particularly so. This results in interoperability restrictions between European and American wheels and trackwork.

Education and acknowledgement

The NMRA considers the education of model railroaders and the encouraging of learning and improving modelers' skills to be part of its mission. The NMRA runs an achievement program to encourage these skills, and runs modeling contests. Most notably these include the Master Model Railroader certification program and the Golden Spike award. Both programs involve the demonstration and/or judging of proficiency in one or more model railroading skill areas. These areas include Railroad Equipment, Railroad Setting, Railroad Construction & Operation and also Service to the Hobby & NMRA Member. A full explanation of each program along with applications can be found on the NMRA website.

Community involvement

Promotion of the model railroading

hobby A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing oth ...

is also part of the NMRA's purpose. Of note, the organization provides indirect assistance to the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded in ...

's Railroading

Merit badge Merit badge may refer to: *Merit badge (Boy Scouts of America) * Merit badge (Scouting Ireland) See also * Military awards and decorations Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, mer ...

program by encouraging members (through a hierarchy of National and Regional volunteer Boy Scout Coordinators) to become Railroading Merit Badge Counselors.

References

External links

*
Gateway NMRA (Greater St. Louis Chapter) website
{{Authority control Rail transport modelling associations Rail transport modelling standards Non-profit organizations based in Tennessee 1933 establishments in the United States Standards of the United States Organizations established in 1933 Nonprofit hobbyist organizations based in the United States