What’s all this about model trains?

It’s not uncommon to have a hobby. Mine is model railroading: basically, reproducing trains, and the places where they run, in miniature.

I’ve been model railroading for a very long time, starting when I was 13 years old. I learned by reading magazine articles (there was no YouTube yet) and then by joining a model railroad club near my home. I was lucky enough to have parents who encouraged and supported me, allowing me to take part in exhibitions, and to have crossed paths with talented model builders who taught me a lot.

Model trains are my number-one hobby. No matter what I do for a living, or what other hobbies I have, I always have a model train project on the go. When I discovered Wikipedia, which has become an important part of my life, I started by improving the article devoted to model railroading on the French-language version.

Having a hobby that you practice continuously for years automatically leads you to seek constant improvement. I know sports enthusiasts who go on refresher courses every weekend, or literature buffs who end up setting up their own small publishing house. For my part, the desire to move up a gear in my practice was conditional on finding a challenge to face. I usually create new layouts when invited to exhibitions or informal competitions, because there’s a time constraint to achieving something, but this was no longer enough for me. What’s more, in France, the model-railroading ecosystem is quite moribund and challenges of this kind are rare.

Improving my English over the last few years has given me the opportunity to take an in-depth look at North American model railroading.¹ I finally found a challenge to take up.

NMRA Achievement program

The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) was founded 90 years ago to federate model railroaders in the USA² and define standards that would force manufacturers to unify their production. It quickly spread to most “developed” English-speaking countries, such as Canada, Australia or the UK (in 1945). A branch existed in continental Europe until recently, when it merged with the UK chapter.

One of the many activities offered by the NMRA is the Achievement Program. This program consists of 11 certificates divided into four categories, representative of model railroading practice:

• Model Railroad Equipment
  • Master Builder - Motive Power
    • Build one locomotive and upgrade two others, at least. All must win a proof of quality achievement named a “Merit Award”, granted against a quite strict set of evaluations.
  • Master Builder - Cars
    • Anything that runs on rails without a motor: four full constructions and four upgrades required, at least. Of these eight models (which must include a passenger car), four must earn a Merit Award.

• Settings
  • Master Builder - Structures
    • Building 12 buildings, of various types (a bridge is required); 6 of which must win a Merit Award.
  • Master Builder - Scenery
    • Scenery, nature, etc. A certain amount of scenery must be shown on a train layout, and it must receive a Merit Award.
  • Master Builder - Prototype models
    • Reproduce a specific rail-related location, whose reproduction quality is rewarded with a Merit Award.

• Engineering and operation
  • Model railways - Civil engineering
    • Railways are all about tracks and installations. This certificate lists a number of prerequisites (some are mandatory, some other can be selected from a list) that must be applied to a model railway layout, including the hand-building of three turnouts.
  • Model Railroad Engineer - Electrical
    • Model trains are highly dependent on electricity and electronics. This certificate also lists a number of prerequisites (again both mandatory or selection-based) that must be applied to a railway layout.
  • Chief dispatcher
    • Real railroads transport goods and people, and our model railways feel (supposed to) reproduce this.³ This certificate is obtained after a certain number of hours spent as a train driver or a trains signal operator on a model layout.

• Services rendered to the hobby
  • Association official
    • Give time to the NMRA’s operations in terms of its governance (participation on the board of directors, or that of one of the large affiliated entities.
  • Association volunteer
    • Give time to keep the machine running: present a layout at an event, edit a newsletter, teach a skill...
  • Model railway Author
    • Write or record contents about model railroading.

If you manage to fulfill the requirement for a given certificate (which must be verified by appointed assessors), then you get a piece of paper with a ribbon saying you achieved the challenge. It’s presented as a challenge against oneself, seen by many as totally pointless, and for me, it’s essential to attempt it. :)

Tackling the challenge

Challenge accepted: I joined the NMRA late 2022 and started working on the Author certificate. As I published a sufficient number of pages in magazines, and my contributions to Wikipedia were also taken into consideration. Gather documentation and send it for verification was easy: I got the certificate in December 2022. The rest was less easy...

Some people use the Achievement Program to create their models, respecting the per-requisites for each certificate. As for me, I discovered that my current train layout⁴ met the prerequisites for Scenery and Prototype, but the question of the quality of execution was still to be verified, through the threshold for a Merit Award, which I did in February 2024.

I also added technical improvements to the layout to pass the Civil and Electrical certificates, which were presented in October 2024 in England. (This led me to put my layout in my car, the car on the ferry, and go exploring driving on the other side of the road in Berkshire). So far, five certificated obtained!

Working on the Achievement Program also allows me to improve my modelling practice by attempting new challenges. For instance, I started using an airbrush and a 3D printer. I also discovered new techniques and products to increase the quality of my work. I was quite surprised by how getting a Merit Award pushed me to reach the next level of skills, and not getting one was a source of motivation to do things better.

As a result, I’ve built wagons, something I’ve never done before! I’m now one Merit Award away from completing the Cars certificate. I have a couple of Merit Awards for Structures. My next move will be around more structures, or building locomotives — for Motive Power. I never did this, and I believe it is one of the biggest challenges I will never achieved for my hobby.

What could be next? I don’t know. Getting seven certificates (with at least one in each category) gives you the title of Master Model Railroader. Fewer than 800 modelers have achieved this. Isn’t it this the real challenge?