Highball to Indy Report - Steve Moore

Indy NMRA Convention

By Steve Moore, Northern Utah Division, NMRA 

It’s all good. The display, along with all of the support equipment and materials, seemed to have arrived unscathed. Not only that, but we made the trip without losing our luggage. What a deal. Our delegation of four consisted of Jack Chase, the Northern Utah Division Superintendent, Stan Jennings, Division Treasurer and RMR Board member, his wife Janet, the Division Secretary, and myself. 

We were in Indy to promote the 2019 National NMRA Convention in Salt Lake City, first time in Utah. So we setup the display and started talking to people about the merits of the 2019 Convention and the many charms of Salt Lake City. The biggest selling points, and certainly the items of most interest, were the 150th Anniversary of the Golden Spike at Promontory National Monument, the possibility of the Union Pacific bringing out their steam power, (hopefully the Big Boy No. 4014), for the occasion, and the many prototype tours in the planning stages.

The world class layouts we have to offer for ops and layout tours were definitely of great interest too: such as Gary Peterson's Salt Lake Southern, the Utah Colorado Western of Lee Nicholas, Rob Spangler’s Western Pacific, and Ted York's Cajon Pass. These and many more put a smile on the face of many convention goers. The ability to take our light rail (TRAX) system from the airport to within a half a block of Little America, the Convention Hotel, then to take TRAX from the Hotel to the National Train Show at the SouthTowne Expo Center, was seen as a pleasant bonus.

Many people were looking forward to visiting Temple Square, attend a Tabernacle Choir rehearsal, and take advantage of the world's largest genealogy and family history library across the street. All these and more were big hits with the many people we talked to. Even though many wanted to sign up for the 2019 Convention, we weren't able to do so this year according to NMRA policy. Next year in Orlando we will be able to take registrations. Repeatedly, the NMRA Headquarters have been bombarded by requests to register for the 2019 Convention in SLC. This is unprecedented in NMRA history, three years out. 

We talked to people from Korea, Honduras, Australia, Canada, England, and around the world. We gave out around 2,000 2019 brochures. Visited with thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds. We were pleasantly received by all with whom we came in contact.

There were many interesting clinics at this year’s Convention.

Joe Fugate gave a clinic on Painting Models in a Post Floquil World, 

a doctor of optometry did one on Eyesight, Aging, and the Modeler, and a young teenage boy gave one on Teenagers and the Next Generation of Modelers. There were clinics on using a multi-meter, layout design, and the Badger folks did a couple on airbrushing.

There were some clinics by Bruce Chubb on signaling, and just about every other topic under the sun. Spots for the Modeling With the Masters clinics were filled up months before the Convention started.

We picked-up a couple of good deals at the Silent Auction, too. The entire Convention was well organized with ample assistance wherever you needed it. The Company Store was pretty much sold out of the most desirable items previous to the Convention.

The National Train Show was held in the huge Indianapolis Convention Center across the street. All the usual suspects were there, manufacturers, club layouts, and vendors. After all, that is why people go to train shows - to see what’s new, talk to the manufacturers, see the trains run, and pick-up a bargain or two. I must say, this year’s National Train Show was much better than some previous years, although it was quite a walk from the convention hotel.

We had a great time, made new friends, and got reacquainted with some people we haven’t seen face to face for a while. If you get the chance to attend a NMRA National Convention, do it. It will be an experience you will never forget

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