The NMRA is a world wide organisation and to encourage modelling they have
something called the Achievement Programme.
From the NMRA website:
Introduction
In simple terms, the Achievement Program (AP) is a travel
guide, to help you on your journey through the world of model railroading.
The AP also provides incentive to learn and master the many crafts and skills
necessary in the hobby of model railroading. With the completion of each category,
you will be issued a certificate acknowledging your achievement.
The AP requirements are a set of standards, but they can
also serve as a set of guideposts for those who are new, near-new, and not-so-new
to the hobby. Not because they lead to some sort of official pat-on-the-back,
but because they are a source of ideas for projects that can help us learn
to become better modellers.
Briefly, the AP is a system of requirements for demonstrating
a superior level of skill in various aspects of our hobby. It covers not only
building various types of models, but also building other things which are
important to the hobby, such as scenery, structures, track work, and wiring.
It also recognizes service to the hobby and the NMRA, which are important
as well.
Master Model Railroader
An NMRA member qualifies as a Master Model Railroader when
he or she has obtained at least seven of the eleven Achievement Certificates
provided that he or she has earned at least one Achievement Certificate in
each of the four areas of the Regulations. Earning the title of Master Model
Railroader is the ultimate goal for many participants in the Achievement Program.
Golden Spike Award
Some people may be reluctant to participate in the AP, because
the rules seem difficult to understand. The following pages explain each of
the different categories in the AP, and what the exact requirements are.
If you are new to the AP, may we recommend that you take
a look at the Golden Spike Award, although not an actual AP category its requirements
are structured along the same lines.
For more details click here
to see the NMRA BR website.
My Achievement Programme Progress
I finished my MMR in July 2014 – number 542. I’m now working on the last four certificates.
What is a Merit Award?
To achieve many of the certificates you need to obtain Merit
Awards. A Merit Award is achieved when you get 87.5 points out of 125 in areas
such as construction, details, conformity (to prototype), finish and lettering
and scratch building. You don’t need to enter a competition to be judged,
a British Region AP helper would be happy to do so.
My progress so far is:
| Certificate (Require 1 of each section, 7 in total) | Progress |
|---|---|
| Railroad Equipment: | |
| Motive Power | Certificate achieved July 2014 |
| Cars | Nothing judged yet |
| Railroad Setting: | |
| Structures | Certificate achieved July 2014 |
| Scenery | More square footage needed! |
| Prototype Models | Photo chosen, models being built. |
| Railroad Construction & Operation: | |
| Civil | Certificate achieved July 2014 |
| Electrical | Certificate achieved October 2013 |
| Chief Dispatcher | Several hours as a road engineer. |
| Service to the Hobby: | |
| Official | Certificate achieved July 2014 |
| Volunteer | Certificate achieved October 2008 |
| Author | Certificate achieved October 2011 |
Individual Certificate Progress:
Motive Power
3 models / 1 scratchbuilt / 3 Merit Awards
| Model | Scratch Built | Merit Award | Type | Finished | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Porter & scratch built slope back tender | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2. | J-2 New Haven conversion | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 3. | Speeder | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Achieved July 2014
Cars
8 cars / 4 scratch built / 4 types incl passenger cars
| Model | Scratch Built | Merit Award | Type | Finished | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Camp Car (6 of them) | No | Yes | ||
| 2. | |||||
| 3. | |||||
| 4. | |||||
| 5. | |||||
| 6. | |||||
| 7. | |||||
| 8. |
| A | Passenger Cars/Camp Cars |
|---|---|
| B | Tank Car |
| C | Box Car |
| D | Flat Car |
Structures
12 Structures / 1 bridge / 6 scratch built / 6 Merit Awards
| Model | Scratch Built | Merit Award | Type | Finished | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | OO UK terraced houses | Yes | Yes | A | Yes |
| 2. | On30 pile bridge | Yes | C | Yes | |
| 3. | HO NEBISCO buildings | No | F | Yes | |
| 4. | HO Bowyer Manufacturing | No | E | Yes | |
| 5. | O Gas Station | No | Yes | E | Yes |
| 6. | O General Store | No | Yes | D | Yes |
| 7. | O Repair Barn | Yes | Yes | D | Yes |
| 8. | HO NEBISCO billboards | Yes | D | Yes | |
| 9. | Martin Machine | No | Yes | D/E | Yes |
| 10. | Bikini Car Wash | No | Yes | D | Yes |
| 11. | Hand Car Shed | Yes | D | Yes | |
| 12. | On30 swamp hut | Yes | D | Yes |
| A | Styrene Structure |
|---|---|
| B | Bridge |
| C | Wood Trestle |
| D | Wooden Structure |
| E | Plaster Structure |
| F | Plastic Kit Structure |
Achieved July 2014
Scenery
32 sq foot including terrain, structures, background, lighting and realism/conformity.
Photos and description are needed plus a Merit Award on the section being judged.
Civil Engineering
| Requrirement | Satisfied By | Finished | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Original Scale Drawing including | Plan | Yes |
| A | Adequate terminal facilities for handling freight and/or passenger cars | Plan | Yes |
| B | Adequate terminal facilities for storage and service of motive power | Plan | Yes |
| C | A minimum of one mainline passing siding | Plan | Yes |
| D | Four switching locations, not counting yards, interchanges, wyes, and reversing loops | Plan | Yes |
| E | Provision for turning motive power (except for switchbacks, trolley lines, etc.) | Plan | Yes |
| F | Provision for simultaneous operation of at least two mainline trains in either direction. | Plan | Yes |
| 2. | Construct and demonstrate, the satisfactory operation of a completed section of the model railroad and track work described in #1. Containing at least 50 linear feet in HO. | Layout | Yes |
| 1. Passing Siding | Layout | Yes | |
| 2. Spur | Layout | Yes | |
| 3. Crossover | Layout | Yes | |
| 8. Turntable | Layout | Yes | |
| 15. Coal Dump Track | Layout | Yes | |
| 18. Grade Elevation | Layout | Yes |
3.Construct for Merit Judging, scratch built scale models of any three of the following. and demonstrate their satisfactory operation:
| Model | Merit Award | Finished |
|---|---|---|
1. Turnout | Yes | Yes |
5. Crossing | Yes | Yes |
10. Gauge Separation Turnout | Yes | Yes |
Achieved July 2014
Electrical
| Satisfied by: | Finished | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Construct and demonstrate on own or club layout, the satisfactory operation of an electrical control system on a model railroad capable of simultaneous and independent control of two mainline trains in either direction, and containing at least: | ||
| 1. | For command control wiring (DCC, TMCC, and others), sufficient gaps and switches to maintain polarity, phase if needed, and troubleshooting. | Layout | Yes |
| 2. | One mainline passing siding. | Storage Loop | Yes |
| 3. | One reversing loop, wye, turntable, or transfer table. | Lower Level | Yes |
| 4. | One yard with a minimum of three tracks and a switching lead independent of the main line. | Port | Yes |
| 5. | Facilities for the storing of at least two unused motive power units | Storage Yards | Yes |
| 6. | One power supply with protective devices (short indicator or circuit breaker) to ensure safe operation. | DCC System | Yes |
| B | Wire and demonstrate the electrical operation of at least three of the following items: | ||
| 1. Turnout | Layout | Yes | |
| 3. Crossover | Layout | Yes | |
| 4. Double Crossover | Layout | Yes | |
| C | Wire and demonstrate the electrical operation of at least three of the following items: | ||
| 1. Electrical turnout position indication | Layout | Yes | |
| 15. Installation of a command control throttle buss line | Layout | Yes | |
| 16. Construction and installation of a sound system | Layout | Yes | |
| D | Prepare a schematic drawing | Layout | Yes |
Achieved October 2013.
Association Official
To qualify for the Association Official certificate, you must:
Have served in an office of President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, or Director, and have completed satisfactory service in one of the following:
At least one year in office at the national level.
Achieved July 2014
Volunteer
Have served actively on one or more NMRA committees (National, Regional, or Division) long enough to accumulate sixty (60) certified time units (TUs). The TUs you receive for various types of service are listed below:
| Dates | Time Units | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 3. | Active satisfactory service as a Region committee Manager, or on a National committee: 2 TUs per month. | ||
| Running Ardenrail Exhibition | 1/6/06 – 30/06/07 | 26 | |
| 4. | Active satisfactory service as a Region committee member, a Division Officer or committee Manager: 1 TU per month. | ||
| Running Ardenrail Exhibition | 1/7/07-30/6/08 | 12 | |
| Running Arden Subdivision | 1/12/06 to 31/01/09 | 26 | |
| 10. | Individuals (and their crews) who open their home or club layout for layout tours in conjunction with NMRA conventions or other NMRA sponsored events earn credit as follows for each day that the layout is open for viewing. | ||
| c. Divisional Event 3 Time Units / day (3 TUs maximum per event) | |||
| Layout open day | 30/4/05 | 3 | |
| Layout open day | 26/11/05 | 3 | |
| Layout open day | 8/4/06 | 3 | |
| Layout open day | 11/11/06 | 3 | |
| Layout open day | 24/11/07 | 3 | |
| Layout open day | 12/4/08 | 3 | |
| Layout open day | 15/11/08 | 3 | |
| TOTAL | 85 |
Achieved October 2008
Author
1.Prepare and submit material on any of the following subjects:
Model Railroading.
Prototype Railroading, Applicable to Modeling.
NMRA Administration (e.g. Officers or Committee Reports)
The material being claimed must be the work of the author, photographer, artist, draftsperson, etc. applying for the certificate.
A total of forty-two (42) points must be earned from a combination of material in the following areas:
| A | Published Articles | ||||
| Article | Date | Type | Pages | Points | |
| Continental Modeller | June 09 | National | 1.5 | 4.5 | |
| Continental Modeller | July 09 | National | 1.75 | 5.25 | |
| Model Railroader | March 11 | National | 5 | 15 | |
| SUB TOTAL | 24.75 | ||||
| D. | Electronic Publications | ||||
| Website | Points | ||||
| www.kathymillatt.co.uk | 17.25 | ||||
| TOTAL | 42 |
Achieved October 2011