Modular Railroading
The Modular Railroading
certificate is the newest NMRA Achievement Program Certificate, having been
approved by the NMRA Board of Directors on 27 July 2026. If you see any issues
or inconsistencies with the requirements below or attached forms, please let
Ray Persing know at achiev@nmra.org. A FAQ section is at the bottom of this page and
is being updated as additional questions come in. Meanwhile, if you have any
questions, please contact Ray.
A. PURPOSE
The purpose of the Modular
Railroading Achievement Program (AP) Certificate is to recognize
individual model railroaders who demonstrate integrated excellence in
the design, construction, operation, and public exhibition of modular
model railroad sections (modules).
This certificate evaluates
a modeler’s ability to successfully combine multiple disciplines
- trackwork, electrical systems, scenery, structures, and operations -
within the unique constraints of portable, interoperable, standards-based
modular railroading. It recognizes not isolated components, but the
holistic execution of a functioning modular system suitable for repeated
public operation.
Scenery constructed for
this certificate may be credited toward the required square footage of the
Scenery Achievement Program certificate only where that scenery is
separately evaluated as meeting the Scenery AP Merit Award standard, using
the standard Scenery AP evaluation process (see Section B.5 and Evaluation
Criteria (d) below). Achieving the Modular Railroading certificate does
not, by itself, qualify a member for the Scenery Achievement Program
certificate; the member must separately satisfy all Scenery certificate
requirements, including the full required square footage, to receive that
award.
B. REQUIREMENTS
To qualify for the
Certificate of Achievement in Modular Railroading, the applicant must:
1. Construct and complete a minimum of three (3)
operable modules conforming to an established modular standard (e.g.,
NMRA, T-TRAK, NTRAK, Free-mo, Free-moN, or similar).
2. The modules must have a minimum combined size of 44
square feet (4.1 square meters) for O
scale, 32 sf for S scale (3.0 square meters), 24
sf (2.2 square meters) for HO scale, 12 sf (1.1 square meters) for N scale, 9 sf (0.8 square meters) for Z scale, and 5 sf (0.5 square meters) for T scale. Minimum square
feet required for other scales are based on the ratio between that scale and 24
sf in HO scale.
3.
Each module must include:
a. Standards compliant electrical and physical
interfaces at connection points (connections between the member’s
module(s) and adjacent modules of others adhering to the same standard).
b.
Operational trackwork.
c. Reliable mechanical and electrical performance.
d. Complete scenery and backdrop if appropriate to the
module standard used.
4. Modules must be displayed and operated successfully
at a minimum of three (3) separate public exhibitions or NMRA-sanctioned
events.
5. Merit Requirement: Each module must earn a minimum
score of 87.5 points out of 125 using the Modular AP Merit Scoring Matrix.
The evaluation considers each of the three (3) required modules as a
stand-alone body of work, emphasizing conformance to the relevant
standard, the integration of the scene depicted within the module, its
reliability, and craftsmanship.
Evaluation Criteria
a. Module Construction (25 points) - Quality of
framing, rigidity, surface preparation, joinery, durability for transport,
and overall workmanship.
b. Trackwork, Standards Compliance & Operation
(30 points) - Alignment, geometry, turnout performance, standards
compliance at interfaces, operational smoothness, and reliability under
public operation. Mainline track conformance is critical as a failure to
meet standards on this affects all attached modules. Use of flex track or
hand-laid track beyond required interface sections is encouraged
and rewarded.
c. Electrical Systems & Control (20 points)
Power distribution, wiring practices, connector and wiring type choice,
strain relief, lighting circuits, control logic, sensor systems, sound
systems, and operational reliability across multiple setups.
d. Scenery, Terrain & Scene Integration (20
points) - Realistic terrain shaping, drainage and slope, landform
transitions, ballast application and blending, ground cover, vegetation,
scenic textures, and effective treatment of module edges and seams, particularly
across adjoining modules representing the same scene. For purposes of this
certificate's Merit Requirement, scenery is evaluated on the
overall effectiveness of the module as constructed to the applicable
modular standard used (including standards, such as T-TRAK, that may
depict non-prototypical or fantasy settings), and is not evaluated to the
Scenery Achievement Program Merit standard unless separately submitted for
Scenery certificate credit as described in Section A.
e. Structures, Details & Animation (20
points) - Quality, placement, provisions for durability, and integration
of structures, bridges, roads, vehicles, and visual storytelling elements.
Includes mechanical and electronic animation such as moving machinery,
vehicles, smoke or steam effects, sound-equipped scenes, IR-or sensor-activated
features, and other dynamic elements. Scratch-built, kit-bashed, or
modified elements and well-integrated animation receive higher consideration.
f. Presentation, Documentation & Public
Readiness (10 points) Professional appearance, clarity of documentation,
educational labeling where appropriate, and evidence of successful public
exhibition and operation.
g.
Statement
of Qualifications: The applicant must submit a Statement of
Qualifications including documentation of the modules. This documentation must include:
a. Written description of design intent, construction
methods, and operational purpose.
b. Copy of the standard to which the modules were
constructed.
c. Wiring diagram for each moduled.
d. Minimum of five (5) color photographs of each
module.
e. Verification of public exhibition (Record and
Validation form).
f. Evaluation form signed by three (3) qualified AP evaluators.
No comments:
Post a Comment