NMRA National Convention Coming to Cleveland

The annual convention of the National Model Railroad Association opens in Cleveland at the Convention Center on Sunday.

Convention attendees will visit the Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugar Creek, Ohio, as well as choose from among dozens of clinics to attend that feature talks about railroad history was well as s practical advice on model railroading.

A highlight of the convention is the National Train Show, which features model railroading equipment manufacturers, hobby shops and layouts. The show will be held July 18-20 at the Convention Center. The show will open to the public on Friday (noon to 6 p.m.), Saturday (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Tickets are $14 for adults, $13 for seniors (age 65 and older) and $7 for children (ages 6-12). A two day pass is available for $26. The show will have 130 exhibitors from across the country.

During the convention, tours will be provided of model railroad layouts in the Greater Cleveland area, Youngstown and western Pennsylvania. Other tours include visits to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, Arcelor-Mittal Cleveland Works, Charter Steel, Inc., the Greater Cleveland RTA shops, Cleveland Works Railroad, Ohio Locomotive Works, the GE locomotive factory in Erie, and the Mad River & NKP Museum in Bellevue.

Walkup registration will be available during the convention. The standard registration fee for the week is $160 where a three-day registration is available for $115 and a one-day registration can be had for $65.

Frederic A. “Ted” Goodman, a principal of F. A. Goodman Architects in Columbus, will be the speaker at the convention banquet on Saturday night (July 19).

His familiarity with 19th century construction methods has led to his firm’s involvement in several railroad station rehabilitation projects, including Jerry Joe Jacobsen’s Ages of Steam Roundhouse Project. Goodman will speak aboutthe design and construction of the roundhouse complex.

Akron Railroad Club member Jerry Krueger is a convention co-chairman and a member of the National Convention Committee.

For more information on the convention, visit the group’s website at: http://www.2014cleveland.org/

Reeling in Some Good Catches This Week

On Tuesday, the freshly repainted Conrail caboose came through on the 15K.  I saw it pass Hudson but didn’t get it. I ended up chasing it across town, catching it east of downtown Cleveland and again at West 150th St and at CP Max.

While the 15K switched Rockport yard, a 145 came off the NKP with a Citirail engine in the lead.  I wouldn’t have caught this engine without the caboose coming through so it’s funny how railfanning works sometimes.

Wednesday found me at Bellevue where a Wheeling & Lake Erie train heading for Toledo had a freshly painted SD40-2 No. 6384 in the lead.

This is the Wheeling’s contribution to the NMRA Cleveland 2014 National convention.  I caught this train east of town but then it parked in a tight fenced-in location while waiting to cross NS.  After nearly three hours it finally moved, but it was nearly dark by then.

Article and Photographs by Todd Dillon