Overview:
The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) is a non-profit corporation headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The association employs several paid staff members, but many functions of the NMRA are performed by departments which are staffed by volunteers.
Regions:
The NMRA has regional chapters throughout the United States and in Canada, Great Britian, and Australia. Individual regions put on their own conventions, in addition to the annual NMRA National Convention.
National Convention:
The NMRA's annual National Convention is considered to be model railroading's single most important event. This convention is attended by hundreds of manufacturers, dealers, and avid model railroaders working in all scales. An NMRA national convention offers close to 100 different clinics and symposiums, and visits to over 30 model railroad layouts during a week long convention.
Industry Standards:
American model railroad industry standards for scale, gauge, and power are set by the NMRA. The NMRA DCC Working Group defined the standards for Digial Command Control. This ensures that locomotives and rolling stock from all manufacturers work on any other manufacturer's track, power supplies, and digital controls. Standards for DCC (Digital Control Command) have been created in cooperation with the European Union of Model Railroad and Railroad Friends (MOROP), making DCC almost a worldwide standard.