Station No.VI 2025 being planned as an unconventional convention. One of the differences for this convention is that there will be none of the traditional bus tours to visit the local home and club layouts. Every day you will have the opportunity to plan a self-guided tour of around a dozen (or more) layouts in one of six geographic regions around the metropolitan Detroit area. Each layout will only be open on the designated day for its region. The advantage for all convention registrants is that they can hand pick the layouts they find interesting and visit more of those interesting layouts each day than they could by boarding a bus that visits a pre-defined set of layouts.
Given this year’s general Layout Tour format, we’ve elected to spread the Layout Design Special Interest Group (LS SIG) Layout Tour over all six days of the general Layout Tours, matching the region for each day. To provide our LD SIG members maximum value, we are providing LD SIG Layout Tour registrants with the following:
- The LD SIG will curate the key layouts on the general Layout Tour that you will want to see in each day’s region. Many of the layouts have been featured in national magazines. Some have had pictures published in the NMRA Magazine. Others are hidden gems. We will let you know which are the best layouts to see.
- Each day we will direct you to a few additional layouts that only the LD SIG Layout Tour registrants can access. These layouts range from the newest of layouts that are mostly plywood and dreams, to completely finished layouts with excellent scenery. Each of the six days of general layout tours will have some of these LD SIG-only layouts available, but only for a single day and a limited time that day. Currently, 14 layouts will be spread over those days but expect several more to be available come convention time.
Note: Attending a convention is part of the social aspects of our great hobby. If you have a seat, share a ride. You’ll have a chance to meet new people and possibly make a new friend in the hobby.
After you check at the convention, visit Monday evening’s Meet ‘n Greet or the LDSIG Desk in the SIG room (Ballroom A) to pick up your 2025 LDSIG Tour Commemorative Shirt (included in the price). For admission to the exclusive LDSIG Tour layouts you’ll need either your 2025 LDSIG Tour shirt, or the Bill of Lading on the back of your convention badge. Shirt monograms will be available to those purchasing the LDSIG Layout Tour by June 30th, 2025.
For further details, please visit the LD SIG page for the Station No.VI 2025 convention.
Tour Regions
| Region | Map Color | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central | Monday, July 14th | 1pm – 9pm | |
| Northeast | Tuesday, July 15th | 9am – 9pm | |
| Northwest | Wednesday, July 16th | 9am – 9pm | |
| South | Thursday, July 17th | 9am – 9pm | |
| West | Friday, July 18th | 10am – 8pm | |
| Near South | Saturday, July 19th | 12pm – 4pm |
Exclusive Layouts
As the information becomes available, we’ll list below the additional layouts open exclusively to LD SIG Layout Tour registrant’s.