Registration

Station No.VI 2025 NMRA National Convention Registration is now OPEN! Using the link below, you’ll need to create a registration account, fill out your information, make your registration selections and pay with your credit card. All registrations must be submitted through the system with a credit card. Attendance to several activities is limited so register early! The registration system allows you to add items as they become available or change so do not wait.

NOTE: Hotel reservations are made independent of event registration. Please see the Location page for lodging options.

Please be aware, The following items are not yet finalized; you’ll be able to register for them at a later date:

• Modeling with the Masters clinics.
• Operating Sessions
• Make & Take clinics

We do have preliminary information on the available Layout Tours and Clinics but their scheduled dates/times are yet to be determined.

Registration Pricing Summary

Standard Registration – $ 125.00
This registration level applies to attendees regardless of NMRA membership. It includes admission to National Train Show on Saturday and Sunday with special early entrance Saturday morning.

Companion / Spouse Registration – $ 62.00
An adult attending with principle attendee already registered using Standard Registration. Must register principle attendee first. It includes admission to National Train Show on Saturday and Sunday with special early entrance Saturday morning.

Youth Registration (ages 12-17) – $ 20.00
Must be accompanied by a person registered under a Standard Registration. This registration level includes admission to National Train Show on Saturday and Sunday with special early entrance Saturday morning.

Youth Registration (under 12) – FREE!
Must be accompanied by a person registered under a Standard Registration. This registration level includes admission to National Train Show on Saturday and Sunday with special early entrance Saturday morning.

Saturday Pass (includes National Train Show) – $ 40.00
Includes admission to convention activities on Saturday, July 19th, plus a ticket to the National Train Show on Saturday, July 19th. Pick up your ticket Saturday morning.

Friday & Saturday Pass (includes National Train Show) – $ 60.00
Includes admission to convention activities on Friday, July 18th and Saturday, July 19th, plus a ticket to the National Train Show on Saturday, July 19th. Pick up your ticket Friday morning.

Prototype Tours

Ford River Rouge Factory Tour – $ 62.00
Monday Jul 14, 2025 @ 10:00:AM — 04:00:PM EDT
Visit the Dearborn Truck Plant at Ford Motor Company’s historic River Rouge facility. Cost includes bus transportation to/from the venue.

The Henry Ford Museum – $ 70.00
Tuesday Jul 15, 2025 @ 10:00:AM — 04:00:PM EDT
Spend a day at the The Henry Ford, an internationally recognized cultural destination that immerses visitors in the stories of ingenuity, resourcefulness and innovation that helped shape America. A National Historic Landmark with an unparalleled collection of artifacts from 300 years of American history. Cost includes bus transportation to/from the venue.

Detroit River Cruise (Gordie Howe Bridge) – $ 85.00
Wednesday Jul 16, 2025 @ 10:00:AM — 04:00:PM EDT
Experience Detroit’s rich history and impressive skyline with a sightseeing tour, narrated by knowledgeable local guides. With breathtaking views, fascinating insights, and a relaxing atmosphere, this cruise is the perfect way to explore Detroit’s unique charm. Visitors will enjoy unique views of the new Gordie Howe Bridge, still under construction. Cost includes lunch and bus transportation to/from the venue.

Greenfield Village with Steam Train Ride – $ 80.00
Thursday Jul 17, 2025 @ 10:00:AM — 04:00:PM EDT
Experience firsthand the sights, sounds and sensations of America’s fascinating formation, where over 80 acres brim with resourcefulness and ingenuity. Here, 300 years of American perseverance serve as a living reminder that anything is possible. Step foot in the lab where Thomas Edison had his lightbulb moment or the workshop where the Wright brothers taught us to reach for the sky. Take a ride in a real Model T, or a walk through four working farms. Rub shoulders with world-class artisans, and explore the place where America’s can-do spirit inspires you to go out and get it done. Cost includes bus transportation to/from the venue and a ticket to ride the train pulled by a working steam engine.

Michigan Central Station & Motown Museum – $ 60.00
Friday Jul 18, 2025 @ 12:00:AM — 04:00:PM EDT
The Michigan Central Station was the historic main intercity passenger rail station in Detroit from 1914 until the cessation of Amtrak service on January 6, 1988. It was the tallest rail station in the world at the time of its construction. After years of deterioration, Ford Motor Company purchased the station in 2018 for redevelopment. After years of extensive renovation the station reopened in June of 2024. Rounding out the day’s tour is a visit to the Hitsville USA studio that launched the legendary Motown sound and made household names out of The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and many others. Cost includes bus transportation to/from the venues.

Modeling with the Masters®

Modeling With The Masters® (MWTM) is a unique opportunity to participate in an immersive hands-on clinic where participants learn and use both basic and advanced modeling techniques taught by Master Model Railroaders® (MMR).

Making Realistic Foreground Trees – $ 60.00
Monday Jul 14, 2025 @ 2:30 PM — 6:00 PM EDT
Jim Gore, MMR leads the instruction, assisted by MMRs Peter Youngblood, Carl Smeigh, and Clark Kooning. Jim will take you through the creation of two foreground trees: one deciduous tree (like cottonwood or oak or elm) and one conifer tree (pine, fir, spruce, or larch).  You will learn about simple techniques that help make the tree appear more realistic as a stand-alone scenery item.  We will also talk about the size, shape and height of the trees. Participants are required to bring their own tools; failure to do so will hinder your ability to take part in these hands-on clinics. Make sure to consult the general guidelines for Modeling With The Masters® clinics for details on tool requirements.

Signs and Lettering – $ 30.00
Monday Jul 14, 2025 @ 7:30 PM — 9:30 PM EDT
Clark Kooning, MMR leads the instruction, assisted by MMRs Peter Youngblood, Carl Smeigh, and Jim Gore. Looking at trying to add life to your layout? Clark will show you how to add signs and lettering to structures. We will provide a couple DPM building fronts to practice with. We will show you how to make your own signs, application of paper signs, metal looking signs, a hanging sign and using stencils for signs. If you’re in another scale don’t pass on it because it’s HO only, this clinic presents the techniques to apply to any scale.  Make sure to consult the general guidelines for Modeling With The Masters® clinics for details on tool requirements.

Making and Painting Rock Scenery – $ 60.00
Tuesday Jul 15, 2025 @ 7:30 AM — 11:30 AM EDT
Carl Smeigh, MMR leads the instruction, assisted by Jim Gore, MMR, Peter Youngblood, MMR, and Clark Kooning, MMR. Carl will lead you through the process of building a rock wall and using various commercially available materials to color the rocks achieving a rock feature used in scenery. The session will include techniques for painting the rock feature to look like real rock. You will leave the session with your completed rock feature. Make sure to consult the general guidelines for Modeling With The Masters® clinics for details on tool requirements.

Model a Branchline Livestock Pen – $ 60.00
Tuesday Jul 15, 2025 @ 1:30 PM — 5:30 PM EDT
Peter Youngblood, MMR leads the instruction, assisted by MMRs Jim Gore, Carl Smeigh, and Clark Kooning. At one time in rural America, branchline livestock pens were commonplace for smaller local ranches to facilitate shipping cattle, sheep, even pigs to market by rail. Today they’re mostly relics, livestock shipping taken over by the trucking industry.  Peter Youngblood, MMR, will teach you how to scratch build this small livestock pen from a supplied scale plan and pre-stained wood. Make sure to consult the general guidelines for Modeling With The Masters® clinics for details on tool requirements.

Painting and Improving Figures – $ 30.00
Tuesday Jul 15, 2025 @ 7:00 PM — 9:00 PM EDT
Jim Gore, MMR leads the instruction, assisted by MMRs Peter Youngblood, Carl Smeigh, and Clark Kooning. Jim will discuss various ways to add some “life” to your layouts. Making your scenery look like it is actively populated is an important reminder to operators and modelers that your model railroad has a purpose. You will be provided with some primed HO figures to paint and detail as well as learning some tips on how to improve pre-painted or detailed figures. Make sure to consult the general guidelines for Modeling With The Masters® clinics for details on tool requirements.

Building and Weathering Plaster Structures – $ 60.00
Wednesday Jul 16, 2025 @ 7:30 AM — 11:30 AM EDT
Clark Kooning, MMR leads the instruction, assisted by MMRs Peter Youngblood, Jim Gore MMR, and Carl Smeigh Clark will take you on an amazing journey into building a kit made from Hydrocal plaster, walking you through the steps to build a great starter kit called First Timer Bar. We will explore sealing plaster, basic assembly, learn to paint brick and other masonry items. There is no time like the first time for anything and that includes building your first hydrocal kit! Designed with rank beginners in mind, this kit features simple construction, but amazing detail. Try one, you’ll like it! 1 1/2″ x 4″ in HO scale. Make sure to consult the general guidelines for Modeling With The Masters® clinics for details on tool requirements.

Better Telephone Pole Realism – $ 30.00
Wednesday Jul 16, 2025 @ 7:00 PM — 9:00 PM EDT
Peter Youngblood MMR leads the instruction, assisted by MMRs Jim Gore, Carl Smeigh, and Clark Kooning. Better telephone pole realism on our model railroads is most often overlooked because they’re so commonplace we don’t easily notice they aren’t always the same.  Applicable to any scale, Peter will teach you the basics of how and why they differ and how simple it is to make your plastic telephone poles (supplied with clinic) more realistic. Make sure to consult the general guidelines for Modeling With The Masters® clinics for details on tool requirements.

Transportation

Shuttle Bus to National Train Show – $ 10.00
The National Train Show (at the Suburban Showplace) is not within walking distance of the Convention venue (Sheraton Novi). If you have no transportation, then select this item for a ticket that allows unlimited rides on the shuttle bus. If you are staying at one of the other hotels, you will need to get to the Sheraton to use the shuttle bus. The shuttle only runs on Saturday, July 19th.

Meals

Farewell Pizza Party with Soft Drink – $ 18.00
Sheraton Detroit Novi Hotel – Assembly Area
Friday Jul 18, 2025 @ 09:00:PM — Saturday Jul 19, 2025 @ 01:00:AM EDT

Farewell Pizza Party with Beer – $ 23.00
Sheraton Detroit Novi Hotel – Assembly Area
Friday Jul 18, 2025 @ 09:00:PM — Saturday Jul 19, 2025 @ 01:00:AM EDT

Farewell Pizza Party with Wine – $ 31.00
Sheraton Detroit Novi Hotel – Assembly Area
Friday Jul 18, 2025 @ 09:00:PM — Saturday Jul 19, 2025 @ 01:00:AM EDT

Saturday Night Banquet – $ 64.00
Sheraton Detroit Novi Hotel – Ballroom B
Saturday Jul 19, 2025 @ 06:00:PM — 10:00:PM EDT
Enjoy a dinner with your fellow convention attendees. Several delicious meals will be available for your selection at the event. With the last Amtrak train departing Michigan Central Station in 1988, the historic structure stood abandoned for 30 years before Ford Motor Company purchased the building in 2018. Preservation architect Angela Wyrembelski will discuss the Station’s extraordinary transformation process and how adaptive reuse of the historic station connects Detroit’s past to its promising future.
Social hour: 6-7pm
Banquet starts: 8pm

Clothing

Layout Design SIG

Layout Design SIG Tour – $ 50.00
This year, the Layout Design Special Interest Group (LD SIG) tour (see details) will be spread over the six days of layout tours open to all registrants. A purchase of the LD SIG Layout Tour will provide you with:

• A curated list of the best layouts on each day’s general layout tour.
• Admission to additional layouts in the day’s region that are open only to LD SIG Layout Tour registrants. 

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.

Layout Design SIG Annual Dinner – $ 50.00
Thursday, July 17th. Open to members of all SIGs. This year’s dinner will be held at Rocky’s Steakhouse, about 2.5 miles (4 km) from the Sheraton Detroit Novi.
6-7 PM Social Hour
7-9 PM Dinner