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A word of warning about plywood. I have watched Chinese-made plywood de-laminate over time. A good friend saved a few bucks buying it, and regretted it as his railroad began to come apart after a couple years. Cutting the stuff smelled bad also. I think the glue was really bad. Bill

Given the degree to which you want validation of the "best guesses" people have supplied in good faith, I guess the answer to your question is "NO". There is no consensus or "census" on how many Model Railroaders there are in the United Sates, in all scales and gauges.

I gave some thought to the original question that started this thread. I think that we need to boil down that 175,000 number. I really don't think there are 175k potential NMRA members out there. Too many people in this population might be Toy Train collectors, 'round the Christmas tree only...

Here are some industry figures: Model Railroad Hobbyist: 90,815 total unique audience circulation (YOY: +0.2%) 33,276 subscribers (YOY: +0.2%) Model Railroader: 101,379 total paid circulation (YOY: -11.7%) 81,645 total paid subscriptions (YOY: -8.5%) Railroad Model Craftsman: 23,633 total...

I think the issue here is, who are those 175,000, and are they really potential NMRA members? I will bet many are what we might consider Toy Train Collectors, and not considered "scale model railroaders". They just pursue a different aspect of this diverse hobby. The NMRA is specifically...

I would recommend that you use either ACT-6006 or No-Ox, but not both. In fact I recommend ACT-6006 over No-Ox because it is a more complete product. It addresses both the oxidation issue and the micro-arching issue. No-Ox only deals with the former, and it can be a mess to apply and wipe down.

I use ACT-6006 and had excellent results. Much may depend on how well your layout is sealed from dust, and the general environment around the layout. The ACT-6006 cleans and leaves a conductive wax on the rails. Once you get this treatment on the rails, don't use alcohol to clean or it will...

I've always tried to be careful offering any "suggestions" because they always sound like "criticisms" to whom I direct them. However, if someone asks for suggestions, I then feel more open to provide any insights I might have. Posting this sort of thing on the internet is really dicey because...

Unfortunately, you are probably right about some of this. The NMRA is run by your fellow model railroaders, and not some mystical group of executives-for-life. The national organization seems to turn over every 3-5 years, with many of the officers having term limits. Most of them are...

Those Lego layouts were incredible. Yes, the trains are not scale, but the building... Damn! There is every bit the creativity and energy in one of those Lego layouts as there is in any scale model railroad. On top of that, they are just fun to look at!

I don't think the circulation of Model Railroader is that high. I will check around and see if I can find out, and post what I find here.

I saw someone came up with the total number of model railroaders as 175,000. I suppose that is a pretty good estimate, but I think defining who is a "model railroader" is problematic. No doubt we can agree that someone with an large HO basement railroad is an MR. Is the guy down the street...