AHistory of the NMRAAchievement Program (1961 - 2018)
CJ Riley MMR#97
With additional material provided by:
Willis Ehlert MMR#59, Rick Shoup MMR#234, Phil Kohl, Paul
Richardson MMR#345, and Frank Koch
TheAchievement Program (AP) is one of the more popularactivities of the NMRA, with voluntary participationrunninginthe thousands. Since the program's beginningin 1961, almost 600MasterModel Railroader (MMR) certificates have been awarded(#596 was awarded in June, 2017)andcountless others have earneda GoldenSpikeAward or at least one of the achievement certificates.
While the programwas instituted torecognize bothmodelingachievements andservice tothe hobbyandNMRA, there have been additional benefits. One of the requirements of anAP
MMRis a commitment to helping others, a requirement I amproudtosayis taken very seriously bythe recipients.
TheAPis designedto be accessible toall members. Skilled modelers can earnawards for model building, volunteers and“organization leader”types are recognized for theirservice, authors andphotographers can earna certificate for theirpublishedcontributions tothe betterment of the hobby, and model railroadbuilders can earncertificates for completion of operatingmodel railroadsand/or model railroads finishedwith scenery. NMRAmembers who don’t feel theirefforts warrantAPcertificates quite yet can worktowardthe GoldenSpikeAward, created torecognize those who have built a model railroadwithout exhibitingthe more advanced techniques or skills requiredforAPrecognition, but who have been willingtotrysome of thebasic modelingtechniques, producingwell-roundedworkthat requires more skill thansimply openingthe boxes.
The history of theAchievement Program reflects the inputs froma large numberof people, many of thempioneers of the hobbyandlegends familiartoall of us.The basis of this history
is the work done byWillis “Bill” Ehlert that was publishedinthe NMRABulletin ofAugust, 1985andadditional researchwas done byKalmbach LibraryformerResearch
AssociateThomas Mossbeck.
It was the late Hal Carstens, theneditor of RailroadModel Craftsman, whofirst proposedan awards program for model railroaders.The published proposal generated a great deal of mail
that was forwardedtoNMRAPresident LeightonKeelingandtwocommittees were formed,
chaired byWatsonHouse andDavidStearns, to delivera joint report tothe Board of Trustees(BOT) meetinginFebruary, 1961.
The ChicagoBOTmeetinginFebruary of 1961was presented a basic proposal for an “AchievementAwards Program”.This proposal was generated bya group of NorthEast Regionmembers led bythe “first” programchairandMasterModel Railroader#1, DougSmith. The BOTformally adopted the programas anNMRAactivity at the Clevelandconvention of1961. Carol Homuth became the first officialAPChairafterthe programwas established.At that time, there were nine categories with sixawards requiredfor MMR.The Scenery categorywas addedin 1963,Prototype Modelerwas addedin 1985, and the number of certificates required for MMR was increased to seven.
Jack KirbyTaylor, MMR #3, fromthe Midwest Region, became the secondchairinthe autumn of 1962. Underhis leadership, the rules andregulations were refined, providingmost of the specific requirements we workwith today.The Scenerycategorywas proposedin December, 1962, alongwith the requirement of anawardineach of the four areas as a prerequisite for earningMMR.The BOTapprovedthis package of improvements at the St. Louis midyear meetingin 1963.Toavoid possible confusionwith the NMRA’s Honors Awards program, recognitionfor service tothe organizationandthe hobby, the term“Award” was dropped, andthe programbecame officially knownas theAchievement Program (AP) in
1964.
August, 1964saw JohnA. Nalls, of the Lone StarRegion, become the thirdNational
Chairman, serving until Phillip H. Kohl, of the Pacific Northwest Region, succeeded himin
1966.The growingworkloadwas alleviated whentheAPVice-Chair, JackWeirbegan processingthe SOQs (“Statement of Qualifications”, the applicationform) at that time. Rick Shoup, MMR #234, took overthis part of the jobin 1973. FrankHamiltonwas named Dispatcher for the programin 1967andserved until 1980. FloydJames assumedthat responsibility andserved until 1995. Dispatcherwas always a very hardjobtofill especially afterRick Shoup andPat Harriman, MMR #168, invented the "FirstTimer" patches andthe Golden SpikeAward (proposed by C.J. Riley, MMR #97). Deane Mellander, MMR #68, created the GoldenSpike logo.The Dispatcher hadtosendthe patches andthe personal confirmations for each certificate.
InJanuary of 1970, Phil Kohl was succeeded byPaul Moon, MMR #30, of the Mid- Continent Region.At that time, thirtymembers hadearnedthe MMRawardand 1311 certificates had been awarded. Bythe tenthanniversary of the programin 1971, there were thirty-sixMMRs andmore than 1500certificates had been awarded.
Inthese early days of the program, models winning 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Honorable Mention or Best inShow at national or regionNMRA contests automatically qualified forAPcredit. Nocredit was offeredfor division contests or for superior models that did not place inthe contests. Inthe mid-1970s, the current systemof anymodel scoringat least 87-1/2 points inany NMRAcontest (national, region, or division)or inevaluation byanAPappointed member, would qualifyfor a MeritAwardandtherefore, automaticAPcredit.
DonMcKinnon, of theThousandLakes Region, managedthe program fromAugust, 1972 until June, 1974, whenDr. George Mellinger, MMR #42, Mid-Continent Region, took over. Anumberof refinements andchanges were made during his tenure and he was succeededin January 1979 byBill Ehlert, MMR #59, Mid-West Region.
In 1983, the 100thMMRwas awardedandmanyfelt the symbolismwas perfect.With a programdesignedsothat everymembercan participate, JohnM. Smith (appropriately) became MMR #100andthe ranks of MMRs were growing quickly.The first ten years saw 36
MMRs, but inthe next 14 years there were anadditional 76MMRcertificates awardedfor a total of 112as of June, 1985.
Rick Shoup, HLM, MMR #234, assumedtheAPchairin 1987andserved until 1995, when
he was succeeded byPete Moffett, HLM, MMR #143. It was Rick whoconceivedthe "Hat andGloves" logointhe early 1980’s that is still in use today.WhenPete becameAPchair, he started to use the logos for each categorythat had been created byCharlie Hansen, MMR#160, andDonBuckley, MMR #199. Rick hadcommissionedCharlie andDonto developthe logos a few years earlier.
Duringthe 1980’s there was a rapidincrease inserious prototype modelingefforts.The
informal group knownRailroadPrototype Modelers (RPM) was formed.There was a sharpincrease in boththe numberof railroad historical societiesandthe size of their memberships.There was a growingandrenewed interest inmodelinga specific portion of a real railroad and its equipment.
This interest was noted by both the Contest and AP Departments, and several changes were made. First, followingmore thana yearof paralleltestingandjudginginthe Mid-Central and Pacific Coast Regions, the contest andAPpoint allotment was modified, increasingthe total possible points inthe “Conformity” categorywhile decreasingthe total numberof points in scratch building.This change recognized researchtoestablishconformity tothe prototype, and, more importantly, allowedthe modelerto developrelevant documentationthat could lead toa “freelanced” model based ona numberof similarprototypical structures. It also recognized those who didadditional researchtoestablishthe prototype practicesthat were in effect duringthe era theywere modeling.
The onus was placed onthe modelerto provide the drawings, photos or otherdata that was usedas the “prototype” basis for the model.The prototype equipment rosters had grown considerablysince the early days of NMRA.The multitude of diesel locomotives and vast variety of modernfreight cars made it impossible for a judge to be knowledgeable inall facets of the prototype. It was determinedthat visual back upmaterial wouldavoidthe guessworkthat had been creepingintothe judging process, andthat the points awarded would be limited for undocumented models.
Ina parallel move, a newAPcategorywas created: MasterBuilder—Prototype Models.This categorywas added bythe BOTat the July 1985meetinginMilwaukee.This was a unique
categorythat requireda complete and documented prototype scene, with scenery, structures,
rollingstockanda locomotive, all appropriate tothe scene.
Followingseveral informal bull sessions, a group of MCRmembers, led byCJ Riley MMR
#97, debated the need for recognition of “pretty good beginning modelers” inadditiontothe “Master Modelers” of theAP.These discussions led tothe GoldenSpikeAward, added bythe BOTat the January, 1987meetinginBurlingame, CA.The GoldenSpikeAwardwas intendedto be achievable byanyone buildinga home model railroad, module, or portions of a clubrailroad. Earninga GoldenSpikeAwardrequireda bit more than“shakingthe boxes” when buildinga railroad.
Like Prototype Modeler, the requirements call for demonstrating basic skills with some rollingstock, structures, track work, andscenery, all of which involve some simple detailing of kits. Scratch buildingand kit bashingare encouraged, but not required, and existing MMRs are exempted fromparticipation. (Hint: Earn your Golden Spike before you apply for MMR if you want the Certificate.) It was anticipated that manymembers might be inspired bythe earning of this awardtofurtherparticipate intheAPandworktowardadditional certificates. The intent was to provide anentry point for theAPprogramandto provide a starting point that could be achieved byalmost everybody.
As is probablytypical inmany organizations, a veryminute number of members are tempted toexaggerate theiraccomplishments, andtheAPsufferedsuchanepisode inthe early 1990’s.Accusations were raisedthat anMMRcertificatehad been awardedtosomeone who had useda personal relationshipwith a programadministrator to obtain credit for models that were built by others.This situationwas new tothe programandthere were no provisions in place for dealingwith it. It was decidedto holda formal hearingat theValley Forge Conventionin 1993, with testimony presented before a panel of MMRs, with a memberwhoacted as “judge”, andanMMRactingas "prosecutor".The result of the inquirywas toremove the name of the offending partyfromthe MMRlisting, thus explainingthe missing name for MMR #156.The removal decisionwas confirmedat the followingEC/BOTmidyear meeting.As a participant inthe inquiry, this author fervently hopes we do not have to deal with this kind of very unpleasant issue again.
As the numberof participants inthe programexpanded, it stopped beinga “boys club” andin
July, 1991, theAPproudlyawardedMMR #175toMaryMiller, whose husbandBill preceded herby 10certificates.As of early-2018, there are a total of eightfemale MMRs: Mary Miller, MMR#175;June Maier, MMR #243; Leslie Eaton, MMR #289; MaryBarstow, MMR #292; GailAllenKomar, MMR #349;FranHale, MMR #349; Georgia Dahlberg, MMR#472; and Katherine Millatt, MMR#542. We encourage all to aspire to join the ranks of the MMR…everyone has an equal playing field.
For many years, there was a difference in evaluationbetween the NMRAContest Department andtheAchievement program–they used different scoringsystems.While contest winners received MeritAwards forAPcredits, the judgingsystems differedinthe allotment of points andthe total points possible.There seemedto be animplicationthat contest participationwas necessarytoearnAPcredit.Althoughthat was a false assumption, a cooperative movement began underPete Moffett,APChair, andDeanWindsor, Contest Chair, tomake the Contest andAPrules more compatible andthe judgingmore consistent. Since there were many excellent modelers whojust didn’t care for competition, or were unable toattendmeets where judgingwas available, these revisions encouragedmoreAPevaluationsat participants’homes or othercompatible locations.
Additionally, it created a basis for scoringthat would be more consistent. Tothat end, a jointly usedjudging guide was created in 1999, the point systems were melded, anda scoringmatrixcreated for each certificatethat presented a clear method of evaluating the qualityof the modeling verses the difficultyof the project. Now, there is muchmore consistencyinthe judging, whetherat a contest judging or inAPevaluationina non-competitive situation. Rick Maier, MMR #204, prepareda detailed set of JudgingGuidelines that explain the scoringineach area. These guidelines are posted on the NMRA website in the AP area for all to use.
The achievement programhas come a longwayinmore than 50 years.The numberof MMRs is 596as of mid-July 2017 andthe numberof certificates awardedtotals more thaneleven thousand. Clearly, this is a programthat attracts a large proportion of our membership. Listings of all MMRs, livingand deceased, in numerical orderand byRegion, are onthe NMRAwebsite intheAPsection.
We encourage all members to participate. Evenifyouare all thumbs with model building, the service awards (Volunteer, Official,andAuthor) are withinreach.The GoldenSpikeAward
was created sothat virtually anymembercan aspire toit, andit can be achievedwith a
simple module.The requirements have changed over time to reflect changes in the hobby – DCC, electronic publishing, and more. There is a great deal of pride andsatisfactioninearningany of the certificates, and youwill be helping others inways youcould not imagine.As a final side benefit, it is the easiest wayto have your name publishedin the NMRA Magazine. Please give some thought as to how youcan participate. Just doit.
C. J. Riley’s Personal Side Bar (2013)
This author’s personal experience maywell serve toillustrate how a typical memberstarts downthe path toearningthe MMRcertificate. I joinedthe NMRAin 1972inthe Mid- Central Region, but remaineda “lone wolf” modeler, until attracted bya local division meeting held at the headquarters of UnionSwitch &Signal Co., intheirdisplay room. I was receivedenthusiastically as a new memberand beganregularattendance.
Afew months later, I tooka model I was proud of toaninformal contest, inwhich the modelerverbally presented his model tothe judges, whocouldask questions about particular
techniques andmake suggestions for improvement, alongwith offeringencouragement to
enterit ina regional contest the followingmonth.Anarticleonthis style of contest was publishedinthe oldBulletin (myfirst author credit).With that conventionexperience a rousingsuccess anda lot of fun(I alsoreceivedanawardfor the model)I was fully hooked onthe advantages of anactive NMRAexperience.
I built more models that earnedMeritAwards, was elected toa division office, hada few published photographs, gave a clinic, and ultimately, hadmyfirst publishedarticleinRMC. I was suddenlysliding downthe ever-steepeningslope of theAchievement program, without
anactual decisionto participate. I examinedtheAPrequirements with increasinginterest and beganfocusingmymodelingefforts towardthem. MasterBuilderCars was the first award,
followed byStructures andVolunteer (I continue to volunteerat the divisional andregional
levels).
Notingthe ever-rising numbers of MMRs, I thought I might as well worka littleharderand trytomake the first one hundredMMRs.With a flurry of work onmylayout followed by
judgingfor the neededcertificates, I receivedwordthat I had been awardedMMR #97in
1982(as inthe oldrailroadsong, “TheWreck of the Old 97”).
Like many others, I quicklyrealized that earningthe awardwas just the beginning. MMRs pledge tocontinue toserve the membershipandthe hobby, a serious obligation. Electionto
regional office led toten years onthe BOTculminatingina termas ExecutiveVice-president
anda Co-chairof the 1990PittsburghNational convention. I continuedtoearnadditional certificates, and hope toeventually earnall eleven.
The most important benefit I saw fromAPwas the encouragement totry new things. I hadto trytechniques, build models, or volunteer for duties I might not have otherwise. Bothmylife
andmymodeling greatly benefited fromthe expanding horizons related totheAPprogram. While I amnolongeractive at the National level, I continue towrite, judge contests, give
clinics, andamthe FourthDivisionPNRAPchair, where I amproudtosaywe have encouragedsix new MMRs with anotherhalfdozen whoare close.
While the experiences of others may differconsiderablyinthe details, the step-by-step progress, followed bya pushtofinishis typical.The hardest part of all is that first step.
APProgram Managers
1961-1961 DougSmith, MMR #1NER
1961-1962Carol HomuthPCR
1962-1964JackTaylor, MMR #3MWR
1964-1966JohnNalls LSR
1966-1970Phillip Kohl PNR
1970-1972Paul Moon, MMR #030MCoR
1972-1974DonMcKinnonTLR
1974-1979George Mellinger, MMR#042MCoR
1979-1987Bill Ehlert, MMR #59MWR
1987-1995Rick Shoup, HLM, MMR #234SSR
1995-2000Pete Moffett, MMR #143NFR
2000-2008Pat Harriman, HLM, MMR #168MCoR
2008-2018 Paul Richardson, MMR #345MCoR
2018 - Frank Koch, HLM, MCR
APExecutive AssistantManagers
1961-1973JackWeir
1973-1988Rick Shoup, MMR #234SSR
1988-1988 Ron Williams, MMR #82 MCoR
1988-1995MarkStone SER
1995-2003Rich ColemanRMR
2003- FrankKoch, HLM MCR
APDispatcher
1967-1980FrankHamiltonMCR
1980-1995FloydJames MCR
1995-2000Rich ColemanRMR
2000-2008RogerQuinlan MCoR
2008-2017 FloydBrittan MCoR
2017 - Open
MMR Milestones
APProgramApprovedSummer, 1961
MMR #001DougSmith March, 1962
MMR #100JohnSmith June, 1983
MMR #200DavidBarronJune, 1993
MMR #300LexParkerFebruary, 2001
MMR #400LloydKeyserAugust, 2007
MMR #450 Brad Morneau August 2010
MMR #500MarkEvans November, 2012
MMR #550 Howard Garner December 2014
MMR #600Sam Swanson, October 2017
Compiled byCJ Riley, MMR #97
Revised byPaul Richardson, MMR #345, January 2013; Frank Koch, January 2018