NMRA Pacific Coast Region Sierra Division

11/09/2025

The Sacramento Modular Railroaders are running their holiday train today.

11/09/2025

Sunday at the International Railfair. Lots of kids learning about model railroading today.

11/09/2025

Lego layout

11/08/2025

It’s International Railfair Model Railroad Show weekend at Cal Expo. Hours are 10am to 5pm Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday. Come on down!

11/05/2025

International Railfair will be at Cal Expo November 8th and 9th. See https://calexpo.com/event/international-railfair/ for more information. (edited to add BAZ BOYZ Z layout and the correct scales of Ralph Schwiegert's layouts.

11/05/2025

Packratt Trains and Toys from Gridley will be one of the vendors at IRF.

11/05/2025

Some extra incentive to attend the show!

International Railfair (November 8-9 2025 in Sacramento at Cal Expo) would like to thank our friends at Rapido Trains Inc. for sending us an HO Scale EMD GP 40 Cotton Belt #7607. We will be giving this away on Saturday afternoon. See the NMRA tables for details on how to enter the free drawing.

11/05/2025

Clinics and Talks schedule for International Rail Fair (IRF) coming up this weekend.

Just a reminder that we have a line up of demos, clinics and talks at the show this weekend, including Mendocino historian Katy Tahja. She and her husband have ridden on 50 tourist railroads in the USA and Canada. A retired librarian she writes local history features for regional newspapers, docents in Kelley House Museum in Mendocino, and is a popular speaker on the rail history of the north coast of California.
Her railroad books include “Rails Across the Noyo: Trackside History of the Skunk Train” which is now being rewritten and updated, “Early Mendocino Coast” and “Logging Railroads of Humboldt & Mendocino Counties”. She is the historian for the Mendocino Coast Model Railroad and Historical Society and her books will be for sale in their booth bat the event. Tahja says “While I am not a walking statistical encyclopedia on all aspects of local rail history I have a enormous respect for the creativity and ingenuity rail builders employed is placing tracks, trestles, and shipping points in seemingly impossible places. Come see my presentations and slide show and see what they accomplished!"

10/15/2025

The Sierra Division met in Chico, starting at the Remanso de Paz & Western Railroad being built by Jason, Tobin, & Ken Roye’s. We then went to Chip Meriam’s home to view his layout and enjoy a nice lunch prepared by Mike Hamlin and Lorri Meriam.

03/30/2025

Congratulations to Sierra Division 2025 Member of the Year David Fryman. Along with serving as the current division chief clerk, David has devoted a lot of his time and energy volunteering for other duties whenever a need arises.

11/04/2024

International Railfair Model Railroad Show 2024 is in the books. Kudos and congrats to Sierra Division member Tom Campbell for "herding the cats" organizing the show. Our division is one of the four sponsors along with Roseville Roundhouse, the Sacramento chapter of European Train Enthusiasts and the Sacramento Modular Train Club. Thanks to Sierra Division members Ed Powell, Dave Fryman, Mary Moore-Campagna, Ron Petrich, Lorri Meriam for volunteering to NMRA information at our table as well as helping young and old to navigate the John Allen Timesaver layout to set the cars out in their correct spots. Clinicians Chip Meriam and Tom Campbell provided afternoon clinics while railroad artist gave pointers on drawing railroad equipment art.