After a delay of one week due to weather, our fourth annual Railroad Modeling University (RMU) was held on February 6, 2010 at the Northside Baptist Church in Charlotte. The weather delay was taken in stride and over 80 people attended the classes, reviewed the models presented for viewing and judging and took advantage of the very reasonable prices on model train rolling stock, landscaping items, books and videos that had been donated by two members.

The attendance at the RMU this year was more than double the attendance in prior years. The Railroad 101 and 102 classes and the class comparing DCC to DC were very popular with every chair in the room filled. These classes were designed for people new the hobby of model railroading. Following these classes several of those attending elected to become members of the NMRA.

The feed back on all of the classes was extremely favorable. The key suggestion was to extend the RMU beyond the 3 hours schedule used this year. There were also suggestions that periods longer than 1 hour be considered to allow more time for questions and discussions.

We want to thank the team that planned this year's event, the presenters (faculty) and all those people that assisted (staff). Their commitment and hard work helped make the RMU successful.

Jack Haynes promised to provide copies of his clinic handouts to those who didn't get one. They are posted here.

Here are some photos of the venue and clinics in action:

The hallway was filled with models on display...

... and folks moving from class to class.

 
And then there was the food... and some deep consultation.

But mostly there was expert instruction...

 
... and rapt attention.