Welcome to the Los Angeles Division, NMRA
Love trains? So do we! We are a group of model railroaders in Ventura and Los Angeles counties who share our love of trains and modeling by educating people and promoting the hobby of model railroading, helping all modelers - from beginners to experts - build their skills and capabilities, and holding in-person and virtual events.
Please look around the site to learn more about the Los Angeles Division, the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA), local rail-related museums, groups, and hobby shops, and upcoming local, regional and national model railroad events.
Spotlight On The 2026 National T-TRAK Layout
As part of the The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) 2026 National Convention in Chattanooga, TN the National T-TRAK Layout organized the largest T-TRAK layout in the world. It featured almost 200 participants from 48 states, the District of Columbia, and overseas and had over 715 modules of all sizes (equivalent to 1511 single modules) totaling more than 93 scales miles of mainline!
Your Webmaster is an N scale and T-TRAK modeler and I was blown away by the modules that I saw in this layout. The creativity, craftsmanship and engineering skill of the modelers who made the models were inspiring (and sometime a little intimidating). For those in Southern California and nearby areas who would like to try their hand in T-TRAK modeling, the Orange County N'gineers club builds and operates layouts in the region every year and is looking for new members. Not in Orange County? No problem! We have members from around the region!
The huge, and very detailed, city by the T-TRAK group in Eagle Rock, Arkansas.
Part of Bruce Arbo's "Mother Road" series of modules.
Detail of Bruce M. Arbo's "Sunset Motel" module.
An N scale aircraft carrier!
Tom Spiggle's "Middleton" module.
Tom Spiggle's "Gotham" module.
The impressive bridge module by the Salisbury Point Northeast T-TRAK group.
Did I mentioned that people were running long trains?
A great way to model bad weather.
Modules don't need to be huge - this single does a great job of setting the scene.
Another awesome module.
A nicely detailed and weathered single module.
The Clovis Area Train Society had a train running on this set of tracks in a cloverleaf.
They planned the train length down to the millimeter to avoid the locomotive crashing into the caboose.
I was great to see modules from younger modelers included in the layout,
I loved this set of modules which included information about the area and scene they were modeling. It was very creative and informative.
A really creative way to include some bright colors!
This module by Gil Brauch, MMR, makes great use of the mirror to extend the scene.
This module was a big hit with the kids - trains and construction equipment!
Star Wars was well represented in the layout.
Text and photos by the LA Division Webmaster, Mark Fischer.
We need your help! If you have photos of a model you are proud of, a cool train-related thing you saw in the area or on a trip, or have some interesting news, please contact us so we can share it with the rest of the world.
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Upcoming Events
Some of the upcoming railroad-related events over the next few months include:
- October 5 - Glendale Model Railroad Society Open House, Glendale
- October 10 - Trains & Coffee, Yorba Linda
- October 17 - Glendale Model Railroad Society Open House, Glendale
- October 17 - Roundhouse Gang Swap Meet, San Bernardino
- October 24 - Cajon Division, NMRA Fall Meet, Riverside
- October 26 - Glendale Model Railroad Society Open House, Glendale
- November 1 - TTOS/Southwestern Division Train Meet, Arcadia
- November 7 & 8 - TrainFest, Milwaukee
- November 7 - Santa Susana Railroad Historical Society Swap Meet and Open House, Santa Susana
- November 7, 8 & 10 - California Southern Model Railroad Club Open House, Norwalk
- November 14 & 15 - Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club Train Show, Tehachapi
The Los Angeles Division
We are a group of more than 200 railroad modelers in Los Angeles and Ventura counties in southern California. We are one of 150 local groups, called "divisions", of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) across the world. The Los Angeles Division is part of the Pacific Southwest Region of the NMRA, which includes three other divisions covering Southern California, Arizona, and Southern Nevada.
We hold a monthly virtual meeting on the first Thursday of every month at 7pm. These informal "Sand House Chats" are a round-table where members can share information and talk about whatever interests them.
All Division members receive the "LA Division Coupler," the Division's quarterly newsletter via email.
In addition to our website, we share information on multiple social media sites.
- The Los Angeles Division, NMRA Facebook page (a public page that anyone can "like" to follow)
- The NMRA Los Angeles Division - A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Facebook group (a private group for Division members)
- The Los Angeles Division, NMRA Instagram page (Coming Soon!)
The NMRA
The National Model Railroad Association is a 501(c)(3) not for profit educational organization that was founded in 1935. It is a world-wide organization with over 16,000 active members, associates, families and clubs dedicated to the hobby of scale model railroading in all its facets, supporting a hobby of many diverse interests that all relate to the greater world of trains and railroads.