2026 NMRA National Train Show

[NEMMRRC]

Howdy!

I got the opportunity to attend the 2026 NMRA National Train show held in Chattanooga for one day. The show was part of the 2026 NMRA Convention and was open to the general public on August 1 and 2, 2026. I was there on August 1. Convention goers got a sneak peek on the evening of July 31.

It's been a while since I made one of this threads on this forum so I am throwing a test photo here to loosen up the forum photo posting memory muscles 

Here goes nothing.

[Jerry]

Looks good to me!  Where are the rest of the ones you took??

Jerry

[Rick]

Jamie, your forum photo posting memory muscles are functioning perfectly.
Let the photo posting begin.

[NEMMRRC]

It takes a lot of mmmph! to make all those N Scale trains go round and round for hours on the world record setting T-Trak modular layout at the 2026 NMRA National Train show. Here is a quick look at some of the controlling hardware.













That's me peeking in lol. I try to stay out of the photos but every now and then I have to prove it was really me clicking the shutter.



This last photo was the "throttle" many of the operators were using. Each operator was using his/her own mobile device to control the trains. It won't be long before a chip is implanted in our brains and we can just think our trains along the track.

[NEMMRRC]

Looks good to me!  Where are the rest of the ones you took??

Jerry

They are still cooking 

I've had to resurrect my old laptop that I have not used in 2 years. Fortunately it still works fine. I bought that laptop back in 2012. My old laptop has the photo editing software I've used for many years to post to the forum sites. I developed a good workflow using Picasa by Google. However, Google killed Picasa long ago and substituted it with something else. I was not able to find a similar replacement to Picasa. I gave it a go on my new laptop with different photo editing tools and it was taking me 3 times as long to edit the photos so it was easier to use my old laptop. Basically what I need is software that will do all of the following in one fell swoop:
- resize multiple photos at once (mobile phone cameras these days make HUGE photo files).
- rename multiple photos at once (this makes it easier for me to sort all the photos into groups that make sense).
- color correct multiple photos at once (this is not always necessary).
- add the "copyright" bug to multiple photos at once (I don't sell my photos but I do expect credit if my photos are shown outside a post I made).

Picasa was excellent at all these and much more. It was a sad day when Google killed it. I've yet to find a suitable replacement.

Perhaps.... AI tools can do all these for me. However, AI seems to be a really dirty word amongst the model train enthusiasts. Heaven knows I do not need any crap about posting photos online. This is meant to be fun so....

Carry on and stay tuned.

[NEMMRRC]

Jamie, your forum photo posting memory muscles are functioning perfectly.
Let the photo posting begin.

This old dog still has a few tricks 

I really stayed away for too long. Sometimes one's career gets in the way of having fun. Thank goodness I am making changes to correct that.

[Jim Donovan]

Jamie;

Thanks for the photos. I was there for some of the convention as well but grandkids took a lot of my time. I would indeed try the AI approach to correcting photos. It is a powerful tool and like most tools can be used for good or bad. In AI's case it just works so fast it is scary. Anyhow, the N scale lyout was indeed amazing. I did not learn new as much as I hoped but did get to listen to a couple clinics and they were really well attended. Of course it is always fun to hunt for bargains at the show as well. For me it was paints and paint markers.

Jim

[NEMMRRC]

Jamie;

Thanks for the photos. I was there for some of the convention as well but grandkids took a lot of my time. I would indeed try the AI approach to correcting photos. It is a powerful tool and like most tools can be used for good or bad. In AI's case it just works so fast it is scary. Anyhow, the N scale lyout was indeed amazing. I did not learn new as much as I hoped but did get to listen to a couple clinics and they were really well attended. Of course it is always fun to hunt for bargains at the show as well. For me it was paints and paint markers.

Jim

Grandkids are better than trains.

I asked my AI tool if it could do what I mentioned above. It told me it could not. But, it made some suggestions I could try on my new laptop. However, those suggestions involved multiple software programs in concert to do what Picasa used to do.

They had some "free" clinics for the unwashed masses at the Train Show. I when to one in the afternoon about laser engravers and their advantages for scratch building.

[elwoodblues]

Jaime,

Glad to see you posting photos again, can't wait to see the rest.

[NEMMRRC]

The world record setting 2026 NMRA National Train Show T-Trak modular layout was comprised of many layout groups and individuals. Some brought one T-Trak module and others brought multiple modules.

Here are some of the groups/individuals I was able to identify.

[NEMMRRC]

The world record setting 2026 NMRA National Train Show T-Trak modular layout was comprised of many layout groups and individuals. Some brought one T-Trak module and others brought multiple modules.Here are some of the groups/individuals I was able to identify.

[NEMMRRC]

Jaime,

Glad to see you posting photos again, can't wait to see the rest.

They are on the way.

It's good to be back.

[NEMMRRC]

It is highly likely many in the model railroading hobby have other hobbies as well. At the 2026 NMRA National Train Show, the world record T-Trak modular layout participants demonstrated they enjoy sci-fi as much if not more than model trains.







This "cave" was found underneath the scene above and was only visible every so often when its light came on. I had to put the camera along the fascia of the module to capture the hidden cave scene.
 








The modules above were very popular and crowded during the whole of the show. I did my best to capture what I could without disturbing others at the show. I make it a point to capture the photo I can capture without causing too much disruption to others. After all, the whole point is for everyone to enjoy the show and not for some yahoo to hog the aisle in order to take a photo.











If you know, you know (above) 

[NEMMRRC]

It takes a lot people to pull off  world record T-Trak modular layout. Perhaps they all gathered together before/after the show and made a group photo. Here are some of those people and the ones enjoying that effort. Be sure to thank the folks making the shows fun when you have the opportunity to attend.

[Zephyrus52246]

Great pictures, Jaime.  Thanks for sharing them.  

The Star Wars/Star Trek modules are especially cool, but my favorite is the one where the N scale pretends to be a garden railway. 

Jeff