Welcome
If you are looking for an active model railroad organization where you can learn about the model train hobby, share your modeling tips, meet other model railroaders, start new friendships and have fun, we invite you to join the San Diego Division of the National Model Railroad Association. 

If you are not a member and would like to join, and attend our next meeting or event, please call Rudy Spano, Member Services, at (858) 761-1424. A list of this years events are here online. 

Next Event:

Saturday, May 10, 2025 - Spring Meet

Spring Meet: The Spring Meet will be held at the North County Model Railroad Society which is located in Oceanside, California (in San Diego North County).

• Date: Saturday, May 10, 2025.
  
• Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Location: North County Model Railroad Society is located inside the Heritage Park & Museum at  220 Peyri Drive, Oceanside, California 92058.
• Parking: There is free parking at front and in the rear of the park.
• Lunch: Lunch will be provided with a small donation.
• Activities: There will be Show & Tell, two clinics, door prizes and more.
• Accessible: Yes, the facility is accessible.
• Masks: Not required.
• Show & Tell. We are asking as many people as possible to present a five minute Show & Tell.
  • Show & Tell is a time to bring a project or model and show your model railroading work or discuss any topic about model railroading.
  • You can also talk about something concerning any real railroad, either historical or present day information.
  • If you make a PowerPoint presentation, it will be easier to see for everyone.
  • Please contact Ryan and let him know you'd like to participate in Show & Tell.
• Clinic 1: Weathering by Pete Steinmetz. The clinic will be outside due to better lighting. Pete will take up to 10 people to work hands-on and the rest of the Division can watch the entire clinic and weathering process. Each rail car needs to be provided by the participants, a box car red or brown rail car. Please remember, this is a learning experience and don't bring your best rail car. Bring a rail car that mistakes can be made and it won't be a problem. Pete will spray each rail car with a flat finish outside at the beginning of the clinic. Pete will be showing how to effectively and realistically weather a car using Pan Pastels. Pete will provide all the rest of the material for weathering.
• Clinic 2: Open Car Loads by Bob Chaparro. Bob's clinic will look at various railroad car loads that modelers can duplicate with an emphasis on general service flat cars and gondolas in the steam and transition eras. Prototype practices will be explored through photos and diagrams. Examples of accurately modeled loads and common modeling errors will also be covered.
• Carpooling: Help take the sting out of high gas prices and carpool with a friend.

For more details about all our 2025 events, please see our Meets/Events web page here.

September 2025 - PSR 2025 Convention - Pacific Southwest Express

PSR 2025 Convention: This is the Pacific Southwest Region (PSR) 2025 Convention, the Pacific Southwest Express. Details are listed on the convention's website listed just below.

• Date: September 3–6, 2025.
  
• Location: Ivine Hilton, 18800 MacArthur Blvd, Irvine, California, 92612. The Irvine Hilton is located next to the John Wayne Airport which is located in Santa Ana in Orange County, California, USA
  
• Website: www.pacificswexpress.org
• Accessible: Yes, the facility is accessible.
• Masks: Not required.
• Activities Will Include:
  • Welcome Reception, Pacific Southwest Region Board of Directors Reception, Pacific Southwest Region Members Meeting, Hobo Breakfast, Celebration of Models, Clinics, General Interest Clinics, Model railroad layout tours, Operation Sessions, Prototype tours, General Interest Tours and Vacation Tips, Model Railroad Swap Meet, Silent Auction, Hobo Auction and the Awards Banquet and Raffle Prizes

More About the San Diego Division
The San Diego Division holds in-person meetings every second Saturday of the month, which include members showcasing their own modeling work, layout tours, and modeling clinics. (A clinic is where one of our members demonstrates techniques or skills needed for modeling, for example, an electronics clinic, how to solder, how to weather rolling stock, understanding decoders, or techniques to improve rolling stock standards.) We have quarterly meetings (which includes a luncheon), an annual swap meet, annual picnic and other activities for our members. The Division newsletter, "The Mail Hook", is published quarterly by email and is sent to our Division members.

The San Diego Division (California, USA) includes the Southern California counties of Imperial and San Diego with a population of over three million, and is one of four divisions in the Pacific Southwest Region (PSR) of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA). The other PSR Divisions are the Arizona Division, Cajon Division and the Los Angeles Division. Please find links to the National Model Railroad Association membership rates on our website. 

San Diego Division Facebook Page, Facebook Group & YouTube Channel 

• San Diego Division Facebook Page (Anyone can "Like" this Facebook Page.)
• San Diego Division Facebook Group (Private Facebook Group for our members, new as of April 2020.)
• San Diego Division YouTube Channel (Our YouTube Channel is new as of the Summer of 2020.

Model railroading is also quite active in San Diego County, with multiple model railroad clubs (including the four clubs at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum in Balboa Park), there are many home layouts (of which a number of have active regular operating sessions), a very active Garden Railway Society, three model train stores, and several other general hobby stores that have model railroading supplies.

About the National Model Railroad Association
The National Model Railroad Association, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) not for profit educational organization that advances the global scale model railroading community through education, advocacy, standards, and social interaction. The NMRA is a three-tiered organization. The National Organization is sub-divided into Regions (18 worldwide), and those Regions are in turn sub-divided into Divisions. It is at the Division level that interactions take place between an individual member and the entire NMRA organization.

What's in a Name? 
The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) has named all the local NMRA groups, "Divisions". While it is tempting to call our NMRA group in San Diego, a model railroad club, or just the club, that terminology doesn't quite fit. The reason is, a model railroad club is where their organization has its own a permanent model train layout, usually in a rented or owned public business-type building. NMRA local Divisions usually do not own permanent layouts. NMRA Divisions hold meetings and events throughout the year. The San Diego Division is a very active NMRA Division and holds monthly meetings. It is our members who typically own their own private model railroad layouts. We hope this explains why the San Diego Division is referred to as a Division and not a model railroad club (or a club)! 

San Diego Division Model Railroader Members
Our members are very active in the model train hobby in San Diego. Some of our members belong to model train clubs, some have their own model railroads and some do both. There are three types of model railroaders in this scale train hobby. People who like to run model trains, model train modelers and model train collectors. Many model railroaders participate in all of these activities. There is a wide range of model train skill levels in the San Diego Division.

In addition, many of our members participate in Operations Sessions here in San Diego. Many of our members have their own Operations Sessions at their home model train layout and many participate in their club's Operations Sessions. Operations Sessions are when you operate your model train layout like a real railroad. Operations Sessions keeps the interest and fun in the model train hobby for your entire life. If you are looking to meet and be part of an organization with active and experienced model railroaders, the San Diego Division might be the right place for you to join.

Please note: The San Diego Division does not have a dedicated physical meeting place or office. Each month, we meet at various locations throughout San Diego County. With the exception of during a pandemic, we hold virtual meetings. All photos on our website credit: The San Diego Division, National Model Railroad Association.