The NMRA No.1 Northern Free-mo group returns to the WMRC 2026 train show and open house

The NMRA No.1 Northern Division Free-Mo group will be returning to the WMRC's 2026 train show and open house. The group is known for having the largest display at the Manitoba Mega Train Show (now the Manitoba Hobby Expo) and they'll have the largest layout at our show too! 

Come on down and see their spectacular layout in action at the Charleswood Legion, 6003 Roblin Boulevard between 10 and 5 on Saturday, April 18 and on Sunday, April 19 between 10 and 4. Admission by donation. Proceeds go to St.Amant.

T-Trak's Neil Berrington will make a presentation about model railroad module design at WMRC's April meeting

In a very short time Manitoba T-Trak has become one of our most popular attractions at the WMRC’s open houses, and we are pleased to announce that they will be displaying again this year at our next show on April 18 and 19 at the Charleswood Legion. 

As a special preview to this event, T-Trak’s Neil Berrington will make a presentation about the principles of model railroad module design at our next meeting on April 10.  Neil will discuss types of layouts such as fixed, transportable, portable, communal modular and highly portable, and types of modular layouts including Free-mo and T-Trak. He will also show how he designs and produces modules with CorelDRAW and modern technology.  Neil will also display some T-Trak modules. 

The fun starts at 7:30 PM on Friday, April 10 in the Tank Room at the Charleswood Legion, 6003 Roblin Boulevard. The canteen will be open and we’ll have our usual model and photo displays.

NMRA No.1 Northern Division free-Mo Group readies their layout for Manitoba Train and Hobby Expo

Ian Plett, fearless leader of the NMRA No. 1 Northern Division Free-Mo Group layout, is seen working hard on a new section of the layout. 

Long time WMRC member Christopher Robinson sent us images of the NMRA No.1 Northern Division Free-Mo group hard at work at Larry Skoglund’s place, getting their spectacular layout ready for next month's Manitoba Train and Hobby Expo. The Free-Mo Group and the WMRC are both part of the NMRA No. 1 Northern Division.

NMRA No.1 Northern Division Free-Mo group layout is the largest layout in the entire show, and it's always a must see attraction! Come check it out on September 27 between 9 and 5 and on September 28 between 9 and 4 at the Manitoba Train and Hobby Expo, Red River Exhibition Place, 3977 Portage Avenue. General admission is $12. Youths ages four to 12 get in for six bucks. Kids three years old and under get in for free!

Fred Headon (R) and the crew are seen applying finishing touches to the turf surrounding the track on one of the layout's modular sections.

Installing a four track mainline is not an easy task. The curves have to be the proper length away from each other to prevent the trains from colliding.

The Free-MoGroup's efficient design allows easy and comfortable access for wiring.

No.1 Northern Division's Free-Mo group to display at Dawson Trail Days in Ste. Anne, Manitoba

The No. 1 Northern's Free-Mo Group will be setting up this 36' x 10' dog bone shaped HO modular layout at Dawson Trail Days in Ste. Anne, Manitoba during the Labour Day Weekend.

The NMRA No. 1 Northern Division’s Free-Mo group will be displaying their HO modular railway at Dawson Trail Days. The layout be set up in the town’s curling rink.

The event is being held on the Labour Day long weekend on September 3, 4, and 5, 2022 in Ste. Anne, Manitoba. The three day festival is named after the historic Dawson Trail that crosses Ste. Anne. features baseball, a parade, music and a kid’s zone, youth tales competition and a fireworks display.

 

 

Neil Carleton is keeping busy creating a new Free-Mo module

WMRC vice president and NMRA No. 1 Northern Division Superintendent Ian Plett recently emailed members, asking them how they  “spent their summer vacation”. Long time member Neil Carleton sent some images of the excellent module he’s created.

Neil had originally planned his module for display at a train show in Regina, which was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. It’s built to the original NMRA specs but using code 83 rail and with his existing two foot adapter modules, it will fit in with other free-mo modules.

The streetcar tracks are girder type to allow a clear groove for the wheels. They are soldered to copper pc board ties and the tinted spackling is troweled on using home made tools, to leave the rail heads a bit proud of the road to allow for cleaning. He painted and weathered the road.

The overhead wire works. The Bachman streetcar is switchable from two rail to one rail and overhead. The poles are brass and connected to the wiring bus. The power goes to the span wires attached to the poles and are soldered to the running wire using lost wax brass castings. The span wires are not soldered to the poles to allow slight adjustments.

He used a special tool to bend the girder track and some turnouts, so the next modules will have loops to allow continuous running. He used information online at East Penn Traction Club and Trolleyville School as well as a multipart article he downloaded from Model Railroader.

The poles and small brass parts were sourced from a fellow in Ohio. The track is from Custom Traxx. A few other pieces came from Micromark. The sanding tower is a Kanamodel kit as is the water tower. The oil tanks are ABS plumbing pipes with added details. The lunch stand is a Bar Mills kit.

Winnipeg Model Railroad Club mourns passing of long time member Roger Kiendl

Roger (far left) is seen with Ron Einarson, Paul Ullrich Dennis Rietze and Sid Greenstone in from of the Prairie Dog Central’s #3 locomotive during the 2010 TLR convention in Winnipeg. 

Long time WMRC member Roger Kiendl passed away in Regina earlier this year.

Roger was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He had a long career in electronics and worked for companies such as Bulova, Gulf and Western, Curtis Wright and the Westinghouse Corporation. He was the designer and Project Engineer for the nuclear reactor rod control system installed on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise.

He met his wife Beverley, a nursing student from Manitoba, while she was working at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. They were married in 1963 and moved Winnipeg in 1971. He worked as the sales manager of video systems for Servo Electronic Systems, providing television systems for Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario until he retired in 1999.

Roger was a member of the WMRC and the NMRA for close to 40 years. He attended the NMRA national convention in Winnipeg in 1983 and TLR conventions in 1996, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2010. When the TLR’s local group, No. 1 Northern Division, was in danger of being delisted he was a driving force in helping the group’s reorganization.

Roger saved the lives of three of his fellow WMRC members Arnie Walker, Norm Leathers and Paul Ullrich in 2003 when they were travelling to the TLR convention in Thunder Bay. When it was his turn driving, a moose suddenly walked onto the Trans Canada Highway east of Dryden. He expertly swerved, braked, and honked, scaring the moose out of the way.

Roger was on the organizing committee for the 2010 TLR convention in Winnipeg. He came up with the name of the convention, “Steam on the Prairies”. He was a tireless and dedicated volunteer for this convention, assisting in securing the venue, the rental of the Prairie Dog Central Railway, choosing the restaurant for the banquet, renting the bus for the rail fan trip to Portage La Prairie and the rental of the banquet tables for the Friday night barbecue.

Roger was also a member of the Winnipeg Rotary Club, the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, the Winnipeg Executives Association, the Manitoba Protective Officers Association, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, and was a Board member for St. Amant. When the WMRC was seeking a charity to sponsor, it was Roger who recommended St. Amant.

He and former WMRC Treasurer Dennis Rietze designed the modules for the No. 1 Northern Division’s Free-Mo modular layout. Roger continued to be active in the TLR and the WMRC until Beverly’s passing in 2014. He moved to Regina in 2015 to be closer to his son, Anthony. He died peacefully in Regina at age 85.

Roger is seen taking a photo of a layout during the TLR convention in Duluth, Minnesota in 2008.

 

Watch Ian Plett on Global TV

WMRC Vice president and Public Relations Director Ian Plett was interviewed on Global TV's local morning show on September 28. He was there to promote the Manitoba Mega Train Show, which was held on September 29 and 30.

Ian, who is also Superintendent of the NMRA No. 1 Northern Division and President of their Free-Mo group, set up the largest display the show ever had, combining forces with the Kildonan Short Lines modular group.

The WMRC always has a significant presence at the show, as the club is involved in set up and take-down of the event, including assembling the mega-train and manning the admissions desk.

You can see Ian's interview by going to: https://globalnews.ca/video/4496572/model-train-lovers-unite-at-manitoba-mega-train-hobby-show

Winnipeg Model Railroad Club to hold their annual train show and open house on April 7 and 8

Mark your calendars! It's that time of the year again! The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club is holding their annual open house! We're going to have some great layouts, featuring an expanded version of the NMRA No. 1 Northern Division's Free-Mo layout. The Giraffe Car man will also have his portable Lionel layout running again!

We'll also have plenty of displays, including our annual model and photo contest results. The canteen will be open, serving plenty of hot dogs, chips, coffee, pop and donuts.

The fun starts on Saturday, April 7, in the Tank Room at the Charleswood Legion, 6003 Roblin boulevard. Hours are from 10AM to 5PM on Saturday, April 7, and from 10AM to 4PM on Sunday, April 8. Admission by donation. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to St. Amant. Hope to see you all there!

The National Model Railroad Association's Winnipeg train show is on tomorrow!

Saturday, November 1 is the big day! The NMRA is holding it's first ever train show in Winnipeg, and it's open to the public! You don't have to be an NMRA member to attend! They're going to have lots of layouts, including the No. 1 Northern Division's Free-Mo layout, the Lionel 027 "Giraffe Car" layout, a portable N scale layout, and a G scale layout! There will be clinics and a demonstration on how to run a layout with a cell phone. Try your hand at runing a miniature switching yard with the John Allen Timesaver module!

The fun starts at 10:00 AM this Saturday at Whyte Ridge Baptist Church, 201 Scurfield Road! Admission by donation. Handicap accessible! Portions of the proceeds will be donated to St. Amant.

NMRA No. 1 Northern Division Free-Mo group displays at WMRC open house

Neil Carlton runs a freight train on the No. 1 Northern Division's Free-Mo modular group layout at the WMRC's open house. Photo by Paul Ullrich

   The NMRA's No. 1 Northern Division's Free-Mo modular group displayed once again at the WMRC's annual open house. The layout was a bit smaller than last year's, mostly because there were so many other displays, and only so much space to go around! Still, there was enough room to have some really long trains do some really long runs.

    The two loops the group constructed were funded by a grant from the NMRA's Thousand lakes Region (TLR). The No. 1 Northern Division thanks the TLR for their generosity in helping complete this project.

A BN freight rolls down the straightaway, heading for the next loop which will bring it back. Photo by Suzanne Lemon.

Ian Plett holds a tree modelling clinic at the WMRC open house

   Ian Plett is one busy guy! He's an active member of the WMRC and the NMRA's No. 1 Northern Division's Free-Mo modular group, and he holds down a job as a long distance trucker. While he was helping operating the No. 1 Northern's Free-Mo layout at the WMRC's last open house, he also found the time to conduct a tree modelling clinic!
 
   Tree modelling has always been one of the WMRC's most successful clinics. By using such easily obtainable and inexpensive items as twigs, hair spray and ground foam, anyone can make some very
convincing looking trees for their layout. Just look at the beauty Ian created in the foreground of this image!

NMRA No. 1 Northern Division's Free-Mo Group to exhibit at WMRC's open house

   No. 1 Northern Division Superintendent Dennis Rietze waves hello to a father and son watching the trains go by. Photo by Suzanne Lemon.

    The NMRA's No. 1 Northern Division will once again be displaying their free-mo group's layout at the WMRC's annual open house this year.  Free-mo stands for free modular, which is a relatively new concept in model railroading. 

   According to Wikipedia, Free-mo's emphasis is on flexibility in track design and prototypical scenery and operations. Free-mo was developed with the idea that a set of standards focusing mainly on module end plates would enable faithful modeling of prototype track plans and operations in a modular environment. The length and track configuration of a Free-mo module or module set is up to the modeller. Free-mo modules may be long or short, straight or curved. Free-mo modules may even be composed of several sections, forming a module set.

   The No. 1 Northern Division's layout was the largest display at last year's Manitoba Mega Train Show, and it's always a treat to see them run!

    The NMRA will also have a display at the train meet. There will be application forms available for those who wish to join. The NMRA is an international model railroading association. Membership give access to regional and national conventions, several publications, and insurance for your model railroad equipment. For more information about the NMRA, click here. 

   The WMRC's open house will be held on Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March16 at Westworth United Church, 1750 Grosvenor Avenue.  Times are from 11:00AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday, and from 1:00PM to 5:00 PM on Sunday. Admission is by donation. A portion of the proceeds from the show will go to support St.Amant.

Highlights from the Manitoba Mega Train Show

   1700 happy people can't be wrong! The second annual Manitoba Mega Train Show was Winnipeg's best attended model railroad event since the 1983 NMRA national convention!

  This is the first in a series of images of the event, which were taken by Suzanne Lemon, the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's photo contest chairperson. Suzanne has been the photo contest chair for seven years. She was also the club's only female president, a title which she held for three years. She's also the editor of Railfan Canada.

   Today's images will focus on the No. 1 Northern Division's free-mo layout, easily the largest display in the show. It covered a whopping 40' x 50' of floor space! The Division will be holding their third annual division meet on Saturday, November 2.  For more information on this meet, click here.

    Pictured below are No. 1 Northern superintendent Dennis Rietze and WMRC treasurer Gary Stempnick at the layout.