Welcome to the South Eastern Region of the National Model Railroad Association. Our Region covers the five states of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, the western portion of North Carolina and the panhandle of Florida. We have a very talented group of model railroaders, prototype followers and general enthusiasts that enjoy getting together in Divisions and at Regional Conventions to share in the hobby. Scroll through the various pages of this web-site to see some of our modeling, meet some of the members and find locations and points of contact near you.

As a member of the Region you have a wealth of talent available to answer your questions, provide advice on modeling techniques and give guidance on contest entries and the Achievement Program. There are currently 10 Master Model Railroaders residing in the Region as well as, numerous experts in the various fields from Scenery to electronics and DCC.  Do not hesitate to contact the Member Aide Chairman or any of the Officers if you need help. We will get you to the right person or a subject matter expert in your area.

If you are not presently a member of the National Model Railroad Association, I encourage you to join. The benefits of a National organization designed for the shear fun of the Hobby are many. You can join both the National and the Region at the same time. If you are already a member of the NMRA and reside in our area, you are automatically considered part of the Region. However, if you want to participate in scheduled events and receive our quarterly news letter, The SouthEneR, you can join our Region group as a full member by going to the NMRA web site and follow the steps to subscribe to the newsletter. Our subscription rate is only $10.00 per year. The national organization will take care of notifying us and tracking your expiration dates. If you have not joined the NMRA and want to join in the fun and fellowship of our hobby you can join both organizations at the same web site.

The SER Board of Directors hope you enjoy this new communication tool.  Please provide our Webmaster your comments and feedback by Clicking Here.

Bob Beaty, MMR
SER President and NMRA Trustee  

VISION
Using all assets available, the Southeastern Region of the NMRA will be the premier support resource of choice to its members for the enjoyment of the hobby of model railroading in the South East.

MISSION
The Region’s resources shall be developed and used to provide its membership with the tools, talent, techniques and support to advance and encourage their modeling skills. The Board of Directors will use the available financial resources of the Region to support model railroading initiatives at the Division level.

OBJECTIVES
Provide support to its membership for the following key areas of responsibility:

Communications: using the SouthEneR newsletter and internet web-page and chat group.
Education: using the NMRA Achievement Program, Scouting Merit Badge program, and Member Aid.
Recognition of Skills: by encouraging participation in contests and NMRA events, Awards for Personal Achievement.
Skill Development: with a mentoring program, using Clinics at the Division and Region level, modeling techniques and solutions from Member Aid.
Promotion of the Hobby: developing Community Awareness programs to highlight the hobby, local events, layout visits, open houses and public clinics. Division Development and support to the Superintendents.
Membership growth and development: with support to Divisions, clubs and individual outreach.

GOALS
Communication:
• Increase the subscriptions to the SouthEneR by 10% Annually.
• Increase the effectiveness of the electronic communications tools with additional information pages and Services. Add interactive calendar -2006, on-line clinics, 2007, streaming video of layouts -2008.
• Redefine the content and format of the newsletter to provide more member support and how-to articles - ongoing.
• Provide on-line support to the Divisions with generic web pages under the Region web page.

Education Program
• Increase region membership participation in the NMRA Achievement Program by 20% in 2007 and 20% in 2008.
• Increase member recognition with Golden Spike awards for layouts – 10 in 2007, 20 in 2008.
• Increase region wide support of the Boy Scouts of America Merit Badge program. Expand the support beyond the Piedmont and Steel City Divisions, increase total Model Railroading Merit Badges awarded by 20%
• Increase participation in NMRA and Special Region Contest events by 20%.
• Develop Modeling Clinic DVDs.

Membership Skill Development
• Develop a Region-wide Mentoring Program, aligning skilled and knowledgeable members with individuals seeking skill improvement. Establish the program in 50% of the Divisions by 2007 and 100% by 2008.
• Develop an interactive Member Aid program using available internet assets. Encourage the use of Member Aid resources in all Divisions. On-going.
• Member Aid Chairman provide program introduction and description for publication in the SouthEneR for Spring 2007 issue.
• Develop a Region Clinic Library on DVD/CD. Produce 1 clinic in 2006, 5 in 2007, and 8 additional in 2008.
• Develop a volunteer cadre of clinicians that can visit Divisions on request for presentations and clinics.
• Develop a set of “Make and Take” clinics that re-enforce skills and techniques. Utilize NMRA contacts with vendors for materials. Use NMRA funding to support the project. Create 1 “Make and Take” for export in 2007, 2 additional in 2008.

Hobby Promotion within the Region
• Increase active participation at the Division level by 20% annually.
• Generate increased local interest in the hobby with open houses, public events and “train shows” sponsored by the Division and supported by Region assets (personnel and financial).
• Increase the knowledge and understanding of the role and purpose of the NMRA and the SER with Public Service Announcements in conjunction with local events.
• Coordinate Model Railroading events with local historical and prototype activities.
• Set up and man a NMRA membership table at all public events.

Membership growth and development
• Increase Region support of Division with recruiting aids and materials from National. Provide funding (upon request and based on Division membership roles) to support recruiting and membership drive efforts.
• Volunteer Region Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) visit divisions, and organized clubs. Region Officers visit at least two Divisions annually.
• Region SMEs present clinics at Division meetings: annually.
• Encourage and promote NMRA membership with Rail Pass info, Membership info and Benefits info.

CONCLUSION – FOCUS

The Officers and Board of Directors of the SE Region of the NMRA have a responsibility to the Region membership to manage the Region’s resources and assets for the enjoyment of the hobby of model railroading. To wit, they are tasked with fiscal management, membership development and growth, education and recognition of member achievements. As the custodians of the Region objectives, they are held accountable to the membership. This strategic plan is a road map and a timetable for the achievement of the Region’s stated goals. It shall be a score card for successes and a benchmark for future endeavors.

The Region President’s task is to ensure that the focus is sharp and we achieve what we promise to provide to our membership.