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Welcome to the World's Greatest Hobby


 
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Welcome Beginners

Free booklet
This booklet can only offer a glimpse into the exciting world of model trains. A lifetime of joys and challenges lies ahead. We hope you decide to join us on this magical journey. All aboard!  Click here to download this booklet.
Building Your First Model Railroad -DVD
Free online video
The "Building Your First Model Railroad" video is now available online via You Tube. Click on the scene you want to view: 
Free information available on this web site:


Monkeysee.com The World's Greatest Hobby has partnered with Monkeysee to create an introduction to model railroading and how to select a train set video series. Click here to see the video
WORLD'S GREATEST HOBBY upcoming featured events:
Northern Virginia Model Railroaders announce their 2010 open house schedule
Northern Virginia Model Railroaders
        231 Dominion Rd.
        Vienna, Virginia
        phone: (703) 938-5157
        website:  www.nvmr.org
        email: nvmrinc@yahoo.com

Our schedule of 2010 open houses:

Saturday, Sept. 18th, 2010, 1 - 5 pm
Saturday, Oct. 16th, 2010,  1 - 5 pm
Saturday, Nov. 13th, 2010,  1 - 5 pm
Monday, Nov. 29th, 2010,   6 - 9 pm
Saturday, Dec. 18th, 2010,  1 - 5 pm
           
LOOKING FOR MORE
MODEL RAILROAD
SHOWS and EVENTS?


Visit this link:
http://www.trains.com/trc/community/events/
        
News about the World's Greatest Hobby Program:
The World's Greatest Hobby Program wants to help local model railroad clubs promote their open houses and club events.

We can help you with public relations and advertising materials. We need at least 8 weeks notice. If you would like our help, please send an E-mail to info@greatesthobby.com and include the following information:
  • Name of club/event
  • Date  of event
  • contact person
  • contact person's e-mail address
  • past history of event
  • capacity of the club/event
  • Admission and parking considerations
  • What items you would like help doing
We have a limited capacity to help with these events, so we do need at least 8 weeks notice and we can only assist a limited number of events which we will do on a first come first served basis
               
More news about the World's Greatest Hobby Program:

We have some exciting news for the World’s Greatest Hobby program.  The program has received a commitment of an additional 3 years of support from some of the hobby’s most influential companies. The following companies have agreed to sponsor the program for another three years:

-          Atlas Model Railroad Co.

-          Bachmann Industries Inc.

-          Caboose Industries

-          Digitrax Inc.

-          Kalmbach Publishing Co.

-          Kato U.S.A.

-          Wm. K. Walthers Inc.

The significant financial contribution each of these companies is making to the program is a clear indication of the importance of the program. 

Another important change for the long term viability of the program is that it has become a non profit educational corporation. This will allow for additional public relations benefits for the program when dealing with the news media. This new non profit corporation’s board of director’s is comprised of some of the most important executives in the model railroad industry and include:  Thomas Haedrich - Atlas Model Railroad, Hiroshi Kato - Kato USA, Bud Reece - Bachmann Industries,  Terry Thompson - Kalmbach Publishing and Phillip Walthers - WM. K. Walthers Inc.

The World’s Greatest Hobby Board of Directors has engaged Competitive Intelligence Advertsing Incorporated to provide administration and promotion assistance for the program.  Competitive Intelligence Adverting Incorporated is well known in the industry as a successful marketing and promotion company.  They managed the very successful World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour shows since 2004.  They will continue to use their expertise in marketing and public relations to take the program to another level.  Their President, Dave Swanson, will serve as executive director for the World’s Greatest Hobby program.

Because of these changes there is new contact information for the program. The Website address will remain the same www.greatesthobby.com and it will be updated over the next few months. The new mailing address is World’s Greatest Hobby - PO Box 11, Elmhurst, IL 60126. The new e-mail address for the administration of  the World’s Greatest Hobby is info@greatesthobby.com. The new phone number is 630-592-1894 and the new FAX number is 630-214-4113

Please send any updates for the club, model railroad, or hobby shop directory to info@greatesthobby.com.


   
Model Trains in the news:
     
   
Miniature World of Trains aims to build largest HO model railroad in the US
The 40,000 square foot facility plans to open in 2012

Model trains pass through secret worlds
Signon San Diego
Anyone near a docent Saturday at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum learned a lot about the room’s little secrets — and the builders’ senses of humor. ...


Model trains to entertain mall crowd
republicanherald.com
With miniature replicas of a cornfield and a vintage drive-in movie theater, volunteers at the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society are expanding their HO gauge electric train display with relish. ...

Hobbyists make tracks to train show
Alton Telegraph
He got his first introduction to model trains at age 12 when a neighbor came by asking for his help. "He had bought an American Flyer train and couldn't get ...

Gary Coleman's trains stored in Colorado
5 News First
Gary Coleman's legacy lives in Colorado Springs.  The late actor was an avid model train designer, and over the course of several years, he put together an 800-square-foot collection.....

Model-train enthusiasts go the extra mile(s)
Star Tribune
"It began with a cross-country trip from California that required cutting a 10-foot-square segment out of a house, guiding the layout's pieces through it and then down 15 feet onto the ground, and toting them onto a 53-foot truck for the long trek to Minnesota. ...

Idaho man is keeper of model train masterpiece
KXLY.com
Jesse Bennett likes to build things. He took the timber on his property and built his home. Once that was complete he dedicated his energies to a life long hobby of building model trains. ...

Water main break affects model train club
6 Action News
A water main break in Burholme not only closed streets for a while, but may have forced the closure of an entire club. ...

 

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