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Pacific Coast Region / NMRA
Rails Across the Bay 2009 Convention
April 15 - 19, 2009

Contests

Chairman: Randy Homan

The Contests

There will be four contests held at Rails Across the Bay 2009:

Model Contest
Photography Contest
Arts & Crafts Contest
Timesaver Switching Contest

WANTED: Contest Judges

All judges get a free lunch. Model contest judges earn 2 AP time units. Use the new online to volunteer.

Calling all Contest Entries!

April 15th, the first day of the convention is fast approaching. NOW is the time to get serious about what you will enter in the Rails Across the Bay 2009 contests. The contest staff would like you to consider entering a model, a photograph, or both.

There will also be an Arts and Crafts contest for all you crafty folks out there. This goes for you modelers, too. Some previous winners have been modelers!

Achievement Program

Also, remember that some Achievement Program (AP) certificates require some models to be merit judged. This is a perfect opportunity to complete those requirements. Go to the NMRA website to view the requirements.

AP ribbons and Merit Award Certificates will be awarded for models that earn 87.5 points or more. Your model does not have to win 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd place to be awarded a Merit Award. It just has to earn 87.5 points or more in the judging.

Bill Scott, PCR Contest Manager, will be presenting a clinic during the convention on preparing contest entries and contest judging. See the Clinics webpage page for more information.

Volunteers Needed!

Volunteers are needed to judge and staff the Contest Room to provide security for the entries.

All judges receive a free lunch and model contest judges earn 2 time units towards their AP Association Volunteer Certificate.

Model Contest


Judging

The model contest is judged using the Pacific Coast Region Model Contest Judging Guidelines, as published on the PCR NMRA Contest Directory on the PCR website. The judging panel is divided into teams of 2 or 3, with each team judging one of the 5 model categories: Construction, Detail, Conformity, Finish and Lettering, and Scratch Building.

There are 5 entry classes: Open, Kit, Novice, Teen (13-17), and Youth (12 & Under)
 
Categories
  1. Steam Locomotives - Locomotives representative of steam power.
  2. Diesel and Other Locomotives - All locomotives other than steam and powered revenue passenger carrying types.
  3. Passenger Cars - Include anything that would normally be found in a regularly scheduled passenger train including baggage cars, express reefers, business cars, milk cars, or any other passenger carrying cars like drover's cabooses.
  4. Freight Cars - All types of revenue freight carrying, including express reefers.
  5. Caboose - All types, including bobbers, drovers, transfer, etc.
  6. Non-Revenue Cars - Right-of-way and track maintenance vehicles, rail and inspection cars, railroad cranes and others not directly involved in revenue service.
  7. Structures - On Line and Off Line - Structures with or without rail loading and unloading facilities, including structures without direct rail access.
  8. Display - On Line and Off Line - A model or group of models including appropriate scenery not pertinent to the function of the model or primary structure, often called a diorama, having or not having direct rail access.
  9. Traction and Self-Propelled Cars - All equipment associated with urban, suburban and interurban railways, electrically powered.
  10. Module or Portable Layout - Either sections of a larger layout consisting of other modules or a standalone self-contained layout.
If your model scores 87.5 points or greater, it will earn a merit award from the NMRA Achievement Program (AP). For more info on the AP, go to the NMRA website at http://www.nmra.org/education/achievement/

 
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Photography Contest

Categories - Prints
  • Black and White - Models
  • Color - Models
  • Trains in Action
  • Track and Structures
  • General Rail

Categories - Slides

  • Models
  • Prototypes

 
Contest forms and additional information for both the model and photography contests can be found at the PCR website.

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Arts & Crafts Contest

  1. Categories
    1. General
      1. Kit Built (commercially available kit; includes plans/instructions and materials)
      2. Pattern (existing plans/instructions; entrant acquires materials separately)
      3. Original (entrant’s own design)
    2. Railroadiana
      1. Kit Built (same as General Kit Built, except entry must have a railroad motif)
      2. Pattern (same as General Pattern, except entry must have a railroad motif)
      3. Original (same as General Original, except entry must have a railroad motif)
    3. Needlework
      1. Kit Built (same as General Kit Built, except entry is type of needlework – e.g. knitting, embroidery, needlepoint, etc.)
      2. Pattern (same as General Pattern, except entry is type of needlework – e.g. knitting, embroidery, needlepoint, etc.)
      3. Original (same as General Original, except entry is type of needlework – e.g. knitting, embroidery, needlepoint, etc.)

      (Note: Quilting and sewing are included in the “General” category, rather than the “Needlework” category. Any quilting or sewing entry with a railroad theme may also be entered in the “Railroadiana” category.)

  2. Awards

    3. Awards shall be given for first, second and third place in each category and sub-category:

    • General – Original
    • General – Pattern
    • General – Kit
    • Railroadiana – Original
    • Railroadiana – Pattern
    • Railroadiana – Kit
    • Needlework – Original
    • Needlework – Pattern
    • Needlework – Kit

    The awards shall be based on the total number of points assigned to each entry by the Arts and Crafts division judges. The item scoring the most points overall in Arts and Crafts shall receive the Marion Madsen Arts and Crafts “Best of Show” Award. (As with the other contest divisions, the Best of Show winner will be counted separately and the item with the next-highest point total in that category will become the first-place winner.)

    Honorable mentions shall be awarded to all entries receiving at least 87-1/2 points which are not selected as first-, second- or third-place winners in their respective categories.

  3. Judges

    4. Judges for the Arts and Crafts division may be judges for other contest divisions as well, or they may choose to judge Arts and Crafts only. Judges who have entered the Arts and Crafts contest may judge entries in any category and sub-category other than those in which they have entered.

    Each entry will include a copy of the General Entry Form and a copy of the official Arts and Crafts scoring sheet, so the judges can make their comments and award the appropriate number of points in each section.

    The Arts and Crafts entries are judged on the following criteria:

    • Correct Execution (maximum 50 points)
    • Difficulty (maximum 30 points)
    • Finishing (maximum 25 points)
    • Neatness (maximum 20 points)

    Any questions on judging will be resolved using the standard contest procedures followed by the PCR.

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Randy Homan, Contest Chairman


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