2026 National Narrow Gauge Convention in the Twin Cities

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46th National Narrow Gauge Convention in the Twin Cities

The 46th National Narrow Gauge Convention will be held in Bloomington, Minnesota from September 2nd through the 5th, 2026. Please join us in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” for the 46th National Narrow Gauge Convention! Once again, our convention will be hosted at the DoubleTree—Bloomington—hotel, the largest convention facility located outside of the Twin Cities…

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Spotlight

Birchwood & St. Croix Railroad

Scale: G Birchwood & St. Croix Railroad models narrow gauge railroad from the late 1800’s through early 1900’s. The Shay locomotive on the logging train is a scale…

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Gold Canyon Mining Company

Scale: On30 The Gold Canyon Mining Company is a modular layout built by Anthony Selvaggio and Tom Fraase in Springfield, Illinois. This mountain railroad consists of a canyon…

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Explore

Elk Creek Lumber

Scale: Sn2 The Elk Creek Lumber is an award-winning freelance narrow gauge layout that depicts a fictitious logging and mining railroad that…

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Overlook Northern Railway

Scale: G The Overlook Northern Railway depicts the St. Croix River Valley. It travels over bridges and tunnels through picturesque gardens set…

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Rapid Canyon Line

Scale: On2 & On3 The Rapid Canyon Line is loosely inspired by a short line that ran from Rapid City, South Dakota…

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From Minnesota Digital Library:

“The growth of Minnesota can be tied directly to the growth of railroads. The railroads supported farmers, millers, miners, and loggers by moving the raw materials they produced to sell at markets. In turn, the railroads brought other goods and products to the people to build their homes, businesses, and towns. Railroads also brought immigrants to settle the land and provided jobs and income to laborers and investors.

Three of Minnesota’s major railroads were the Northern Pacific, the Great Northern, and the Soo Line. While these three were not the only railroads that operated in Minnesota, they had a major impact on the state.

The U.S. Congress chartered the Northern Pacific Railway in 1864 to build a transcontinental railroad from Lake Superior to the Pacific coast. When it was completed in 1883, the railroad had laid nearly 6,800 miles of track through Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Its headquarters were in St. Paul, Minnesota.”

From ThievesRiver.com:

1) Uff da

Background: A Scandinavian import, particularly from Norwegian, “uff da” is widely used to express dismay, exhaustion or sometimes even relief. It embodies the stoic yet expressive nature of Minnesotans.

Example: “Uff da! I forgot my wallet at the cabin. Now I can’t pay for the meat raffle tickets, gosh darn it!”

2) You Betcha

Background: This phrase epitomizes the friendly and positive attitude of Minnesotans. It’s often said with enthusiasm and is used to mean “absolutely” or “you can count on it.”

Example: “Do you want to come to the hockey game this weekend? Grain Belts are on me!” – “You betcha!”

Read more at ThievesRiver.com