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2026 NNGC

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Layout Tours

Manns Creek

Scale: On3 The Manns Creek Railway operated 9 miles of track from Clifftop and Sewell West Virginia from 1886 to 1955.  The railway's primary function was to haul coal down from Clifftop to Sewell and convert it into Coke. Logging was also done in the area around Clifftop.  Logs were cut and hauled to a sawmill in Landisburg then shipped down to Sewell to be reloaded into … [Read more...] about Manns Creek

Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company

Scale: HO "The Lakeland Route". The Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company is a standard gauge short line railroad located in central Minnesota. This freelance railroad is an east-west bridge route connecting the Great Northern Railway on the east end, the Chicago North Western at the mid-point, the Milwaukee Road on the west end and the Chicago Great Western on a … [Read more...] about Minneapolis & Northland Railroad Company

Sierra Railroad

Scale: HOn3 & HO This large, multi-level layout is a point-to-point branch line railroad set in the California "Mother Lode Country" in the early 1950s. The Sierra railroad connects the Hetch Hetchy, West Side Logging Company and Pickering Lumber Company railroads with the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads at Oakland, California to serve the local industries from … [Read more...] about Sierra Railroad

RGS Ophir Loop

Scale: On3 The inspiration for this layout originates back to the 1990s and the layout owner seeing photographs of the Rio Grande Southern railroad. With the help from both Sundance Publications' 'RGS Series' of books and multiple family vacation visits to Southwest Colorado, the layout owner selected 'The Loop' at Ophir, Colorado for his latest layout project. The first … [Read more...] about RGS Ophir Loop

Santa Maria Valley Industrial Railroad

Scale: HO The Santa Maria Valley Industrial Railroad models the movement of southern California produce from farmer's fields to store shelves. This double-deck layout is designed for operations and focuses on all aspects of the service cycle of refrigerator cars in the 1950's that keeps the nation fed. The affiliated Southern Pacific Coast Line short line railroad centers on … [Read more...] about Santa Maria Valley Industrial Railroad

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CLINICS, TOURS, & MORE

Home Layout Tours

The 46th National Narrow Gauge Convention features many fine home layouts … [Read More...] about Home Layout Tours

Inspirational Clinics

High quality clinics are one of the most popular features of the annual … [Read More...] about Inspirational Clinics

Vendors and Exhibitors

The vendor and exhibitor rooms are one of the most popular features of the … [Read More...] about Vendors and Exhibitors

Convention Hotel

We are excited to once again host the 46th National Narrow Gauge Convention at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bloomington, located at

46th NNGC Promo Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mP8HejuXQE

Important Dates

Most important dates.

46th NNGC: September 2 — 5, 2026

Early Bird Registration Ends: May 31, 2026

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2026 NNGC FAQs

Here are Frequently Asked Questions about the convention:

Minnesota’s Three Major Railroads

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.”

Minnesota Lingo

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

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