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2026 NNGC

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You are here: Home / Club Layouts / Club Layout Tours

Club Layout Tours

The Twin Cities features a number of excellent model railroad clubs and the 46th National Narrow Gauge Convention is excited to provide you an opportunity to visit a number of these clubs during our convention’s traditional afternoon self-guided layout tours. It is the convention committee’s desire that you are presented with a variety of viewing experiences and as is typical with many large model railroad club layouts, you will have the opportunity to see portions ranging from 100% completed to those under various degrees of construction. Hopefully you find these experiences enlightening and inspiring.

Newport Model Railroad Club

Scale: HO
Era/Locale: 1950 – 1969 Midwest

The ‘Newport Club’ models the transition period where both steam and diesel powered trains are run in a prototypical fashion through various Midwest towns. Railroads represented include the Chicago, St. Paul & Pacific, the Chicago & Northwestern, the Milwaukee Road, the Illinois Central and the Rock Island.

See more photos and details on Newport Model Railroad Club.

These are the club layouts we have been able to photograph thus far. Please check back as more club layouts will be added.

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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

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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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