aussteve posted:For me, it's just having another piece of paper, or another club to join and would not increase my enjoyment of trains.
Reminds me of a third level mgr I once had who had his stereo repair course certificate and good soldier certificate hanging on his office wall along with 17 other certificates.
If your professional job requires it, then go for it. Otherwise, it's just another badge to sew onto your railroad vest. I see much more of the badge laden railroad vest in the HO community than O. So the mmr badge from nmra makes more sense for HO than for toy train people.
I've bought, sold and operated trains for over 40 yrs and never had anyone ask to see my mmr certificate. If I was in the layout building, scenary or benchwork business I could understand such a request.
So would Phil Klopp's layout be more impressive if he had a mmr certificate? Of all the layouts I've seen in person or on video, I've never once wondered if the builder was mmr certified.
Gee, that's kind of a cynical view of achievement.
The MMR program sets goals for personal achievement that inspire the participant to try out new facets of the hobby and accomplish higher standards of modeling skills. I believe that is the motivation for the majority of MMR participants. It's really not a piece of paper for bragging rights and I have never heard of an MMR saying "I'm an MMR. Let me show you how to do that." Additionally, the NMRA puts a strong expectation of MMRs to "give back to" and promote the hobby.
Bob
