Operating Sessions

Details for 2026 will be finalized early in the new year

About
Operating sessions have always been a significant part of RMMBC. Each session provides participants with an opportunity to experience prototypical operations on one of the numerous model railroad layouts in the Greater Vancouver area.

When
As in past years, we will be offering two sessions: Friday afternoon and Saturday evening
(see the meet schedule for details).

How to Participate
All RMMBC registrants are entitled to participate in one or both operating sessions; however, you must sign up in advance through the event registration process.

When registering to participate, please ensure that you can attend for the duration of the given session.

Layout Assignments
After you register, the Ops Coordinator will contact you directly to confirm your interest and reserve your spot. Layout preferences will be solicited closer to the event dates. Note that not all layouts will be offered for both sessions. The final list of participating layouts will be published as soon as they are confirmed.

Detailed information, locations and assignments for the layouts will be released to the attendees as the final layout assignments are completed by the Ops Coordinator – usually about 7 to 10 days prior to the event. While we do our best to accommodate preferences, layout assignments are determined by the demand for each layout, and are be determined by the Operating Sessions Coordinator at his discretion.

Should any session be oversubscribed, the Ops Coordinator will employ lottery type strategies in combination with geographical proximity parameters to assign positions.

During the Session
Please ensure you are arrive 15 minutes before the session start time. The sessions generally last between 3 to 4 hours at the discretion of the layout owner. Attendees are responsible for their own transportation and guests are NOT permitted at these sessions.

Contact
Any questions regarding the Operating Sessions can be sent to the Ops Coordinator.
(Note however, that all requests to participate must be done through the registration process).

Willing to Host an Operating Session?
We are always interested in expanding our list of potential operating layout. Your layout could be
– be big (5 or more operators) or small (up to 3 operators)
– feature road operations, switching, or both
– be based on CTC, TT&TO, cards/waybills, dispatchers/RTC, etc
Visitors tell us that they appreciate having a variety of layouts and operating approaches to choose from.

If you are willing to consider hosting an operating session layout, please contact our Ops Coordinator for information.

Here is the preliminary set of operating layouts

SPACE

2026 Operating Sessions (preliminary)

SPACE

2026 Operations Layouts