(Founded 1945)

Welcome to the Northern Association of Model Engineers

The Northern Association of Model Engineers is an association of clubs rather than individuals.  It was formed in 1945 to “promote, encourage, develop and organise the model engineering movement in the north of England”.  Its brief goes some way beyond that these days. Geographical coverage extends from the south of England to the Scottish highlands and into Wales and Ulster, and as well as promoting and encouraging the hobby we are increasingly having to protect it from potentially damaging legislation in which it is caught  under the law of unintended consequences.  The Association is represented on the British Model Engineering Liaison Group which discusses these matters with government departments and the insurance companies.

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Services provided by the Association to member clubs and individuals include the provision of  insurance services, loan facilities for capital projects, agreed codes of practice, an advisory service, representation on national bodies, and the staging of  various rallies and exhibitions to promote the hobby and to provide a convivial forum for the exchange of ideas and news. 

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Membership is open to clubs and societies whose hobby is model engineering or related subjects. We do not enrol individuals, but we do provide services to individuals through their clubs. Whilst the majority of our member  societies are steam orientated all types of models, horology and miniature  engineering are embraced.  Some examples are shown on our ‘What is Model Engineering?’ page. 

The Northern Association is a truly democratic institution in which all matters of any import are determined by meetings of delegates of member clubs. These delegates’ meetings are held in the Spring and Autumn, and each of our 180 or so affiliated clubs is entitled to send one delegate who may vote and one observer who may not. The day to day business of the Association is conducted by officers who serve a three year term and who operate within the policies determined by the delegates’ meetings. In addition to the officers, a professional insurance broker administers a comprehensive insurance scheme on behalf of the Association. In recent years the meetings have been held at Ockbrook, near Derby. The Annual General Meeting usually precedes the Spring delegates’ meeting.

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Delegates from within NAME, together with representatives from the entire UK model and miniature railway fraternity, meet with Government Bodies as required to discuss the broader issues that interact with the hobby. For example, recent discussions with the Health and Safety Executive have produced a satisfactory outcome for passenger carrying miniature railways. NAME also oversees a standard boiler test procedure applicable throughout the Association together with codes of practice for other aspects of the hobby. These important matters are continually reviewed and updated as necessary.