Kurt Laughlin asks:

That's true Mike, but how does that relate to liking or disliking model
contests?

I'm not sure the issue is like or dislike but obviously from the messages some like them, some don't. I can take them or leave them although my experiences as a judge and contest "worker" indicate negative results. There are several reasons why we don't conduct conduct contests at Prototype Rails and the negative result is only one. What has [ I think ] not been mentioned is the significant amount of work involved in conducting a contest. At the last NMRA SSR convention there were about 15 models entered. Judging began at about 1 PM and was not completed until about 5PM. The contest management people could handle that number of models but not 100. At Prototype Rails 2011 we had over 1000 models displayed. Obviously 1000 would not have been entered in a contest but what if 300 had been? First, we could never have even got them entered. Contests IMO are simply impractical for an RPM meet. The bottom line, however, is that a contest generates competition....some compare such a contest to scoring as in football or baseball. I have not noted that players or fans of such teams are great friends of fans and players of other teams. Contests tend to separate rather than join.

Mike Brock