your portal to more fun in scale model railroading
your portal to more fun in scale model railroading
There are two distinct components of the NMRA's Conformance & Inspection Program - Inspection and Conformance.
In the Inspection component, the NMRA procures products for the purpose of ensuring that products being produced follow our Standards, applicable Recommended Practices, and any identified Industry Quality metrics. When problems are identified we work with the manufacturers to resolve the problems.
The Conformance component is a more formal program where manufacturers, importers, and/or distributors (generally referred to as manufacturers on this web site) submit their products to the NMRA for testing to our Standards, Recommended Practices, and Industry accepted quality norms. Products that pass these rigorous tests are granted an NMRA Conformance Warrant and are allowed to display the NMRA Conformance seal on that product. The Conformance program is therefore a much more rigorous program and is driven by the manufacturer's desire to display the NMRA Conformance seal.
Any manufacturer interested in applying for a NMRA Conformance Warrant should complete the following steps:
Your contact will ensure that your request is directed to the NMRA C&I Program Chair. The NMRA C&I Program Chair will contact you if made your initial contact with another of the representatives. Complete any applicable Submission Forms with the details applicable to the product on which you are applying for a Conformance Warrant Submit the product, any applicable submission forms (completely filled in), and any additional information indicated as necessary by the NMRA C&I Program Chair (e.g., FCC test reports) in order to complete the conformance and inspection process. Items submitted immediately become the property of the NMRA unless alternate arrangements are made prior to submission.
Once your submission has been received, the NMRA C&I Program Chair will acknowledge receipt and schedule the inspection. Generally the C&I Program strives to complete the process in 30-60 days with the exact schedule being determined by a combination of factors including complexity of the C&I process for the specific product submitted, current workload of the C&I team (i.e. products already in the inspection queue ahead of your submission), timelineness of responses to additional inquiries from the NMRA during the inspection process, etc.
We encourage those planning to apply for Conformance Warrants to contact/alert the NMRA C&I Program Chair in advance of your formal submission in order to plan for resources, ensure the manufacturer understands what is required for the submission, etc. The NMRA C&I Program attempts to provide timely completion of the inspection process, but manufacturers requesting an accelerated schedule must contact the NMRA Program Chair in advance to assess the opportunity for such an accelerated process and what additional steps would be required.
Finally we strongly encourage each manufacturer to have pre-screened their products against NMRA Standards, applicable NMRA Recommended Practices, and any identified Industry Quality Metrics PRIOR TO formal product submission to the NMRA. The NMRA web site includes information on many of the tests that will be performed in addition to all Standards, Recommended Practices, and any identified Industry Quality Metrics. Failure to pre-screen your product prior to submission will more than likely lengthen the time required for the inspection process. Remember the NMRA C&I Program should not be positioned as the manufacturer's quality program.
NMRA Conformance Warrants are good for a period of five (5) years. Upon expiration, or any time with the ninety day window prior to expiration, manufacturers may chose to re-submit their product for review and inspection, subject to any new, applicable requirements contained within the Standards and Recommended Practices. Manufacturers interested in renewing their Conformance Warrant(s) should contact the NMRA C&I Program Chair to make the necessary arrangements.