Tour of Micro Engineering 2023

Group photo

Group tour photo

Photo by Ron G.
Tour of Micro Engineering Co., Fenton, Missouri


On Wednesday morning, May 10, 2023, a joint group of members and guests from theGateway Division NMRA and the St. Louis Chapter NRHS toured Micro Engineering Co. (MEC) manufacturing plant in Fenton, Missouri.

MEC was started in 1964 under the original name of "Rail Craft Products." MEC manufactures a wide assortment of model railroad products, from tracks to turnouts, bridges, viaducts, structures, detail parts and vehicles, under a variety of scales and gauges.

Our group was split into three smaller groups, with the Dwiggins family members – Jack,Jon and Reece, owners of MEC, as our tour guides. They gave us an extensive tour of the plant on a weekday, under actual working conditions. They provided excellent explanations of what went on at each manufacturing step; for example, creating the metaldies for the products, to inserting rails and parts into the dies, injecting plastic into the dies, and releasing the finished product. We saw and learned a lot more details and appreciation for what special expertise it takes to fabricate the numerous model railroad products. We viewed and gained a better insight into the specialized equipment and labor used in the production of the parts, from inception to final product.

We were allowed to take pictures We asked questions and Jack, Jon and Reece were patient and informative with their answers. Jack, Jon and Reece Dwiggins, the tour was agreat success! And a special thanks to Mrs. Darla Dwiggins for the delicious chocolate chip cookies she made.

Tour arranged by Ron Gawedzinski, Outside Activity Coordinator, Gateway Division andSt. Louis Chapter.

Click to enlarge the photos below from our tour.

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