Gerry Leone, NMRA Communications Director

Thanks to generous donations of members, The NMRA Online Archives should open by March 1st. We’ve scanned and posted 10,000 photos, drawings, and plans, which will be available for download at a discount price by NMRA members and at full price by non-NMRA members. Watch NMRA Magazine for the Grand Opening announcement. And remember: the more you donate, the more we can scan!

The NMRA is planning to help Regions and Divisions promote National Model Railroad Month next November with materials downloadable from our website, like poster and flyer templates, press releases, etc. Watch NMRA Magazine for more details this summer.

Jim Zinser’s Division Business Car column is a great place to see how other Divisions and Regions promote themselves, raise money, and have fun with model railroading. Take a few moments every other month to read Jim’s column for ideas.

The winter Board Meeting is being held concurrently with the Budget and Operations meetings this year in Las Vegas at the Palace Station Hotel (about 5 miles from the airport). The Budget and Operations meetings, which are by invitation only, begin on Tuesday, February 22 at 9 a.m. The Board Meeting runs from 9 to 5 (or later) on Wednesday, February 23, and 9 to 5 (or later) on Thursday, February 24. All NMRA members are welcome to attend.

Check the Help Wanted ads in NMRA Magazine. We’ve filled several positions, thanks to generous volunteers, but we still need your help. Remember: we’re a volunteer organization always in need of able bodies. Here are the positions we’re looking for—if you fit the qualifications, email the address in the magazine.

  • Electronics engineers with experience in setting up control systems needed to take part in discussions and development of NMRANET. Current bus is designed using CAN. Time commitment: several hours per week.
  • IT staff volunteer with experience in Content Management Systems. Able to program in PHP and PostGreSQL/MySQL, and good experience in HTML and CSS. IIS and VB experience a plus. Time commitment: ~3 hours per week.