Gerry Leone, NMRA Communications Director

The Winter NMRA Board Meeting will be held on Wednesday-Thursday, February 8–9, 2012, at 9:00 AM. All NMRA members are welcome to attend the open portions of this meeting. To save money, it will again be held at the Palace Station Hotel in Las Vegas. The NMRA Budget and Operations meetings, which are not open to the public, will be held on Tuesday, February 7 at the same location. The Board expects a packed agenda. Details will be posted soon afterwards.

Several members have asked about the current content of the NMRA’s “Members-Only” section of the website, http://www.nmra.org/member. Here’s some of what you’ll find when you log on:

  • Division and Region newsletter article reprints that Jim Zinser mentions in his Division Business Car/NMRA@Home column in NMRA Magazine. All previously mentioned articles also remain there; it’s a great resource to learn new tips and techniques.
  • NMRA Magazine Classics, scans of truly classic articles from bygone issues of Scale Rails and The Bulletin. Our goal is to post at least one article from every issue of the magazine. You’ll be surprised to learn how many are already online. The articles may be a few years old, but if you haven’t read them (or have forgotten them), they’re as fresh as today.
    • 2011 NMRA Calendar Screensaver, another inspiring addition to your computer.
    • 2011 NMRA Calendar Photos also suitable for computer wallpaper, complete with a brief description by the photographer of how they took their shot.
    • Promotional Materials useful for Divisions and Regions. The NMRA Logo is available in a variety of formats and sizes. PDFs of the NMRA Member Benefits Chart and New-Member Solicitation Brochure, and the New-Member Sign-Up Sheet. National Model Railroad Month materials, including National Model Railroad Month logos in various sizes and graphic formats, and a Word document: “A guide to promoting National Model Railroad Month,” which can be a handy reference whenever you want to promote your Region or Division.

Remember: the Grand Rapids convention is fast approaching! There are two great convention videos posted on the Grand Rails2012 website, www.gr2012.org. Members who register before November 30 get first dibs on hotel reservations, tour reservations, and merchandise. The Furniture City Flyers Club is nearly sold out, so if you want to experience dessert at sunset on Mirror Lake, you’ll need to get your registration in now. Register at http://www.gr2012.org/register.htm.