Hi all --- Watch out! The newly revised NASG website will complement the new SIG site. The beta version has already met with rave reviews... The launch is scheduled for about two weeks from now. No point in trying to find it, we have kept the new version off the internet while we sort it out. More revisions and improvements will come as we are able to include them.
On another tack, the revived NASGmembers yahoo group is also getting used to disseminate organizational info that does not belong in the “Dispatch”, or is of a more time sensitive nature that can’t wait for the “Dispatch” printing cycle. S on the internet is on a roll ! Have fun! Bill Winans western region VP -------------------------------------- >Wow! The new S-scale SIG group website looks great! Hello Dan…. To answer your questions, keep reading…….. Ed L. I am quite surprised that everyone (with one exception) has really liked the web site and has been very complimentary. A bit of “feel-good” is appreciated. > This is a fantastic start, and the website already reflects a lot of work by > your group of volunteers. The web site and Forum are pretty much the creation of Chris Borgmeyer who, I am sure, never sleeps. By putting Chris in touch with several of us Olde Tymer S guys, a team approach was used. Everyone threw material at Chris and went to bed. Chris stayed up all night and made it look very professional. And you have not even seen the S Sig’s first Newsletter (Dick Karnes, Editor), but you will soon. Watch the next issue of 1:64 Modeling Guide e-zine for a spectacular photo of something brand new. Even Bob Werre says it is an amazing photo especially considering the year in which it was taken. > By the way, how about enlightening us concerning how this new SIG effort came > to be, The common thread that binds the S Sig’s Board of Directors together is the desire to promote S scale (only) to existing model railroaders in other scales in a more aggressive manner. The desire for aggressive promotion has been in our DNA for quite some time along with the hope/wish that it would be done by someone or something else. But nobody else was doing what we thought was needed and, after many exhortations, we collectively decided to bite the bullet ourselves. It is pretty obvious that the primary target audience for our efforts should be the NMRA membership. They have about 20,000+ members who pay serious dues and outrageous prices for conventions. The various SIGs in the NMRA are generally well known and are very popular. NASG was promoting S via Railroad Model Craftsman to the general model railroading public. We wanted to use a rifle instead of a shotgun. And, we did not want to spend the big bucks on magazine ads – yet. So what to do? The solution was to become an NMRA SIG. Why not do it? Some folks said there already was a dormant SIG with Richard Bendever as the Coordinator. He was asked (by others, not us) to let someone else take over the existing SIG and reactivate it. I believe he was asked to relinquish control at least four or five times in the past year or two. Each time he refused which is his right. After all he started the thing and owned it. So what to do? Then the lightbulb lit…… Why not start a new S Sig !!!!! Who needs the old one anyway? Two phone calls and four emails later, we had official NMRA approval for our new S Sig. All this was done in four hours without difficulty or controversy. It amazes me that nobody else had done the same thing in the past five years instead of just griping about it. I have to tell you, griping has become one of our S trademarks and it kind of showed through in this instance. Lots of gripes, no action. Very disappointing to put it mildly. We all set to work after the “S”acto convention was over. Things ebbed and flowed for a while as folks were “recruited” to help our cause. With one exception, everyone we asked to help out immediately said YES and was given an assignment. Several projects are still “works-in-progress”, but you will see them soon (within a month or two). The web site development and the Forum are the first projects off the starting block. We were diligently working on them in secret until someone inadvertently discovered us via Google and the word soon spread and we were exposed before we really wanted to be. It is not a big deal and I am not complaining, but we did want things to be a bit farther along before launching. So instead of launching, we got launched. Life is not perfect…… > and who else we should be thanking for their hard work. In no particular order, Chris Borgmeyer for his technical work on creating the web site and Forum out of thin air. Lots of manhours (and considerable expense) went into that effort and we are all very happy with the compliments. Dick Karnes agreed to be the Editor of our quarterly Newsletter and is also serving as the interface with the 1:64 Modeling Guide e-zine. Our Newsletters will be printed in Bob Nalbone’s e-zine first before appearing anywhere else. Bob Werre is our official Photographer and has also taken on S Sig promotions as a responsibility. Bob will be promoting the S Sig in some newly creative ways. You will see the results of Bob’s efforts later in the year. Ed Kozlowsky (known as “Koz”) is the Moderator of the S Sig Forum and has the official wet noodle to use at his discretion. Our goal is to have fun while discussing S scale modeling topics. Ed’s task is to keep us on-topic all the time and to discourage meaningless chit-chat about things unrelated to S scale modeling. He has prior experience at moderating and we will soon see if he can herd the cats to stay on the track. My theory is that if you tell the cats where the rails are, they will voluntarily stay between them and on the track. John Gibson is our Treasurer and Secretary and Attorney and who knows what else. He also manages a baseball team, but that would be off-topic and so I will not go there. John has set up a PayPal account and has already received one very nice voluntary contribution from a gentleman in California. (Not me, I am not a gentleman.) Everyone named above is on the S Sig’s Board of Directors and all are deserving of some “thankews” for their work. It is truly a group effort. Only the first stone has been turned and even that got turned before we were ready. Dang Google !! Hang on for the ride….. In addition to the BoD, the S Sig also has a group of S Specialists who are available to answer questions in their area of expertise. They are Jamie Bothwell (passenger cars), Tom Hawley (intermodal), Dave Heine (narrow gauge), Michael Greene (DCC and electronics/electrical), Dick Karnes (wheels and trackwork) and Greg Elems (modern). The concept behind the S Specialists is to have sources of known and proven knowledge to whom newcomers to S can turn for answers and advice. The goal here is to eliminate numerous incorrect answers to newbie questions. Our theory is that one good answer is worth more than 20 not-quite-right answers for which the internet has become well known. >With all due respect to the efforts of the NASG and also this Yahoo group, we >have needed a good quality gateway site for potential S-scale modelers for a >long time. Dan…..You speak the Mantra quite well. You are a believer! You see the world pretty much the same way we do. Nice to have you agree. Got any spare time? > A site that is focused on what is possible in S-scale and how do you get > started. Yes, you hit the nail on the head. Professional quality and being focused is our strategy. > Again, congratulations Thank you on behalf of all of us: Koz, Chris, Bob, John, Dick Jamie, Tom, Greg, Michael and Dave. Your compliments are appreciated. > and how can we help out? > Dan Vandermause > Ellicott City, MD Dan…..Assuming this is a serious question and not mere social chit-chat, let’s look at our needs. First, we could use a few more volunteers to donate their time. We have a number of projects in the conception stage that can be moved along faster with a few more people helping out. No special qualifications needed except having some time to spare and being responsible about doing what is promised. No flakes need apply, but all others are welcome. Contact me (Ed L.) privately (off list) to discuss your interests and abilities and our needs. Next, we could put to good use several things of a written nature. We all can write and Dick knows how to edit and Bob can take photos. So all you need to do is scratch out something and send it in. Here is what we can use: 1. A personal story of why you changed from ??? scale to S. Motivating factors, concerns, problems, joys & sorrows of S, selling off the stuff from ??? scale, finding/buying things in S, use of eBay, finding others in S, information sources most helpful, hints/tips for S newbies, etc. In short, tell us all the details of your journey from ??? scale to S including the good, bad, ugly, and happy. We can use a dozen stories like this. THE S SCALE JOURNAL is where a compilation of these articles will appear once Dick works his magic on them. 2. Photos of your models and layout are desired. Any model and any stage of completion is OK, but the photos must be GOOD photos and not black fuzzy blobs of something in the distance. Bob Werre can shoot a model if you send it to him. Meaningful captions are very important. How was the model built/kitbashed/scratched, prototype info., etc. The purpose of these photos is to dispel the commonly-held notion that nothing is available in S. We all know that is not true, but we need to prove it via photos and not just say it. These photos and captions will appear in THE BEST OF S once Chris has worked his magic on them. 3. Joining the S Sig is free and without obligation of any kind. It is about the same amount of effort as joining a Yahoo Group. You can get a daily digest, a weekly digest, a monthly digest and you can even specify what time your digest is sent out. How is that for service? If that is not enough, you can even specify what topics will be sent to you. If you like new product announcements but have no interest in conventions and swap meets, you can click the appropriate boxes on your profile and only those messages you want will be sent to you. You can also specify friends and foes. By doing so, you can receive all messages authored by friends and not receive any messages authored by foes. John Armstrong wants a TRACTION category for messages and these kinds of requests will be considered and acted upon. Of course, we will need more than just John for a special category, but the willingness and ability is there to provide that. Y’want S scale VEHICLES as a category? Ask and get your friends to ask and it can be set up. Neat, eh? Joining and participating in the S Sig will help present a message to those who are contemplating a switch to S. Just knowing the S Sig exists and has a good bunch of helpful fellows will help those who are fearful of being on a remote S island all by themselves. Well Dan, I hope this answers all your questions. Gimmee a holler and we will sign you up for a task. I can already think of one B&O project that might really turn you on. Is there a dedicated Pennsy guy out there with a spirit of helpfulness? Ed Loizeaux S Sig Coordinator http://sscale.org
