"William Fraley" wrote: > "Welcome to the National Model Railroad Association The NMRA 1/64th-Scale SIG" > I just spent 30 minutes trying to get out of this Yahoo group. > NMRA claims it has 21 members, but no one belongs to it except possibly, Bendever. > It's asking for membership dues money and volunteers. > Shouldn't the NMRA drop this now defunct group?
G'day Bill.... There is only one NMRA-affiliated SIG related to S scale. The 1/64th-Scale SIG, which you mentioned above, is dormant as far as I can tell. It is little more than just another empty Yahoo Group without any significant activity. The NMRA itself makes no claim as to membership of SIGs; that is the self-proclaimed figure of the Owner of that Yahoo Group. It has been deleted from the NMRA's web site listing of officially affiliated SIGs. There is one NMRA-affiliated S scale SIG with a web site at: www.Sscale.org It is an active group with an S scale e-zine named THE S SCALE JOURNAL, layout photo gallery, conversational forum with buy/sell and other categories for messages, introductory material about S scale aimed at the non-S modeler seeking information, new product reviews, a mentoring program for S newbies, a searchable S scale database of magazine articles stretching back about 20 years, and so forth. Lots of information and assistance is readily available. Membership in the S SIG is free and open to everyone. No reason not to participate as far as I can tell. The S Sig is happy to accept your photos, magazine articles, product reviews, commentary and whatever else you would like to provide. Dick Karnes will edit it and tweak the photos to perfection and Chris Borgmeyer will publish it -- electronically, of course - on the web site. Under preparation for THE S SCALE JOURNAL as you read this is a new and very creative approach to the history of S scale. Instead of names, dates and places, it deals with seminal events pertaining to the development and maturation of S scale over the decades. This is not your dry history class material, but an article with a broad sweep of key events that changed the face of S scale forever. Worth reading once it is completed published. Yes, I am biased, but what the heck -- I'll admit it. There is a green button on the web site for those who wish to make a voluntary contribution. So far, contributions have kept us going without any need for dues or other payments. Every dime contributed is used for the promotion of S scale. Not one penny is ever used for any other purpose. If you cannot write an article, send us a few bucks. Cheers....Ed Loizeaux Coordinator of the GENUINE S scale SIG www.Sscale.org
