American Express last week announced the top 50 project ideas selected as semi-finalists for The Members Project, an online initiative where American Express cardholders can get together to submit, discuss, and rate ideas to make a positive impact on society. Cardholders from across the country and the Members Project Advisory helped determine the top 50 project ideas from the thousands that were submitted. The Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society "Railroad Dining Car Restoration Project" was the only railroad project to make the list and is the only one involving involving historic preservation.

The goal of this project is to restore two original Erie Lackawanna dining cars and a sleeping car to operate on the former Erie Lackawanna (DL&W) main line in Pennsylvania between Scranton, Mt. Pocono, East Stroudsburg, and the Delaware Water Gap. The project is unique in that the original passenger cars will be operating on their original route, providing dining car food and service as it was in the 1950s and early 1960s.

In the next phase of the project, American Express is calling for cardholders to register and vote for their favorite project ideas to narrow down the list to the idea about which cardholders are most passionate. For every cardholder that registers, American Express will contribute $1 toward the winning idea. American Express has committed at least $1 million and up to $5 million to bring the winning idea to life.

The Members Project is accepting votes from cardholders from now until July 15, 2007. At that time the top 25 projects will advance to another round of voting. This round will vote for the top five projects from July 17 until July 23. The top project will be announced on August 7.

The Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society is urging all American Express cardholders to please visit the Members Project website at http://www.membersproject.com to register and vote for its project by the July 15 deadline. You can vote even if you voted in the first "rankings" round. The Society is currently restoring EL diner number 741 to operating condition, and also owns former "Phoebe Snow" diner 470 and NKP sleeping car City of Lima. You can also visit our website at http://www.eldcps.org.

Thanks,
Tim Stuy
President - ELDCPS