I have been a member of the NRHS-Alexander Chapter in NC since 1994 and held about every position except for Nat'l Director. Our chapter has always hovered around 20-30 members, with a solid average of 12-15 being dedicated enough to be considered "regulars".

Our chapter has endured losing the NS steam excursions and the local Alexander RR shortline excursions, but still we have managed to maintain and even grow a bit by reaching out to modelers and local historical projects such as the restoration of a Southern Railway depot and now we are turning to the restoration of a narrow gauge Lawndale RR boxcar.

The "slideshow of the month" and Pentrax videos got old very fast and we have ditched that format in favor of our annual Trainshow (the NC Railroad Expo & Exotic Dancer Convention), restoration projects, and an annual field trip.

While that sounds like we could probably function just as well as a local "stand alone" club, I can tell you first hand that a lot of our projects have gotten off the ground by having the "National Railway Historical Society" moniker behind us. For us, the power of the society at large is the clout the name brings, and to a lesser degree, being part of a larger diverse group that shares its interests nationwide. Most of us here could really care less about another late bulletin with another Pennsy article or Santa Fe photo. That being said, we are proud to be associated with the NRHS for whatever reason, and look forward to meeting what will certainly be a challenging era in the face of these increasing dues.

Matt Bumgarner
Alexander Chapter-NRHS
www.tarheelpress.com/Trainshow.html