I just wanted to put in my occasional plug for the Preserved North American Electric Railway Equipment website at http://www.bera.org/pnaerc.html, which has just recently been updated, and to describe a couple of changes to the website.

First off, replica cars have been removed from the list. I made this decision based partly on the fact that replicas like the Gomaco and NORTA ones aren't historic, and partly on the increasing amount of time I found myself devoting to this subcategory.

Second, in the course of gathering information, I have substantially increased the amount of data and photographs for the Branford, Warehouse Point and Orange Empire collections since the last update.

Third, I am embarking on a project to significantly expand the amount of information that can be communicated via this website. I am starting to write individual historical accounts of each piece of equipment listed. These 150-to-300-word write-ups describe each car's historical significance, info on service history, rebuilds, preservation history, anecdotes, and any other data that are not mentioned in the basic website listing. I am looking for help in creating these write-ups; if anyone is interested in writing a little bit about a car at their own museum, or about a car they're particularly interested in, please e-mail me. Once we have a significant number of these write-ups (right now I'm at about 100) we'll incorporate them into the database. Questions and comments are welcomed. Thanks!

Kudos to Frank and Jeff for all their efforts on this database. This is truly a remarkable resource. Keep up the good work!

Absoultely, a remarkable resource. Anyone who has ever tried to compile such data knows how much time and effort it takes. The internet is the perfect place for it.

Thanks for the compliments. It's true that it would be impossible to compile a list this complete without the Internet. Largely because of the website that Jeff created, I have been able to get in contact with over 100 people (yes, I keep track!) who have contributed information to the roster that I could not have gathered on my own. I'm always looking for more corrections or additions, and every time the website is updated there is more information there than last time. Thanks to everyone who has helped out!