Okay folks, now that I have your attention....

Maybe you have noticed that there is frequently discussion on this forum about the problems finding people who are interested in the preservation community.

It seems to me that a good place to start on finding people who MIGHT be interested is a place where there are typically about 30,000 people interested enough in model railroading, railroad collectibles, and the railroad industry to drive a long distance and pay to get in to a show....

So how many of you are going to be at the Amherst Railway Society show in West Springfield Massachusetts this coming January? Typical attendance is around 30,000! How many of your organizations are going to display there, or have a table there, or distribute literature there?

http://www.amherstrail.org/show/show.htm

This is a "don't-miss-it" event for RMNE. We've had a display each year since 1987 or so. In recent years, we make sure our coming season's schedule/brochure is printed before the show and we will hand out almost 10,000 of them during the weekend. We usually have 6-8 volunteers staffing our display each day, and spending plenty of time speaking with show visitors about the Railroad and Museum. There are plenty of "civilian" families attending (it's not just hardcore railroad types), and this is a good venue to push our Thomas event.

It is also a great social event and information exchange for New England preservation and short line railroading. RMNE has made a few "discoveries" over the years by speaking with people at the show. And, we have recruited a number of active members, too.

If any of you RyPN folks attend the Big E-Amherst show, please stop by and say hello, and check out what's new with us, at our display. And, if you're so inclined, join us for a great dinner in the back room of the "Student Prince", a fantastic German restaurant in Springfield.