July 1, 2020 is a momentous day in ACL & SCL history (the 53rd anniversary of the merger), and now also marks the establishment of the ACL & SAL Railroads Historical Society Divisions!
After a year of research, internal discussion, and sampling some key members, the Atlantic Coast Line & Seaboard Air Line Railroads Historical Society Board is pleased to announce a new program designed to enhance the value of membership. We figured since railroads restructure from time to time, we thought we would give it a try by establishing “divisions” within the society. Loosely based on the structure of the NMRA and other groups, what we propose and hope to achieve is as follows:
Proposal
Establish Society Divisions based on Membership Regional Distribution
Mission Statement
The new ACL & SAL HS Divisions are intended to add value to Society membership, recruit new members, and develop future Society leadership. This will be achieved by Division Leadership one-on-one outreach to current and past members, participation in local trains shows, organization of occasional low-cost membership gatherings / one day mini-meets, and supporting semi-annual “in the field” 2-3 day Society Meetings managed by the Board.
The Divisions
We propose to establish the Divisions by state groupings as outlined below. These divisions are for organizational and planning purposes. Any member could attend any Division mini-meet they like. Given the membership counts and size, the Florida and Atlantic divisions may have two subdivisions. Other subdivisions could be considered.
Divisional Leadership
The board seeks members in the Divisions to volunteer to be leaders in their Division. The Board will assist in establishing the Division leadership, but it will be up to each Division to select their Superintendent, Asst. Superintendent, and Secretary, and establish other positions as they see fit. The Board would expect some sort of meeting minutes to be recorded, but it will be up to the Division to establish their organizational structure and the roles each would play. The Board, though, does reserve the right to intercede and mediate, as necessary. Division leadership will from time to time report to and interact with the Board. The handling of any costs for mini-meets and train show attendance will be worked out between the Division and the Board.
Divisional leadership is expected to do the following:
Reach out to members in their Division to solicit input regarding the Society, and to past members to see if they would like to rejoin.
Attend train shows, etc., in their states to at least promote the Society (which would cover table costs and provide promotional materials and perhaps some basic sale items such as magazines and calendars).
Solicit input and opinions of current Society offerings, desired offerings, etc.
Organize and run Divisional weekend mini-meets.
The objective is for a low cost and low risk, but informative, gathering.
These would likely be held on a Saturday at a community center room or similar economical facility; a local museum might be an option, as well as a local hotel/motel. There could be presentations and discussion sessions from say, 900 AM to 400 PM, and/or tours of local sites and museums.
Presentations would be by regional members but could also include out of region guest presenters.
Meetings could include a lunch and AM coffee – snacks. Costs, including room, snacks, and lunch, would be targeted to be $10-$30 per person, and paid by the participants. Some Board funding might be considered, and the Board would help coordinate with the Division and with meetings proposed by other Divisions.
Participants would be on their own for any hotel if they plan to stay overnight; the Division might solicit a rate from nearby hotels, but we would not want to have a room commitment.
A registration process should be established; this could be supported by features in the new website that is under development.
Out of Division members would be allowed.
These mini-meets could be for members only, or open (with potential price differential to encourage “membership”).
There could be more than one per year in a Division, but all would be coordinated with the Board to help avoid conflicts with other Divisions’ events
The Division team could also help organize larger-scale, regional Society-wide meetings within the Division that are planned and promoted by the Board. These would be a multi-day event including tours and presentations much like the Annual Meeting in Jacksonville each February. It is also possible that future Annual Meetings could be held in a location other than Jacksonville. These large events would be coordinated, managed, approved, and funded by the board.
The Division team would be the boots on the ground.
The new website would have Divisional pages, and the Divisional leadership could help maintain the page and establish content.
Division Roll-Out
Officially announced on July 1, 2020 through website and e-news announcement. Additional details and progress would be in the Q3 Lines South.
Establish initial Division leadership by October 1, 2020, or sooner.
Have at least one Division host first mini-meet during Q4 2020 (conditions permitting).
Support first Regional Society Meeting – June-September 2021 (conditions permitting).
Any questions should be directed to the Board though the new contact options in the revised website.
Maps of Our Society’s Membership Geographic Distribution
Click each map to enlarge!
