President's Message

Last month's magazine had a donor envelope for the 2006 CandO Campaign in it, and I hope you have noticed it. We need new first time donors! We're looking for folks who participated in the 2005 campaign to renew their pledges, and to add some folks, so we can increase the amount received during then 2006 campaign. This year you may designate where the money is to go (see the envelope). If you don't designate it or if your pledge carries over from last year for fulfillment, we will use the "greatest need" category. In the past we have normally received about $20,000 for general use, but last year the whole CandO income was pledged to the endowment fund, which got it off to a great start. This year you may also designate your gift in memory of someone.

The HO FP7s have been ordered, but we will take orders until the few extras we ordered are sold out. Remember this is a one-time special project, just for us. No one else will have these locomotives. We expect delivery will be in the early fall. Thanks to everyone who ordered (and thus made this project possible) for your patience!

Look at this month' flyer for some new things, including two new Morning Sun books promised for May and summer that will have some great C&O material in them. The Gene Huddleston one is highly recommended.

C&O Diesel Locomotives in Color 19491971 has finally gone to the printer. We are looking for more sales for this book to help bring us to the break-even point, a well as reservations for the projected Chessie System in West Virginia allcolor softbound and the long awaited CoO For Progress books, which should arrive right after the Conference. If you haven't ordered these, please do so now! Remember, you will not be charged until the products are actually shipped to you.

The popular Atlas 50-ton radial-end offset hoppers have arrived. We've shipped all 600 of them, and still have about 30 orders we can't fulfill. If you want on the list for the next batch, order now; you'll not be charged until they arrive and are ready to ship. There will likely be a fairly long wait, as usual; when Atlas orders other cars from China, ours are added on as an extra run.

The Society has been running on a fairly lean and austere basis for the past few months and the financial results are good. But, this means that we will not overstock on model items that are limited-run. So, when you see the flyer, order at once if you want something because we may run out very quickly. Starting soon the monthly flyer will be put on the chessieshop.com web site as soon as the magazine is mailed. We will also be collecting e-mail addresses for those who want to be on a new special announcements list. These folks will be advised of special sales when we have only a few items and don't want to list them in the flyers and other C&OHS news.

This month's flyer has the first of a new series of books: a 116-page softbound volume which reprints all the articles that have ever appeared in our magazine dealing with C&O heavyweight passenger cars and their modeling. We will be able to treat subjects like this that were never before possible because of the coming-ofage of "print on demand" technology. Thanks to Karen Parker for getting this project under way.

Don't forget the Conference in Frankfort! A flyer is in this issue. You may also register by phone or on either Society web site!

Respectfully,

Thomas W. Dixon, Jr.

Chairman & President

Copyright Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society, Inc. Apr 2006
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