Operating Memberships
for Model Railroaders

The Model Railroad Museum of Hampton Roads has been designed, planned and developed totally by volunteers. However, the Museum cannot exist without the support of the model railroading community. Building and maintenance funds are required on a monthly basis to pay for the lease, utilities, security systems, insurance, computers, cleaning and other fees. Frankly, donations and grants have not been forthcoming in this endeavor. So we would like to try a different approach.

In order to get this started, we are developing an Operating Membership Fund. We know there are many model railroaders in our community who would truly like to have a facility where they could build layouts and run trains. Since we have no benefactor so far who can provide the funds we need, this must be a grassroots effort.

We realize that in order to receive donations, it would be nice to have a tangible facility to look at so you can see what your donation is being used for. Unfortunately, we don't have that yet because we don't have enough funds to lease or purchase a building.

Those of you who are reading this are obviously interested in this project. If that includes you, please consider the following offer:

We are asking for an operating membership fee of $25 per month per member on faith that when the Museum opens, all members who are paying that fee will have access to the museum anytime while the museum is open and operating. Consider this an investment into developing a better future for yourself in model railroading. By paying this fee up front, you are allowing us to have funds available to initiate a security deposit for a lease or a down payment on a building to purchase.

One Step Further...

If you will have faith in us and our commitment to develop this Museum, we will also have faith in you. If we were not committed to developing this Museum, we would not have applied for status as a legal tax exempt entity, we would not have spent untold hours in planning and designing it, and we would not have already spent thousands of our personal money in advertising, and legal fees, etc. and we would not have spent the time and money required to provide this website and monthly newsletters, not to mention the amount of historical research we have already accomplished that will be displayed in the Museum.

You may remember us as the group that built and operated the HO scale model railroad that existed in the Fairfield Shopping Center for almost 10 years where visitors could come in for free and where we permitted school tours every week. We also built the entire model railroad inside the Seaboard Station Museum in Suffolk. More recently we built the model railroad display inside Lee Hall Depot. We give away train sets at Christmas for underprivileged children who don't have train sets to put under the family tree during the Holidays. We are definitely not strangers to community service.

So, to go one step further, you don't even have to pay anything right now if you would rather not. We will accept your pledge to pay $25 per month as soon as we sign a lease for a facility. If you provide that pledge, we have faith that you will pay the membership fee when it is needed to cover our personal obligation to fulfill the terms of the lease.

So if you wish to join now as a Member of the Model Railroad Museum of Hampton Roads, or if you wish to provide a pledge to membership as soon as we have secured a lease for a facility to house the Museum, please fill out the following form.

Please also tell your model railroader friends and neighbors about this. The sooner we receive enough memberships, the sooner we will have a facility for you to enjoy.

Membership Form

Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in.

First Name*

Last Name*

E-Mail Address*

Web Site URL

Street Address*

City*

State/Prov*

Zip/Postal Code*

Country*

Home Phone*

Business Phone

Fax

I wish to become a member NOW for a tax-deductible donation of $25/mo.
This will expedite the ability to acquire a facility.
(Don 't forget to click on the Donate button at the bottom of this page, after submitting this form.)

	Yes
	No

I wish to become a member and donate:

	$25 per month (Free admission of one person for as long as your monthly donation continues)
	$50 per month (Free admission for you and your family for as long as your monthly donation continues)

I PLEDGE to become a member for $25/mo as soon as a facility is secured for the Museum:

	Yes
	No

I want to become a member in the future, but not right now.

	Yes
	No

Subscribe to Newsletter

Please enter the word that you see below.

Please click on the yellow "Donate" Button below.

Be assured that your information is safe and will never be used for any purpose other than communication with you about the Model Railroad Museum of Hampton Roads.