> So what is the point of joing when you pay the same fee to own one as the membership itself?
Some organizations inflate the price of materials to non-members to discourage people from not joining. Thankfully, the BRHS has not adopted such a policy in the hopes of increasing interest in the Burlington. There are some specific reasons people chose not to join the BRHS and also why we lose membership, but I’d rather focus on the positive aspects of being a member.
The price of the Burlington Bulletin is not the only tangible material benefit you get for the dues; the Zephyr not only covers Society activities but contains valuable information and is the vehicle for modeling content which is not appropriate to carry in the Bulletin.
Leo and Dave (and perhaps others that I haven’t gotten down far enough in my emails yet to read) have made excellent arguments for becoming an active member in the BRHS. I look forward to seeing present and new members stepping forward and sharing their talents to make the Society stronger and better than it is today. We know there is still great material and information that is yet to be uncovered and we need more people actively researching and sharing their finds with us and thus inspiring more people to do the same. The level of modeling and documentation of it could be vastly expanded if we look to other groups like those modeling the PRR, C&NW, B&O, SOU and N&W. And we sorely need people to get a permanent, accessible archives to serve as an anchor for the preservation of all things Burlington.
Charlie Vlk