Has the Layout Design Special Interest Group folded? It hasn't put out its quarterly Journal for over sixteen months now, and multiple e-mails (via its internal e-mail system) to each of its officers over the past five months have gone unanswered.
NOTE: For clarity and the full picture, I've added below my detailed reply to a member on another forum who noted - as did I months ago - that the terms for the board of directors (BOD) cited on the SIG website are outdated. Here's the full text.
But if you look around a bit you'll see BOD names and term expiry dates between 2016-2018 and promotions for its participation at the NMRA convention this August. I also found a name and address for another officer on the website and just today located his landline phone number. However, when I called (four times now), I got a recorded message saying "The call did not go through." Three calls for assistance to my phone company and the operator only led to them dialing that number and hanging up before I could relate the failure of those calls to go through and get an answer as to why. But last October, I did receive a reply (to my AOL e-mail: see below) from, as I recall, the president. He told me that the Journal was delayed due to health problems and that the next issue would definitely be out in December. That's quite understandable. When no Journal arrived by February, I e-mailed an officer or two via its internal e-mail system. When I got no reply, I e-mailed other officers and, eventually, all of them - three times in the past four months. Still, zip. It wasn't until April 24 when I heard (on my AOL e-mail) from a gentleman not listed on the website, saying he was taking over the role of member services. A month later, he wrote again, stating that I never heard from anyone because I had used a Yahoo e-mail address, the replies to which "went missing." I cancelled that account over six years ago, thus making it impossible to use (and I'm quite a careful typist!). My current e-mail provider - and the only one I've used to contact the SIG - is AOL. The last reply I got from this gentleman was on June 1, saying he just provided "more information" to the treasurer and would get back to me. Two followup inquiries since have been ignored. The gist of my several final e-mails to the SIG officers - and to this gentleman - was to request cancellation of my membership and a refund of the unused portion (3/4) of my membership fee. Unused, because I never received the product or service for which I paid in February of 2017 - the quarterly Journal. In any case, it sure looks like no one is at the throttle - or even in the passenger seat - of this SIG.
Kerry
The home page of their website has content relating to their presence at this summer's NMRA national in K.C.
Note that it also has a help wanted section -- sounds like a relatively few folks do most of the heavy lifting. Not uncommon with volunteer and special interest groups.
Dave Nelson
The Layout Design SIG is indeed alive and well. Sorry for the delay in publishing the Layout Design Journal. As the sole editor, most of that is on me and a crazy year that my family experienced. The next issue (#61) is at the printer now. Mailings have been unfortunately further delayed due to a transition in volunteers. When long time volunteers retire, most organizations must scramble to find replacements. But the new team is coming up to speed.
I hope that members will enjoy LDJ-61.
The LDSIG will have a full slate of activities at the Kansas City Convention.
The LDSIG is also working on an update to the website for later this year. Again, due to the need for volunteers, this has gone more slowly than hoped.
LDJ-62 will follow in the late Summer, and then we hope to be back on a more regular schedule.
LDJ-61 contains the delayed election ballot for Board of Directors seats expiring in 2017. The 2018 election will be found in LDJ-63 (in the Fall).
Byron
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
Cuyama,
I appreciate the reply and the good news! I'll PM you in the morning with some followup.
Kerry, sorry for the trouble, I will respond to your PM when it arrives
All,
Mystery solved - and thanks to everyone who responded!
As you see from Byron's reply yesterday, the LDSIG is still alive and well, with the next issue of the Journal due from the printer's soon.