Folks, Those of you who have been here for a long time will recall our journey from beginning on a small shared server to where we are now on a fairly large dedicated server. We started with basic shared hosting in March 2000. There were probably 500 other websites on the same server. We quickly outgrew that and moved to a different server and after repeating that 4 or 5 times we arrived at where we are now. This site runs on a dedicated server with two large hard drives. But, we are close to outgrowing it, and the hosting company we use has been sold about 3 or 4 times since we’ve been their customer which has resulted in many changes. Although things have worked out pretty well overall, I feel this is a good time to try and step forward and into a more secure situation. --- About a year ago, one of our TrainBoard members (that posts here frequently) contacted me privately to let me know that he works for a large, well-known Internet company (that you all know the name of). He asked me if there was anything that he could do to help the site. Over a year’s time, ongoing discussions have led to the point where we have been offered a dedicated server that is better than what we have now, with larger hard drives, automatic backups, etc., and at a substantial savings off of the price offered on their web site. I believe that we would be paying for a year up front which is still quite a bit but at a great savings overall. Right now, we pay by the month (several hundred dollars monthly). --- Moving from this server to the new server would require paying for the server and paying a company that we have worked with before to move all of our data to the new server and get it working. Many of you will recall that in the early Spring of 2012 we had a MAJOR crash that took us offline for about 3 days. At that time I hired a U.S. based company to attempt to fix the problem and it was (surprisingly) fixed in one day. I have already received a quote from this company to move our data to the new server. We are talking about several hundred dollars at the minimum, maybe more. They charge a base rate for the job and then by the hour while the work is ongoing. I feel that the price is very fair, although it is a lot of money to part with at one time. They will be moving many, many, many gigabytes of data from one server to another and then they have to get it all working. This would mean an outlay of several thousand dollars within the next month or so. I have saved some money for this already but more is needed. I will be making a large donation myself for part of this. --- As I have stated many times before, we do not like to ask you folks for money, and when we do, it is completely voluntary. We do not, and will not pressure people for money. When we tell you that there is a need for money we explain what it is for and offer people the chance to donate. Certainly, we understand that donating is not for everyone and there is no arm-twisting. Some folks are eager to help out when the time is right and this is one of those times. If you go to our payments page, you will see that a new category has been added called 2013 Server Telethon. Different payment levels have been added between $5 and $100. Lots of people giving $5 is good. If people want to give more that is up to them. Note that giving through the Server Telethon does not change (or upgrade) your membership status. If you have been considering donating or feel that you would like to at this time, the standard $24 donation that does upgrade your membership to that of a Supporter and adds some bells and whistles is also a good way to donate to this cause as all of the money goes to the same place. --- This is also an appropriate time to explain how TrainBoard receives funding: We use a layered approach to fundraising which includes a combination of advertising, donations, and special run (one so far) model train items. Singularly, no one of these things generates enough money to keep us going but as a combination they are working well. We plan to expand our special run offerings as possible this year as well. We also like to be able to keep enough in the bank to know that we are secure for the future or that we could meet an unforeseen challenge. We also believe that TrainBoard can grow to offer more services in the future and as we have stated before, we have several ideas for new projects. --- For those that wish to donate in order to help us move to this new server within the next 60 days, this is a great time. As I have stated before, anyone living on a fixed income or going through financial hardships should not donate. I have received donations from folks in the past that told me that they only receive a small monthly stipend on which they survive but still wished to donate. I feel guilty accepting such donations so if this is your situation, please do not donate. Others who can afford it will pick up the slack. --- At some point within the next 30 to 60 days we will finalize this and move to the new server (if possible). We will give advance notice as the site will probably be down for two to three days when the change happens. If you have questions or comments, please use the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page. Thank again everyone. Charlie
I never realized how often I just "pop in" to see what's going on. It must be more often than I thought, since I found this the same day it was posted. Happy to contribute what I can for now and maybe more in the future.
I check what is happening 2-3 times per day, I am retired and enjoy what others say. I just gave thru paypal. Hope this is successful. Craig
I don't use PayPal. Any other way ? ------------------------------- Mike Grant It's never too late to have a happy childhood!! ------------------------------- http://mikesshopping.com
We are up to $308. Even if you don't use PayPal, you can make a credit or debit card payment through it without an account. We also accept payments in the mail. Thanks guys and gals. Charlie
Exactly my question. Was too early before. ------------------------------- Mike Grant It's never too late to have a happy childhood!! ------------------------------- http://mikesshopping.com
I'm onboard with this. Thanks to Charlie and all the Administrators for their hard work in keeping this a great place.
I will back up Charlie on this, he regularly supplements his own finances to keep the site running. For the time that is spent here I am always happy to contribute. Every little bit helps and we all benefit, let's hope we can raise the funds for the new server
ARRRRG ... You would start this on the same day that I just made a size able donation to the IRS! Be most happy to help next month or so, just a little tight this month.