Fellow model railroaders:

I currently have an HO fleet that includes 2 engines, 15 box cars, 4 hoppers, 4 bulkhead flats, 5 tank cars and a caboose.  Over the past three years, I have also accumulated a virtual fleet of three engines and 18 assorted cars, purchased at the rate of one or two per month.  Why are they virtual?  Because after selecting them for purchase, I used the purchase price instead to buy an equal value of food for a local food bank. 

With the holidays upon us, and many of our neighbors in need, I have a challenge for the MRH community:  The next time you make a purchase to expand your fleet, would you consider adding one virtual car and donate the value in food in your community?  With 300 members on line at any one time, and thousands of members overall, it would take us no time to generate a REAL train load of food (or at least one packed 50-foot boxcar, if you added it all together) for those less fortunate than ourselves.   We aren't cheating the manufacturers-they still get our business, too, but we can go just a little farther a make a big difference in our total effort as a community.

I wonder how long it would take to fill a virtual rail yard?

Thanks!