Making Donations

The NMRA, and thus the Library, is qualified as a charitable organization under 170(c) and 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. You may be able to deduct the value of your donation from your federal income tax. The NMRA cannot establish the value of your donation. Please see the NMRA homepage for links on assessing the value of your collection.

Our policy on donations is to accept them without restriction, to be used and/or sold as best suited for the Library. The funds received from the sale of surplus Library materials are used to purchase other materials or otherwise support the development of the Library's collection. Original materials donated, such as photographs, may also be reproduced in future publications, with proper credit attributed. If you do not agree with this policy, please contact the Library.

Other alternatives for donating your collection include local model railroad clubs, Boy Scout councils, libraries, and retirement communities. If you wish to sell your model- or prototype-related railroad items, we suggest you try posting notices in local club, division, or region publications. Also, you may try classified ads in national publications, such as ScaleRailsModel RailroaderRailroad Model Craftsman, or list them with online auction sites like eBay.