NEWS:  General site related news items.

12.14.07:  The forum has been restored and the issue on its way to permanent resolution, essentially yet another "clerical error" by the outfit used briefly to host the forums a few years ago before the move to the current host.  Thank you all for your patience and support!

12.14.07:  The forum is currently unavailable due to an unknown issue with the domain registration.  We are currently investigating with the hosting company and hope to find a resolution soon.  All the forum data is intact, this is an issue just with the .net domain name.  Updates will be posted as more information becomes available.

12.14.05:  Unfortunately I came home today to discover the forum offline thanks to some friendly emails.  Turns out the hosting company (MidPhase) that failed to host the new forums originally has also failed in transferring the actual .net domain to the new hosting company, which was to have been done almost a year ago.  After experiencing some more of the worst customer service known to civilization I have been assured that the .net domain will be restored within 12 - 24 hours.  Be certain I will be wresting control of the .net domain from these monkeys (no slight towards any primates meant!) and where it should be, either with an independent registry or the current forum host.  Thanks for all the support!

11.09.05:  Just thought to update as nothing significant has transpired other than regular and frequent use of the forum.  There have been some suggestions to make January the default renewal date for Supporting Members and I may very well adopt this idea, more to come soon.  If adopted, 2006 would be the transition year and we'll work something out for recent new members.  Some major forum updates are in the works to support updated versions and features of the software used, but the impact should be minimal with the forums offline for less than 12 hours.  Coming soon is a dedicated photo gallery for the forums, where you'll be able to create albums and more easily share your pictures of old iron and such.  That wraps up this news flash, stay tuned!  =)

04.06.05:  For those trying to access the forums I have just found out that a data circuit at the hosting facility where the forums are hosted has failed.  The local telecom service is working to restore the circuit, at which point the forum will once again be available.  My apologies for the incovenience!

03.01.05:  Everything seems to be running smoothly and I've finally gotten 'round to doing a little bit of site maintenance.  Photos and other information has been graciously submitted by a number of folk, so look for it to be posted in the "Technical" and "Media" sections of the site soon.  These and other areas of the site are all made possible by people wishing to help, so if you've got some good advice or technical know-how feel free to send it along for inclusion here for all to benefit from.  Also feel free to pass along any good historical info such as brochures, magazine ads and documents of significance.  We've got just a few up and I hope to scan my D4 ads soon to add as well, so I know there's some other collectors out there that can help round out that section.

01.20.05:  00:20 EST - Connection to the forum restored, thanks for your patience during the network outage.  Please check announcements for updated maintenance schedule.

01.19.05:  20:45 EST - The network node that the forum resides on has been down since approximately 20:15 EST and the hosting company is working to resolve the problem.  If resolved shortly maintenance as announced in the forum will continue as scheduled, otherwise it will be re-scheduled and the announcement will be updated.  Our apologies for the inconvenience, please check back soon for the forum as the network problem is expected to be resolved soon.

01.15.05:  Things seem to running smoothly, but unfortunately we've had to close access to unregistered guests on the forums.  The web site is still being attacked, but without the ability to use the guest account it's not as successful.  Hopefully those that wish to visit will not take offense and understand, especially since registering is quick, easy and at no charge.  On other subjects, some may have noticed the announcement in the forums that subscriptions are now available.  That means you now have a way to support the Antique Caterpillar Machinery Enthusiasts and get a few perks in addition to being recognized as a supporter.  For more details just click the link in the announcement or the "ACME Supporter" tag by the names of participating members.

01.13.05:  Looks like we're back in business on the new server!  If you have direct-to-forum shortcuts or favorites please be sure to update them.  I'll leave the backup forum up for a couple more days for any unfinished conversations.  Enjoy and see y'all on the forums.  =)

01.12.05:  A new host has been found and secured, all the forum data backed up and ready for transfer.  The only holdup is the previous host technically "owns" the domain name since we've used them less than a year.  This means that transferring the .net domain can take up to 48 hours before it's widely available to view.  I sincerely apologize for the delay and appreciate the patience shown thus far by the ACME community.  The outpouring of support and encouragement has been incredible and very welcome!  I'm glad to see the old board is tiding most over while we get the machine back up to steam.  Thank you all!!!  ;-)

01.10.05:  As some of you know the forum was the target of repeated "Denial of Service" attacks recently.  The hosting company I had chosen to host the forums had made several attempts to move the forum from one server to another and also block as many of the IPs as possible, but they just couldn't cope with the onslaught and had to unfortunately shut the site down to protect their other accounts.  They have been very helpful in explaining how to more effectively host the ACME forums to deal with this as a long-term problem.  I will be in contact with another hosting outfit they've recommended that may support our needs.  In the meantime I've re-activated the old forums in the hope it can once again provide the reliable service it was so well known for.  I'm afraid it will also come under the crosshairs of whoever is responsible for the most recent attack, but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

12.25.04:  Merry Christmas!  Just taking a break from the holiday dinner to make some quick updates to the site, mainly a simple hit-counter on the home page.  I'm also working on a counter for the forums, but since I'm not a programmer it'll take a bit longer.  Other than that I really appreciate the flood of positive and supportive messages coming our way for the site and the community it helps keep together.  I am, however, a bit disturbed by comments on the ACMOC board that we've been hateful and vindictive about the recent troubles there.  Obviously those making the claims haven't been to the ACME forums to see exactly how supportive everyone has been for a return to normalcy in the ACMOC community.  Well, we all knew some feathers would be ruffled and I can only hope with time that all can exist peacefully and help those in need to keep the old yellow iron rolling.

12.14.04: A little more than a year has passed since I started the Antique Caterpillar Forums, and now a new year is about to begin as we step into the day as the Antique Caterpillar Machinery Enthusiasts.  As many know, this moment was ushered in amid a great deal of turmoil and uncertainty in the vintage Caterpillar collecting family.  Hopefully this start will be fresh and inviting, free of bureaucracy and misgivings.  There is no club here, no hierarchy or status.  Only common folk with an uncommon interest and the desire to share in that fellowship with others.