Permit me to offer a bit of personal perspective.
I'm a Life Member of the NMRA, and have been for more years than I care to remember.
Way back when they were raising funds for a headquarters building, I donated heavily to the effort and it eventually came to fruition thanks to a supportive and active NMRA membership. At the time I was, as I recall, living in Hawaii.
At that point in time, the NMRA had around 30,000 members. Today the membership is around 19,000 (puts the TCA in relatively good shape, all things considered, especially when one takes into account the significantly smaller niche that constitutes the "toy train" community).
I visited the new (at the time) NMRA headquarters on one occasion. I was in Alabama for an NMRA National Convention, and staying with relatives who lived there. After the convention, we drove to Tennessee to visit several spots, including the NMRA Headquarters and the nearby Tennessee Valley Railroad. I was proud to have been a part of seeing the NMRA's building become a reality, and am still proud today.
However, the facility is really quite some drive from Chattanooga proper, and certainly (unlike the TCA HQ and Museum) not an easy destination for most tourists to seek out. I recall thinking that at the time, but still delighted in seeing it in brick-and-mortar form.
I'm also a big fan of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, and have visited there several times. It is a growing and thriving enterprise, and I have also donated heavily (for me, at least) to the exhibit mentioned in that NMRA letter. Hopefully, the Good Lord willing, I'll be able to visit there again once the new exhibit is permanently established.
I posted that NMRA announcement for several reasons, not the least of which was to again demonstrate that, as I have said many times, the demographics of the hobby are catching up with us. That change, as well as the influences of a digital society, has significantly altered the dynamics, not only of the model railroading hobby, but of many other leisure activities as well. It doesn't concern me to any great degree because I've been around a long time; have thoroughly enjoy the many blessings the hobby has brought me; and have found that fretting much about the future is likely to yield no positive result. I will be in the hobby, and fully enjoying it, regardless of what happens to any of the organizations or manufacturers that support the hobby. I've taken steps over the years to assure that will be the case.
All that said, I still firmly believe that organizations like the NMRA and TCA are vital forces in preserving and perpetuating the hobby, no matter how large or small their membership numbers. I remain hopeful that both of these national organizations will not only survive, but that they will continue to be repositories for all that is good about this hobby today, and all that made it great in the past.
