I originally joined TCA in order to buy some members-only offerings from various divisions. After joining, I figured I'd check out this York Meet everyone was talking about. The rest is history.
Andy
Shortly after buying my first O gauge engine and cars in 2012, I joined this Forum. Not long after that, Pittsburgh area Forum member Patrick H saw I was from north of Pittsburgh, and he invited me to a get together at his home layout with a breakfast at a local restaurant. It was shortly before the Spring 2013 York meet, and nearly everyone I met asked if I was going to York. You may have been one of them, Andy Hummell. I didn't get to York for 4 more years, but I did join the TCA with that in mind. I have only been to York twice. Yes, I can get into the Fort Pitt TCA meets as a visitor an hour after members get in, but I thought I should support the organization that puts on the meets.
@Nation Wide Lines posted:I think that the founding members of the TCA would think this topic a joke...
Would they find it a joke... Or would they be disappointed that a majority of replies from today's members have joined just to attend shows?
It's today's leaders who have not found new and interesting ways to show membership has many different values to current members.
For instance, their publication mainly focuses on pre and post war toys and is still printed on newspaper print. That leaves the rest of us in the hobby uninterested and out in the cold. I am saddened to say my publication hits the recycle bin within 30 minutes of its arrival. For about half the price, we can receive OGR on high gloss on varying topics from the last 100 years of model trains.
And the "making friends" part... I've been a TCA member for a better part of a decade. I've made more friends and acquaintances on this FREE forum than I have through the TCA. So they have some competition there too.
No one should think this is a joke. If TCA shows continue to get cancelled or fade away, by looking at the replies above, so would a good portion of membership.
TCA should be concerned... not laughing.
Respectfully submitted.
Ron
@Ron045 posted:..................................For instance, their publication mainly focuses on pre and post war toys and is still printed on newspaper print. That leaves the rest of us in the hobby uninterested and out in the cold. I am saddened to say my publication hits the recycle bin within 30 minutes of its arrival. For about half the price, we can receive OGR on high gloss on varying topics from the last 100 years of model trains.
..........................
I'm curious the math you are doing there. Are you comparing the price of a year's membership in TCA to the price of a one year subscription to OGR?
Apples and Oranges, if that's it. Unless you can tell me where to go visit the OGR Model & Toy Train Museum !
(or many other TCA things that are supported by general membership dollars, but that is admittedly the biggest one). The paper Headquarters News is not meant to be like an OGR magazine. The TCA Quarterly (while still obviously not as big as an issue of OGR) is the publication with a little more "in depth" articles (I will admit many are of topics on older items).
The Headquarters News serves it's purpose. And it generally has many listings for modern trains as well, it doesn't end at 1969. Obviously the numbers of ads are going down as more people use the electronic format, but the listings are still there.
Not that I was opposed to eliminating the 2 signature rule, but by doing so, it seems (based on some comments in this thread) like it might have hurt people keeping membership up continuously. With the ability to drop and rejoin at will, it seems at least some people are looking at it as "I'll join if I want to go to the next York and then let it lapse until the next time I want to go to York". I don't think a lot of people were dropping in/out like that in the signature days. At some point there may be no more TCA to join or York to go to if the majority of folks start operating like that.
-Dave
I originally joined TCA to go to York, in fact, it was in the parking lot near the Red Hall that I got 2 signatures from guys I met there. That was Fall 2000. Since then I have missed a total of 4 meets. So yes, York was (and is) a big reason for my membership. However, I also attended a number of the Keystone Division meets when I lived in the Hershey / Hummelstown area. I've also attended one of the Fort Pitt Division meets, although the scheduling of their meets on Sunday mornings is a bit disrespectful and inconvenient. I won't skip church to go to a train meet. The Keystone Division "leadership" doesn't seem to read or react to emails or even requests for business meeting dates / times. 
They are certainly not a reason to remain a member.
I've bought things out of their HQ news. The TCA Quarterly is a brief, but occasionally amusing read.
But York remains the major reason for membership, although it's more about the people I see there rather than trains at this point. Trains are a close second. 
George
@Dave45681 posted:...Unless you can tell me where to go visit the OGR Model & Toy Train Museum !
How many rare and unusual items would we have the chance to see if we had to rely on access to private collections?
@Dave45681 posted:
...At some point there may be no more TCA to join or York to go to if the majority of folks start operating like that.
Bingo and amen!
@G3750 posted:I originally joined TCA to go to York, in fact, it was in the parking lot near the Red Hall that I got 2 signatures from guys I met there. That was Fall 2000. Since then I have missed a total of 4 meets. So yes, York was (and is) a big reason for my membership. However, I also attended a number of the Keystone Division meets when I lived in the Hershey / Hummelstown area. I've also attended one of the Fort Pitt Division meets, although the scheduling of their meets on Sunday mornings is a bit disrespectful and inconvenient. I won't skip church to go to a train meet. The Keystone Division "leadership" doesn't seem to read or react to emails or even requests for business meeting dates / times.
I've bought things out of their HQ news. The TCA Quarterly is a brief, but occasionally amusing read.
But York remains the major reason for membership, although it's more about the people I see there rather than trains at this point. Trains are a close second.
George
George, You are like me. Until I get out of church in Butler and make the 45-minute drive to Harmarville, I don't get there until well past noon. It was the same distance for me to the meets when they were held in Cranberry; perhaps before you moved back to the area. I attended one meet. I know that many folks would not be able to attend a Saturday meet because they work on Saturdays and not Sundays, and I am respectful of that. Each of us has to set his or her own priorities as does each division.
There are easy ways to have small meetings when the weather is nice. NETCA is having its first meeting of the year this coming Sunday. IT will be in the parking lot of the Minute Man Visitor Center, part of the NPS. We'll be able to back up our SUV's, vans and pickups to a grassy area where there are a few picnic tables. There will be some selling but a small group. So far I have 16 members in 14 vehicles who are planning to come. There's enough room to minimize the necessity of masks - part time where we crowd together.
Anyone can set up a meet like this. All that is needed is someone who will take the initiative to check out likely parks and their parking and lawn configuration, set a time and invite the membership.
Speaking of invites, a local email list is needed. All division officers have access to the national list, which has email addresses for 897 of the 1087 members in the NETCA area. I set up NETCA-meets@groups.io and sent invites to join to all of those 897 members - got 50. So there's a way for those really interested and willing to exert a bit of effort to have some local meets.
@mlaughlinnyc posted:There are easy ways to have small meetings when the weather is nice. NETCA is having its first meeting of the year this coming Sunday. IT will be in the parking lot of the Minute Man Visitor Center, part of the NPS. We'll be able to back up our SUV's, vans and pickups to a grassy area where there are a few picnic tables. There will be some selling but a small group. So far I have 16 members in 14 vehicles who are planning to come. There's enough room to minimize the necessity of masks - part time where we crowd together.
Anyone can set up a meet like this. All that is needed is someone who will take the initiative to check out likely parks and their parking and lawn configuration, set a time and invite the membership.
Speaking of invites, a local email list is needed. All division officers have access to the national list, which has email addresses for 897 of the 1087 members in the NETCA area. I set up NETCA-meets@groups.io and sent invites to join to all of those 897 members - got 50. So there's a way for those really interested and willing to exert a bit of effort to have some local meets.
I am in central Massachusetts and I would like to be included on your email list. I tried to send an email to the address embedded in your post but it was kicked back.
@Madockawando posted:I am in central Massachusetts and I would like to be included on your email list. I tried to send an email to the address embedded in your post but it was kicked back.
I could send you an invite if you tell me your name or email. I looked at your meber profile and saw nothing there.
@mlaughlinnyc posted:I could send you an invite if you tell me your name or email. I looked at your meber profile and saw nothing there.
It should be on my profile now
Back in the 70's when I lived in Ann Arbor I was buying trains at garage sales. Met someone who said that were a lot of people that liked trains and they had a club. I joined the TCA in 1970. It was fun going to meets in Michigan and Ohio. Never made it to York. I suppose it is still the Holy Grail. Now live in deep south Texas and there are no meets south of San Antonio 250 miles up state.
It never occurred to me to not be a member of the TCA. Don't have the benefit of the closeness of people and meets as in the northeast but the internet has leveled the playing field in terms of finding and acquiring trains. The other day I received an envelope from the National Headquarters. It wasn't a Gold Watch but was kind of nice.
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I joined the TCA in July of 1997 because of my love for the hobby of model trains and over the past 23 years I have enjoyed going to York two times a year and have met a lot of wonderful people as well.
I live in CA and joined TCA in 1976 and got to go to meets and see Layouts,now not so much.I just paid my dues renewal probably for the last time due to the fact that we paid full dues for no events in 2020.I have attended York five times as late as Oct 2019 and Even they are starting to fade.It is a very pricy trip to fly Cross Country and get a Hotel and rental car.I can buy what I need from the Sponsor vendors on this Forum.I hope TCA realizes that members should get some return for their dues.
Mikey
My first York yes. Just renewed again this year to support something I love and want to pass on to my Grandchildren. Trains still rule over anything out there.
@mikey posted:I live in CA and joined TCA in 1976 and got to go to meets and see Layouts,now not so much.I just paid my dues renewal probably for the last time due to the fact that we paid full dues for no events in 2020.I have attended York five times as late as Oct 2019 and Even they are starting to fade.It is a very pricy trip to fly Cross Country and get a Hotel and rental car.I can buy what I need from the Sponsor vendors on this Forum.I hope TCA realizes that members should get some return for their dues.
Mikey
Being a member since 1976, you certainly have a long view perspective. You mention "I have attended York five times as late as Oct 2019 and Even they are starting to fade."
I'm curious, when was your first York and how has York changed and evolved compared to the last time that you went?
I joined to support the hobby and for access to some great reference materials.
Miketg
Truth be told, yes, it was to attend the York Meet.
And an interesting story on the old two signatures rule. When I called the TCA office, the helpful woman on the phone said the following..." I'm going to fax you an application with two signatures of members on it. Use that." And she did. The form had two members names/signatures that were all but illegible and the form had obviously been duplicated many times over.
Aside from going to York, TCA membership was very valuable before people had personal computers. Today, not so valuable. On-line forums and eBay were mainly responsible for that.
If the next York were ENTIRELY open to the public, I predict the membership of the TCA would be about half of what it is now.
To go to York.
The division meets have dwindled down to be mainly a social meeting.
I'm 1800 miles from the museum and I have been there once.
Bottom line,, without York, it is hard to put that much lipstick on the magazine and museum.
