Train memberships

Agreed!  The Museum is the single greatest and most distinctive asset the TCA has.  If it were to go, you might as well kiss the TCA goodbye, York or no York.

Used to be a member of TCA, LCCA, and LOTS but let them all go as I just couldn't justify the membership dues.  I'd rather spend my money on the trains, and if I wanted to attend York again, I'd just go as a guest.

Not sure about that.  I believe they just dropped the program after X number of years.  I don't even recall how much it cost me when I joined the program, but I believe it was around $500-$750 or so.  Might have been more than that, but I just don't recall.  It was a l-o-n-g time ago!

I couldn't tell you exactly when, I think it was some time in the 80's when the Life Membership was changed from a fixed amount to a sliding scale, depending on one's age.  Eventually the Life Membership program was dropped.

I signed up for LM when the annual dues was 5 bucks, 5 years was $20 and Life was $100, just before the annual was going to go up to 8 bucks.  We're talking early 1970's.

Rusty

I guess I joined the TCA for different reasons than most. For me its going to TCA train shows and meeting other post war guys. This opens up a whole different avenue for me. If I can ever get up that way, now I can get into the York meets. Reducing the fees is exactly what got me to make the move. TCA told me someone from the local TCA chapter would be in touch, buts that not happened yet. I hope that opens some doors.

Rob

I used to belong to three tinplate clubs.  Now I just belong to one (I think).  One was centered on Lionel, and for a while, Lionel didn't seem to "get off the east coast" when it came to prototypes (that has improved), but I wasn't just interested in Lionel, but another brand primarily, so it became irrelevant.  Another club got into some kind of internal political dispute and I am not sure is still operating as I never got a renewal notice or continuing receipt of publications.  (some clubs bury their renewal notices in publications, and I, like most of you, am awash in junk mail, so it better be in big red letters on the front, or it can be missed.  Is TTOS still operating?) That club had been highly active in this area...dunno now. 

In fact, two of the three had active local shows.  Now one has infrequent

shows.  But, of course, the general open shows have dried up, too.

I thought about joining NMRA but I had been through my HO period and they

kind of treated O scale and tinplate as stepchildren or afterthoughts, so I didn't

think I would get much out of it, even though I am a builder modeler.

No other club but TCA has a "York".  I attended and enjoyed some of the other clubs' conventions, but after the internet and a tendency for a while to hold conventions

in the same place, one club after another the following year, and, since I went to find trains, and fewer or no trains of interest were showing up at conventions, even TCA'S,  the location HAD to be interesting, or not worth the gas.

I belong to both TCA and LCCA.  For me, LCCA provides a great convention every year and some unusual, unique items only availble to LCCA members.  TCA has York and the museum, and in our area (Lone Star division) has four division meets a year.  Our local Dallas area chapter meets on a regular basis.  The local chapter activities is something LCCA does not offer.  So both organizations offer something different for their members and both do a good job of what they do.

I belong to the MTHRRC,ATLAS O(GSC),LRRC,TCA and LCCA.The first two I joined mainly for the member cars and catalogs.Lionel was my first love and although I own other brands they are still my favorite so I joined the LRRC.I joined the TCA because of the elimination of the two signature rule.I doubt if I will ever make it to York but from what I read on this forum and magazines it seemed to me it did a lot to promote the hobby so I would like to support it.I joined the LCCA for the tin plate set "NYC Lakeshore Limited"and after receiving their magazines and going on the website I find myself liking this club very much.I will remain a member of this club.

I beleive the TCA will accept donations. 

All members are free to send extra money at any time.

Increasing the dues certainly isn't a way to attract new / younger members.

Reportedly, dropping the initiation fee has increased membership applications.

Rather snarky.

It's a contrary opinion.  Or at least a dissenting opinion.  I don't think obsessing over the membership numbers is useful or desirable.  And I wonder what the "appropriate" fee should be.  Don't know what it was in the mid-1970's when I first joined -- and was way under age 18.  Has it kept up with inflation?  I also don't confuse price and value.  So if there's a reason to join, there should be a proper fee.  What a good gauge -- four movie tickets, six BigMacs, one Lionel boxcar?

A very good idea!  Many non-profits used that sort of structure.  Could even follow the "new" rankings on this forum (which I personally dislike):  Brakeman, Conductor, Engineer, Dispatcher, or whatever, at the increasingly more lucrative levels.

As I've stated in the past:  The TCA needs to engage in some new thinking that will lead to new initiatives.

Hi Allan, what's the "rankings" on this forum you mentioned?

I posted this on another thread recently:

I recently joined both clubs, the TCA about a year ago, and the LCCA a few months ago.

 

I joined the TCA when they got rid of the initiation fee. I was thinking about joining for about a year prior (I bought some old TCA Quarterly mags at a train show and liked what I saw). When they were temporarily waiving the $35, I got my signatures and joined.

 

I joined the LCCA in May this year. I was at a small train show in Crown Point, Indiana, and Dennis Devito (sp?) was there recruiting. We had a rather pleasant talk, and I decided to join based on that chat.

 

I enjoy both clubs' publications, though both are still fairly new to me. I've gone to York once (and hopefully a few more times in the future) and I've gone to one Midwest Division swap meet. Last Christmas I got into the toy train museum for free because I was a member. I had to miss the only LCCA event that's happened near me thus far, which is a shame as it sounded like a lot of fun (it was a tour of TM Books and Video in June.

 

I don't see myself ordering any of the club special cars etc., but I won't say never. Having never been to one of the conventions, I don't know what to think about attending either clubs'.

I plan on keeping my membership in both clubs, as well as the local modular club and the Plasticville Collector's Association (which may be the best value of all of them at only $10 a year).

I also belong to the Williams Club, only because they have a car decorated for Plasticville this year.

I've belonged to our local modular club for a few years now. This is probably the club I am most active in, and also the only one that is reasonably local. I think there is only one other TCA member in our modular club, but there are about a half dozen LCCA members. Our modular club is roughly 25 members, and we have a positive bank balance

J White

quote:

Rather snarky.

 

It's a contrary opinion.  Or at least a dissenting opinion.  I don't think obsessing over the membership numbers is useful or desirable.

Admittedly so. You (and the rest of the board) have my apology.

Hi, Dave!  If you haven't found them yet (discussed on another thread), it's probably best to let sleeping dogs lie.  You'll do just fine without them.