March 2014 Volume 35 Issue 1
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January – March 2014 Volume 35 Issue 1 GGrreeeettiinnggss ffrroomm MMEETTCCAA!! Metropolitan Division Waybill Train Collector’s Association Vol. 35 Issue 1 Board of Directors 2014-2015 President~ Stu Rankin Vice President~ Kevin Quinn Secretary~ Robert Amling Treasurer~ Jeffery Corrick Inside This Issue: Director~ Larry Laskowski This is the first waybill with the new board members Director~ Robert Dobrowolski and not so new board members to some of you. We’ll Director~ Sam Deo discuss the upcoming 2015 Convention hosted by the Director~ Ben Fioriello METCA Division. Larry Laskowski has an excellent article Past President~ Scot Kienzlen on the TCA’s 40th Anniversary set and as always, a cup TCA MISSION STATEMENT of Joe with our president, Stu! So sit back, relax and To develop an appreciation of and to preserve an important segment of history~ Tinplate Toy Trains~ through research, enjoy the ride. education, community outreach, fellowship, establishment of collecting standards, and to promote the growth and enjoyment of Coming in the next Waybill: collecting and operating toy, model, and scale trains. 2014 Convention stories. Updates on the 2015 TCA CONTACT METCA Convention hosted by METCA. Answer to abandon in Website: www.METCA.org METCA as well as the next mystery location. Webmaster: METCA and 2015 Convention Jeffery Corrick: mailto:[email protected] Asking for your help! Discussion: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/METCA/ …This is your Waybill Folks! We want to hear from our METCA Kid’s Club Chair: MIGS about what they are doing it this hobby. Send us mailto:[email protected] news, a photo(s), or a story. I want to see your name in Correspondence, membership and mail issues: METCA Secretary 2023 Coyle St. Brooklyn, NY 11229 the byline! Send your info to [email protected] Phone: 718-541-8619 Fax: 718-934-2548 Email: mailto:[email protected] On The Cover: Talk to me directly: "Snow Drift at Fairlight" - Stu Rankin, President: 917-593-3990 An AB Class Pacific stuck in a snow drift on the Fairlight Train Collector’s Association Application Straight during the heavy snow fall of July 1939. It took www.tcamembers.org/membership/application.pdf three days to cover 37 miles. Photographed by the late Metropolitan Division (METCA) Application Jim Graham. www.metca.org/documents/application.pdf Train Collectors Association National Officers President: Robert J. Obara President-Elect: Katie Elgar Vice-President: Wayne S. Sheriff Secretary: Christie Wilson Treasurer: Robert “Bob” Mintz TCA National Website http://www.traincollectors.org/ The views expressed by the contributors to this publication are their own and not necessarily those of the Waybill editor or of the Train Collectors Association 2 Coffee With Stu There’s tons of info to report on. If you want to know what it is, DON’T read the rest of this column, since I’m going to touch on the highlights. Instead read the rest of the pages in this issue of the Waybill. This is YOUR newsletter. In no particular order, let me mention some of the newsiest things. We have a new Waybill Editor. Sam Deo, a previous METCA Treasurer, is now taking over as Waybill Editor from Larry Laskowki. Larry has done a great job creating a vibrant and exciting newsletter chocked full of interesting articles. Don’t worry, we’re not done with Larry yet. I’ve asked Larry to continue to write the Long Island Sounds column. It’s always been well received by our members. Also, Larry remains on the BOD as well as being the co-chairman of our annual banquet. Sam is transitioning into his new role, but he’s hit the ground running. Just check out this issue of the Waybill. I think you’ll agree that our newsletter continues to be in great hands. Just one thing, please show Sam your support by writing an article for him. Need an idea? How about a paragraph or two on how you got started in the hobby? How about a paragraph or two on your best train “find”? Maybe it was an under the table discovery or something you pulled out of the garbage. Either way, let’s hear about it. Steve Musso is working with RMLI (Railroad Museum of Long Island) to host another Night at the Museum. It’s in the beginning of April (see flyer later in this issue). It’s a fantastic hands-on evening for kids (both young and old alike). After running the program last year, Steve couldn’t decide who had bigger smiles, the kids or their parents/grandparents. So, if you’re looking to have some fun quality time with your kid or grandchild, let Steve know that you’re up for smiling. You’ll come away with lasting memories, just be ready for your cheeks to hurt from so much smiling. Meet your new Board of Directors. Last year was an election year for METCA. You elected your new BOD that took office on January 1, 2014. For your Officers, continuing on as Secretary is Bob Amling. Don’t get hung up on titles. Bob really is the glue that holds the Division together. Back for another term as Treasurer is Jeff Corrick. Trust me, the Divisions funds are in capable hands with Jeff. He’s even brought our financial statements out of the Excel age and into the world of professional accounting software. Old timer Kevin “Kev” Quinn is back on the Board, this time as Vice President. Kev has such a great attitude and sacrifices much of his time (as well as Renee, his wife) for the Division. Rounding out the BOD are your Directors. Ben Fioriello and Larry Laskowski remain as Directors and we’re happy to have the continuity that they provide (as well as being co-hosts for our annual banquet). Sam Deo (your editor) returns to the BOD … he just couldn’t stay away. Finally, Bob Dobrowolski, a previous Director, has been re-elected to the BOD. Unfortunately, he won’t be hanging around too long. Just a few days before I wrote this column, Bob informed us that his “real” job has been transferred to Houston, TX. So, we’ll be missing him real soon. Our loss is Lone Star Division’s gain. Best of luck Bob. Oh yeah, you're stuck with me as your President for another term. If you want to meet any of your BOD’s, stop by the METCA table at the Greenberg train show in Edison, NJ on March 29 and 30. As you know (please tell me that you do know this already), we’re hosting the 2015 TCA National Convention in the New York metro area. Elsewhere in this newsletter you can find our usual update on planning activities. Now that we’re just a little more than a year away from go-time, we’ll also be providing you with some “teasers” about the convention highlights. Thanks go out to Rich Levow for providing this first installment. Speaking of Conventions, I’ll be at the 2014 Philadelphia TCA Convention. I really encourage you to go and join me there. Not just because the Philadelphia convention will be fun but because that’s the start of the official public promotion of our 2015 Convention. It sure would be nice for the Philadelphia attendees to see a bunch of smiling faces from the tri-state area. You want Division Cars? We got Division Cars. Well actually, we don’t really have many available because we’ve sold a ton. This is just more of a shipping update. Order forms can be found in this newsletter as well as on the METCA website. Our 2013 2-pack of CNJ (Blue Comet and Jersey Central) Mint Cars was shipped out at the end of 2013 (sorry for the late notice). Our 2014 Erie Lackawanna Mint Car has just been delivered to us from Lionel. You (Continued on next page) can expect delivery by late April (or maybe the beginning of April if I can get them to the Post Office before I leave on vacation). We do have a few Erie Lackawanna’s available. We’re also doing things other than Lionel Mint Cars (yes, I know they’re not for everyone). We have an MTH Modell’s Sporting Goods Trailer on a New York & Atlantic flat car. These are in stock and ready to ship (probably by the end of March, give or take). Only a handful remain. Also, we’re taking orders for a custom run of Atlas O 40’ Woodside Reefers. We have less than 10 sets of 3-rail available as well as only 8 sets of 2-rail remaining. These are due by the end of the year. All of the above are exclusive METCA items, not available from any other source. We get lots of inquiries about the status of when METCA will return to running train shows, so here’s where we stand. New York … St. Helen’s. Bob Amling has run this show for years with amazing success. After Bob notified us that he was going to step aside as show chairman, we were unable to find someone to take over. We ran one more show without a show chairman and most of the responsibility was unfairly dumped on Bob. We won’t make that mistake again. So until someone volunteer’s to take the bull by the horns (it’s more like a calf than a bull), no more New York Shows. In New Jersey, we own the assets of Don Brill’s former Train-O-Rama Dover High School show.