MAY NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS NEWS 2018 THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE TRAIN COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION™ COME cruising WITH US ABOARD THE JUNE 23 TO JULY 1 TCA’s 64th NEED MORE aquatic action? NATIONAL FOR THOSE WHO LIKE THE DOCK: 2018 CONVENTION WE SALUTE YOU! NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS NEWS May 2018, Vol. 43 No. 3 Editor: Timothy Stier, [email protected] Table of Contents Business Office Manager: 2018 Convention Registration Info...................39-50 Tammy Hersh, [email protected] Advertising & Meet Notice Index................................21 Bookkeeper: Carol Bair, [email protected] Advertising Rates & Newsletter Deadlines...............19 Membership Services Coordinator: Amy Fry, [email protected] Annual Appeal Letter & Donation Form.....................4 Museum Assistant: Applicant Members for TCA...................................10-12 Melody Rogers, [email protected] Application for TCA Membership...............................22 Office Administrative Assistant: Calendar of Meets.....................................................13-15 Maria Penry, [email protected] Convention Car Committee: News / Updates...........6 Librarian: Lori Nyce, [email protected] Donation Form for TCA / Library / Museum..............17 Questions concerning Mail Delivery: Timothy Stier ( ) Endowment Fund & Heritage Membership.................8 Questions concerning Change of Address: Amy Fry ( ) How to Use the Interchange Point....................83-84 Phone: (717) 687-8623; Fax: (717) 687-0742 In Memory Of....................................................................5 General email: [email protected] Interchange Member Listing..................................79-83 TCA Website Hub: www.traincollectors.org Museum Website: www.nttmuseum.org Interchange Miscellaneous Listings............................77 TTML (Toy Train Mailing List): Interchange Numeric Listings.................................61-76 [email protected] Interchange Point Forms......................................85-86 e*Train Online Magazine: www.tcaetrain.org Kids Club Registration Form.........................................12 TCA x-change: www.tcabuysell.org Additional Member Website: www.tcamembers.org Library News & Fee Schedule......................................9 Membership Complaint Form........................................18 National Officers (terms run from 7/01 to 6/30 each year) President: Joseph Fanara Minutes: February 20 BOD Meeting........................20 President-Elect: Rupert C. Campbell, Jr. O Gauge Study Group Report.......................................7 Vice-President: Peter Atonna President’s Message........................................................3 Secretary: Christie Wilson Service Ads & Service Ad Form...............................78 Treasurer: Rick McKenny Strasburg Spotlight: News From TCA HQ.................5 TCA Mission: To develop an appreciation of and to preserve TCA 2018–2019 National Election Results................5 an important segment of history—Tinplate Toy Trains—through research, education, community outreach, fellowship, establish- TCA 2017–'18 Appeal/Endowment Donors...............31 ment of collecting standards, and to promote the growth and en- TCA Grading Standards..............................................87 joyment of collecting and operating toy, model, and scale trains. TCA Credit Card Payment Slip..................................21 Send all TCA correspondence to: TCA Memorial: Warren Heid.......................................16 Train Collectors Association™ P.O. Box 248 York Meet Registration Page......................................30 Strasburg, PA 17579-0248 On the cover: The Odyssey is the ship TCA members National Headquarters News (ISSN 1078-0718) is published five times and their guests will take up and down the Boston Harbor per year (in all the odd-numbered months except July) by the Train Col- lectors Association™, Post Office Box 248, Strasburg, PA 17579. Peri- and waterfront—an opportunity to relive important national odicals Postage Paid at Ronks, PA, and at an additional mailing office. history and see beautiful current shoreline vistas all at once. Come cruise with us on Thursday evening, June 28! Postmaster—Send address changes to: TCA, Address Changes Also featured is the Kid's Club Tour, which will be enjoyable P.O. Box 248 for all ages! We will tour the Mystic Seaport and Mystic Strasburg, PA 17579-0248 Aquarium on Thursday, June 28. See National Historic Advertisements in this publication are not an endorsement of Landmark watercraft, tour a 19th-century village setup, products and/or services or advertising claims by TCA. TCA and then discover the beauty and mystery of underwater is not responsible for the content of or representations in any worlds housing a variety of exotic marine animals. advertisement. You are directed to contact advertisers with all questions pertaining to their respective products and services and advertising claims. You are solely responsible for the selection of 64th TCA National Convention any vendors, including their products and services. TCA shall not be liable to any party as a result of any advertisement in this publication. to be held in Warwick, Rhode Island, © 2018 Train Collectors Association™ this year—from June 23 to July 1! 2 Nat’l Headquarters News Find more toy train content! www.tcaetrain.org May 2018 Hello Fellow Members! I find it a bit difficult to write to you this time around as it will be my final letter to you in this publication. In June, I will step down and you will have a new President take over this job for the following year. Rupert Campbell, who is now President-Elect, will become President for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. I am completely confident in his ability to carry on where I leave off. It has been a very active and productive year for us at National. We have had numerous tasks to conquer and problems that unexpectedly arose—and we have succeeded in overcoming all of them. I am sure that you are already aware of many of them. As the year went on, I informed you of various successes as they were occurring. Also, if you have read the minutes of all the BOD meetings that took place, you are up to date on what has happened as we ventured through the past weeks and months. As I leave, I know that TCA is very stable financially. We have investments that can do nothing but grow as we continue to develop as an organization. I also know in leaving that we are fortunate to have a staff at the National Business Office that works like a fine-tuned clock to keep our Museum, Library and office up-to-date and organized. I have really enjoyed my year at the helm and I did the best job that I could for you, the members. However, I will not go away, as I will continue to do what I can to help our club grow and prosper. Together we will keep this organization the best toy train organization in the world. Our membership numbers for the past year have been pretty stable, as the more noticeable drop from a few years ago has slowed. We are hopeful that these numbers can turn around even further based on incentivized membership programs currently in development. A new membership drive you may find exciting is in the planning stage, and hopefully will be in place by the fall of 2018. It is called “Win Big” (as in "Big Boys"), and there will be large prizes awarded to the Divisions, Chapters, and individual members who recruit the most new members. This incentive-based campaign will be the beginning of a new start for the TCA Chapters and Divisions, and everyone in TCA. It signals the launch of a positive outlook for the years ahead, and can help turn the TCA membership in a positive direction. I would like to give my thanks on behalf of the entire membership to all of the volunteers who donate their time to help better the TCA, whether it is at local chapters or divisions or at our National level. Thanks to all of the volunteers at our national headquarters who make it possible to have the greatest toy train museum and library on the planet. I would like to also mention again that you can do your part for TCA by offering a little of your time to your local chapter, division or at our headquarters. Please—if you will volunteer to do what you are capable of, the local directors and officers will not turn you down. And as always, all my best to you and for you! National President has not been the only "TCA hat" Joe has worn for the past year. Joe has simultaneously served as Co-Chair of TCA's 2018 National Convention, coming up this Joe Fanara June in Warwick, Rhode Island! This following the usual terms as National Vice President and National President-Elect, while also spending time as President of the NETCA Division! Thanks, Joe! We wish you all the best—and hopefully some REST—in your future endeavors! May 2018 TCA’s membership home: www.traincollectors.org Nat’l Headquarters News 3 National Business Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday. When contacting the National Business Office for any reason, please have 's your TCA number handy for quicker reference in our database. TCA Reference Library Hours: Please call ahead to confirm before visiting (717-687-8976, ext. 108). Strasburg Current Dues Structure: $50 for yearly membership; $2 for family member cards; $20 for First Class to mail your National Spotlight Headquarters News in an envelope. Remember TCA is one of the Charities you can select when making purchases on Amazon.