I heard from a convention attendee that TCA National dues are $50/year as of July 1.
TCA's BoD is expecting a 10% membership loss. We had no choice other than closing the museum and library and that is not an option.
Paul Edgar
Past Pressident
With membership dropping, the TCA will at some point, have to close the museum and the library. It is just too expensive. In my opinion they never should have built it. If I recall, the museum construction was never approved by a TCA Membership vote.
The whiners will fall by the wayside (hopefully) and those of us who truly support the TCA and its mission will (also hopefully) remain on-board.
Eighteen dollars more is not that big a deal, if you really think about it, the TCA is well worth it. For the sake of a museum preserrving our hobbies history and all TCA functions. The increase plus is less than the cost of many model train items most people buy. My advice welcome to reality pony up and preserve a piece of the future of our hobby and then we wont have to read another one of those blogs again and again and again where many whine whine, whine(With a little luck and a miracle!)!
To the people whining about the increase:
Are you serious? It is a lousy $15.00 increase to keep one of the best train clubs viable.
If people leave the TCA because of the increase then shame on them.
Being on a fixed income,retired,I plan on paying the increase in dues but one of the other train clubs,T.T.O.S.,LCCA,or LOTS or CTT or "O" Gauge R.R. is going to have to take a hit. I'm at the stage now where you increase my cost I am going to cut back somewhere else.
...And what else do you get, nothing.
Sadly, an all-too-common attitude among those who think first and foremost of how they might reap personal benefit, without regard to contributing to the hobby as a whole and its future.
Fifty dollars (or whatever) a year causes an uproar among some who spend hundreds, or more likely thousands, of dollars annually for toys to support their hobby interests. What's that...a measly $15 a year more to belong? Less than the cost of attending a movie or a modest dinner out. There's something inherently wrong with that picture. 
Allan,
Frankly and with all respect, step down from the pulpit. There is nothing wrong with asking what you receive in exchange for what you pay. Moreover, your employment and affiliation create an incentive for you to support these organizations. That's not a criticism, but rather a simple statement of why your perspective may differ from others. Moreover, while TCA may be a 501(c)(3) organization, we're not talking about providing the poor with food here.
Once we dispense with all the sermons about supporting the organization, the real issue becomes why is the membership decreasing, and why is there a lack of alignment between what the members want, in terms of what they are willing to pay, and what the organization provides, in terms of its cost structure? It is very possible that there is no problem, and most TCA members will remain. There is also a possibility that many will feel that the additional cost is not justified, and they will drop out. Or we could be somewhere in between. Time will tell.
For me, I will remain in TCA because I think it supports the hobby and the museum is nice. I don't fault others who look to allocate their personal resources differently. There's no right or wrong here, just different perspectives.
Allan,
Frankly and with all respect, step down from the pulpit. There is nothing wrong with asking what you receive in exchange for what you pay. Moreover, your employment and affiliation create an incentive for you to support these organizations. That's not a criticism, but rather a simple statement of why your perspective may differ from others.
No pulpit here...just a soapbox equal in size and height to any other soapbox. And my professional affiliation has very little to do with my support for the TCA or any other organization or entity (we receive zero ad revenue from the TCA). They make it or fail on their own, and by the actions of their respective officers, members, or owners. My support--personal support--goes to those groups that I feel have the best chance of helping to perpetuate a hobby I have enjoyed for most of my life.
Yes, my perspective may be different than that held some or many others. That's perfectly fine, and possibly even expected given the nature of our society today. But I would continue to support the TCA mission regardless of whether or not I receive anything in return because the benefits I value most at this point in my life are intangible benefits.
The membership WILL decrease. As I've noted many times, that is fact and it is pretty much irreversible. The "why" of that has also been fully explained multiple times, but the main cause is changing demographics. My guess is that some members will drop out because of a dues increase, but that's to be expected. Frankly, that's okay with me because it's better to have a few truly dedicated members than it is to have many more members who are only involved out of self-interest. If $50 in annual dues cause someone to drop out, so be it. No big deal in my opinion. A healthy and robust TCA is about more than membership numbers.
But you're right: There is no right or wrong here. Never was! It's just about individual choices, and the chips will fall where they may.
It's interesting, I attended/participated in the St. Louis TCA convention, and did not even hear any chatter about the dues increase, yet that is what this thread seems to be all about.
I had a great time, did a brisk business selling at my tables, had over fifty people participate in my Lionel history seminar, met many of my train buddies and overall had a great week. Thanks to all the convention volunteers for their hard work--it's a thankless job, but most appreciated!
Bob Osterhoff
Bob - I completely agree that the true fun of the convention got lost in this thread somewhere. Dennis James and his convention committee from Ozark Division did an outstanding job of putting this convention together. Anyone who as ever sit on a convention committee knows that these are simply a lot of work and they take many years to come together.
For me the convention experience is not about meetings, tours, or even trains as much as it is about seeing the great people of the TCA who attend these events every year. It is simply fun to socialize and get to know so many people who share this wonderful hobby.
For me the convention experience is not about meetings, tours, or even trains as much as it is about seeing the great people of the TCA who attend these events every year. It is simply fun to socialize and get to know so many people who share this wonderful hobby.
That, Jonathan, is one of those wonderful "intangibles" I have mentioned in the past.
If York were held somewhere in California, for example, those in the Northeast would have a different perspective, too.
Nonetheless, I will maintain my membership, just to support the organization and the hobby. Having the opportunity to purchase club cars is an important attraction as well.
I certainly understand your perspective. I live in the Northeast and attend York twice a year. And I wonder what I do receive from the TCA other than the "right" to attend an ED function. As someone else said, the TCA magazine definitely revolves around pre-war and tinplate. Neither of which interest me.
I've been involved as an Officer and Director in professional membership organizations and it is VERY difficult to be on a sound financial footing and keep members happy.
Nor do I care if toy trains (IMO, that's exactly what they are) are preserved for eternity. I've worked as a volunteer for the ACS on planned giving and getting people to leave bequests (even for something as important as cancer) is very challenging. For toy trains, probably much more challenging.
People value things differently and sometimes it's just the percentage of increase that sets them off. Other people have nothing better to do than gripe. Still others look at this as a cost/benefit situation. Everyone is different. I will not gripe and will continue my membership. But I certainly understand breezinup's perspective.
Gerry
The way I see it, those whose personal "cost/benefits" analysis indicates that they aren't getting "enough" for their money, and/or those who simply cannot scrape up an additional $15 on an annual basis to cover the dues should simply drop out and stop whining about it. TCA membership certainly is not mandatory for participating in and enjoying this hobby. Geez! 
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