@Arnold D. Cribari posted:Isn't it fair to say that this Forum is a virtual model train club?
More than fair, Arnold.
That is exactly how I've always considered it.
Jeff I see in your profile you live in North Texas area. Like others who have suggested attend one of the local club meetings to see if it is a fit for you and then join. I joined the TCA because of the local level participation and relationships with club members.
For North Texas one local club would be TCA . http://www.tca-northtexaschapter.org/
For LCCA I do not know of local meetings but contact Rodger at TW Trainworx he is very involved with LCCA. http://twtrainworx.com/contact.html
Mark
President of Gulf Coast TCA Chapter
T.C.A.
I belong to both TCA and LCCA. I probably prefer TCA but I really enjoy receiving the Lionel catalogs and access to all the online archives catalogs. As I have joined both just before COVID I really can not speak to the in person community other than to say that every train person I have met at a show is wonderful.
If you're in New England, please join the TCA and share a lot of good fellowship. We are very active and have a schedule of seven parking lot meets between now and the end of June. Tailgate meets are us until vaccination and regulation makes it safe again to be indoors.
Hopefully on of the late spring meets will be in a large open pavilion where we'll be able to have operating layouts.
I joined the LCCA for access to the archives. I've never been much a joiner but I feel the benefits are there considering what you'd pay for hardcopies of what they offer.
One additional thought re TCA vs. LCCA... Since going to York and the museum aren't in the cards for you, IMO it boils to what is available locally. With that in mind, LCCA meets are far more welcoming to the general public, while TCA meets are not. The TCA's unwillingness to support being open to the public was a major factor in killing our local chapter and its meets.
I belong to three clubs,TCA since 1976,LCCA 2008,TTOS 1976.Of the three Clubs,I would rate them LCCA with great National Conventions and Publication,TCA which has divisions nation wide and good Conventions.If you want hands on local Clubs TCA is best.
@Lionelski posted:TCA. Why? The Quarterly mag with lots of informative & interesting info, a level of comfort when buying from other members, TCA museum and library, active local divisions, good website and, of course, YORK.
I also belong to LOTS, a friendly group and The Switcher mag is good too.
Lastly I belong to LCCA. Pros: Lionel Catalogs, lots of access to old catalogs, etc. on their website too. Cons: Not friendly at meets, unresponsive to emails. Their mag, The Lion Roars, has, IMHO, become not too much more than a Lionel advertisement since the club merged with The Lionel Collectors Club.
I just want to point out that the LCCA reached out to me after reading the post I made.
I thank them for that and we are starting out fresh. The recent issues of The Lion Roars reflect a marked improvement too.
In New England, not only are we open to guests, our flyers are at all local train shows. To get a table, you have to be a member. But we offer a guest membership for one show, and you have to join to get a table the next time.
Plenty of info here to consider.. Go with your gut for now. Sign up for a year and see how you feel. After that if not satisfied then try another for a year. In the meantime there's this forum.
I heard about and joined TCA in 1985 hoping to replace childhood trains. I soon joined TTOS and LCCA shortly thereafter, as TTOS was active in this area, and they later had a Marble, Colo. convention car l jumped on. TTOS lost an active leader after holding a Cincinnati convention, and had some kind of political hassle in its Western HQ, so, although l had written a number of articles for the mag, l dropped out. LCCA was old Lionel, and recycling of East Coast roadnames, and my interests was western and new and different prototypes, so l dropped out of it, also, like dropping MR after decades, as emphasasls seemed to be N, HO, and diesels. TCA seems to represent all trains, and all of three rail.
Re the TCA and LCCA cars... TCA cars are marked more visibly, while the LCCA markings are more subdued. A matter of personal preference.
