TCA Sets Minimum Age Requirement

I curious, since the editor of OGR magazine sees fit to editorialize about the TCA and teenage members, what has OGR done to encourage their participation in the hobby?

If you have read the magazine in recent years (apparently you don't), you would see ample evidence of the exposure we provide to youth in this hobby (remember Max Warfel?), to family participation, and to supporting other activities such as the TCA's "Night at the Museum" program, the "Trains for Kids" effort here, and other such programs.  See anything of that nature being promoted elsewhere?

 

And you would suggest what else?

Chris,

I do not want to start a war over this but when you as a past National President state the comments that you have mentioned here you need to be atleast factual.  The Executive Committee had to act on this issue because we were in violation our our own by laws to say nothing of Pennsylvannia laws.  We literaly had overnight to come up with a solution and waiting "2 months" was not an option.  Also the 6 voting members of the committee are Pres., Pres. Elect, 1st past Pres., and Treasure, all of whom were elected by the entire membership to their offices, also included are 3 Division Presidents who are not elected by the entire membership.  I submitt that we have a good balance as things stand now.  So how do you say the EX Com was not elected by the majority of the TCA membership? Please respond in private if you wish.  You have served the association well over the years but I do not agree that this forum is the place to discuss TCA governance as it is not allowed on our own forum, the Toy Train Mailing List.

 

Paul Edgar

President

TCA

 

 

Paul,

 

There is no war and my posts have been nothing but factual. I am still waiting for the private replies to the emails I sent to the Executive Committee asking for clarification over this issue I sent a month ago. Simply put as I have stated in all my correspondence regarding this issue, the full Board of Directors should have been called together regarding this issue, and in Atlanta, the full Board of Directors will either affirm or amend the actions taken by the Executive Committee. There is no proof that TCA was in violation of any Pennsylvania statutes, instead the Executive Committee violated TCA Bylaws by changing membership classifications and setting an age requirement. That sir, is a fact.

 

Speaking of facts let's examine the "majority" of members that voted me into office. I was in a five man race for Vice-President. I won that horse race with a total count of about 1,500 votes out of a total vote count of roughly 5,000 total votes. TCA membership at the time was over 29,500. I hardly consider the 1,500 that voted for me a majority of members. Nobody wanted to run against me for the office of President-elect, and so one of the 20 Division Presidents opted to be the sacrificial lamb so we could have a contested ballot. I won that race, but again only 5,000 members voted or about 20% of the total TCA membership. For any National Officer to believe or say they were voted into office by a majority of the members is ludicrous. The office of National Secretary and Treasurer have run unopposed for over a dozen years with the exception of vacancies of office due to death or retirement. The Executive Committee likewise was not voted into office by overwhelming acclamation, but rather by default.

 

To the question at hand, the members of this forum wondered why TCA took the actions that they did and why. Also several good alternates to the age restrictions were discussed. No one, including Allan, ever discussed TCA governess, instead opting for an open exchange of ideas and if any major resources should be expended to our youth. The evidence is overwhelming that a majority of them will drift away from the hobby in their teens to hopefully come back in their 30's and 40's. Publications such as OGR and TCA share the common thread of maintaining interest in a hobby that is over a hundred years old yet can still be exciting today as it was then as we and the toy train manufacturers continue to reach a niche marketplace. We all need to cross pollinate our resources and ideas to keep this hobby alive.

 

Chris

 

 

Is this REALLY the place OFFICERS and GENTLEMEN???

Ron,

Agreed!!!  You will hear no more from me!!

 

Paul Edgar

I think that Paul and Allan(and others) have covered this the best.

It is about preserving the hobby.

 

I will be interested to see if my daughter partakes in this years Christmas set up. In years past she always helped and added 'her touches'. She will be fifteen this July and has developed several different interests in the last two years while I prepared to deploy, then deployed overseas. If she doesn't, I am not worried. I truly believe she will come back to the hobby. Will she ever be a member?, that will be her decision(but the seed has been planted).

 

My first train set was a Tyco Chattanooga Choo Choo. But, when I came back to the Hobby it was O Gauge. I wanted to preserve what I remembered as a very child and that my father had enjoyed. I went through the teen change of interest, but came back. Most people come back to what they enjoyed the most as a child or teen.  If, as a 'community' we are able to keep people interested from childhood to adult, that is saying something and quite an accomplishment. To me, those are the people who will be able to help carry on the hobby. They will have seen the ebb and flow of the hobby as they grow. I'll bet there are some people like that right on this Forum.

 

Change is inevitable. We must adapt in the most reasonable way that achieves that goal.

 

Henry J

To Henry J. and all of the concerned guys,

 

It seems to me that this would be a topic that would interest the 18 and younger crowd. I would be pleased to know being a forum member myself (vastly over 18-----55  myself) and something of an activist, isn't it insulting to be lumped in with the kid's club? Shouldn't we have an Almost Adults Club? That would inspire new membership!

 

I am only a new member of the TCA and as far as I know IS a Train Collectors Association whose primary mission should be to encourage building up the hobby by encouraging new membership and secondary mission should be one of Commerce between and among members.

 

Relegating a specific age group to a kid's club is just demeaning. Guys look at our competition, stores don't enforce the same strict standards when selling items to children! Shouldn't we adjust and rename a certain target demographic that we wish to cater to, IF that IS what we truly wish to do.

 

I always ask myself what Joshua Lionel Cohen do?

 

 

Just a thought that deserves a little more thought IMHO!

 

Mike Maurice

I was 12 or 13 when I became a member.

 A little common sense goes a long way. Young people under the age of eighteen  should be listed as members. Have a responsible adult such as a parent or club member co-sign. End of issue.

What a bunch of diahea of the mouth here..Can't you all just enjoy the tca for what it is? Get a life. If you want to change the rules, run for tca president.

Can't we all just get along??   

Gents,

 

Before this gets too far out of hand, the TCA Board of Directors have a Bylaws amendment pending TCA member approval this spring. It was discussed and the wording approved at the National Convention in Atlanta in June. It will allow for individuals to join TCA who are less than the age of 18, however due to the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania they will not be allowed to run for office, vote in elections and a few other things not permitted to any individual under the age of 18. The temporary age limit was put in place by the Executive Committee until the members could vote for this new member classification. Until approved by the TCA membership TCA was in violation of Pennsylvania laws so the quick fix was the temporary ban until the spring elections.

 

Chris

Well, the TCA isn't actually The Lionel Collectors Association, even though it often seems to be.  And I don't think Old Josh is a good role model since he'd do everything to crush or eliminate the competition.  Not to mention he didn't play fair.  

 

But then, I'm no Lionel Worshipper.

Chris,

Thanks for posting this.   Makes perfect sense to me.

Dear Jeff and others, I did not mean to insult anybody, I'm sincerely sorry to upset any of you! What is the other side of this discussion? I thought our collective goal as members would be to be to be as welcoming as possible to younger people if we want our hobby to survive us. I do this locally by sponsoring a local Holiday Train Show. I really want to inspire adults with young children to be attracted to toy trains in the way that they were a long time ago when the hobby was young before video games came onto the scene! I want to inspire adults to interact with their children the way our dads did with us! I suppose I'm being a little one sided but then again I'm looking at it from an adults perspective. I guess I should have asked for some of our younger than 18 members to respond. How about it?