The avg. age of a TCA MEMBER

And getting older every year.

 

How about the membership by state? It used to be Pennsylvania 40%, NY and New England 30%, and the rest of the world filled in the rest. Wonder what it is now?

I would like to know who has the most experience as TCA Member?

 

Mike

That young? I would have guessed closer to 75! 

"I would like to know who has the most experience as TCA Member?"

 

Mike, I don't know how you would answer that question. How do you define experience?

 

Would be cool to see the actual bell curve across the entire membership.  I would have guessed the avg to be 60, but not all that surprised to see it's 65.  Either way, that's a staggering number.  The only really good thing about that demographic is the level of disposable income should sustain the amount of product available today.  Afterall, who else is gonna pony up funds to purchase $2K Big Boys???  It sure ain't gonna be millenials (generally speaking).

David

I joined in 72, at the age of 23. Now I am 65, so I am average age, but never considered myself average in other ways. Mostly just weird and whacko.

As far as average age of my fellow TCAers is concerned, I didn't want to know.

 

When we start talking about TCA Walkers, that's when I get off the train

 

Ed Boyle

 

I joined in 84...at 64...in rat years

 

rat

quote:

Afterall, who else is gonna pony up funds to purchase $2K Big Boys??? 

 

I don't see how TCA members will be able to afford a $2K purchase after the TCA's massive dues increase.

I figured it would be a bit higher. I still have 15 years to go I guess before I cross over to the other side.

I joined in '83 when I was 30....31 years have both flown by and seem like 3 different lifetimes ago.....

 

1. Prewar/Postwar/MPC era.

2. new Lionel + new manufacturers.

3. The Command Control/digital era.

 

The internet changed the York experience and my TCA experience (all for the better!).....before the internet I was a "lone wolf" operator/collector. The Command Control/digital era makes me feel like I'm part of a vibrant, interactive hobby. Though I have aged, I feel "younger" in many ways at 61.

 

Peter

So in human years you were about 1,387 years old when you joined back in '84, eh?

If it's not older than 55 now, it likely soon will be.

 

I imagine 55 or so is the average age for just about all the national train clubs, and it's probably a good bit below the average age for many smaller train groups.

 

Of course, I don't have any current information about the average age, but 50-55 has been pretty much "it" for a good many years.

And let's not forget that many people around my age (mid 20's) up into the 40's don't have the disposable income for a hobby like this one. It doesn't mean there isn't an interest.

so now the members are older than the trains they collect?

The BIG QUESTION IS: How many know the original TCA Mission? The one before all the silly changes.

Does the TCA publish these #'s, I.e,the demographics of the organization?

Mike:

 

That’s easy, wouldn’t the member with the most experience as a member be the still alive member with the lowest TCA number?  Whoever it is may not be a member of this Forum, though.

 

I've been a TCA member for 40 years but know of many members who have been a member longer than me.

 

Bill

I am 43 and have been a member since 2000, so I was 29. But I don't go to TCA meets anymore due to the age issue. They are not welcoming to children and the TCA as a organization is geared to older men. For the record I have many train friend in the 40 something range and none belong to the TCA

An honest question- What is/are the benefits to joining the TCA? I looked at their website & clicked on the "Why join the TCA" link, but didn't see any show stopper information that made me say, "Man, I need to pay these folks some of my money"

So... 

?

RogerPete,

 

I joined only so I could attend the York train meets.

 

Try going to one of the York meets as a guest and see if it is worth joining for...

As above I joined TCA so I could go to York.

 

Neal Jeter

At age 70, I may join TCA ( I may be a member,need to find my records)   and visit YORK, I have read so much about it in this forum.

 

Brent

I thought it would be 106.  Only 65.  Wow.

 

The beauty of having been in this hobby for about a zillion years, and having amassed more trains than I need or deserve, is that I don't have to worry about such things as club membership numbers, ages, rules, etc., and can just enjoy the hobby for what it is:  A great escape, with more opportunities for creative expression than any other leisure pursuit I can possibly imagine.

 

Admittedly, I have also enjoyed the very real benefit and good fortune of having been able to enjoy my hobby as my profession over a good many years, so I consider myself truly blessed.

 

I have a lot of sympathy for those--aside from those in the industry, of course--who seem to be continually preoccupied with myriad aspects of the hobby or its future that really have little relevance to one's personal enjoyment--now, in the present--of toy trains and model railroading.  Personally, I don't much care how many members a club has, what the age of hobbyists might be, where the trains are made, or even how much they cost.  This hobby--the O gauge segment in particular--has never had it better than what we have been blessed with over the past decade and a half.  It will almost certainly never be this blessed again, no matter what the future holds.  My advice is to savor and take full advantage, to the best of your means and abilities, of what you have today, and don't worry about what lies ahead.  The future will take care of itself, for better or for worse.

I joined when I was 21. My number was 82-17215. I've only seen a few people here on the forum with lower numbers, though clearly, not everyone here puts their number in their signature.

 

Back then there were plenty of guys in their 30's, 40's and 50's, as well as the standard 60+ crowd. I didn't mind being the "kid". Eventually, I stopped going to the meetings because they were boring. After 25 years in the organization, I quit.

 

I never went to York.

The question is, sustain it for how long? What's staggering is the amount of product that's is going to be floating around out there in not too many years, the residue of all that "disposable income," with far fewer interested in it, and far fewer around. Value of those Big Boys and everything else will be falling like a rock, good news for those still around who want to buy trains. It'll be like a $1 all-you-can-eat buffet. 

I probably didn't say it the best way.  What I intended to say was the "avg age demographic" would likely be the sweet spot for sellers looking to market their wares.  I was in no way implying that this sweet spot would absorb all the product being produced.  That's unlikely gonna happen even in a good year, which has resulted in the surplus of product in the marketplace we've been seeing for years now -- both brand new as well as "n-1" generation like-new products.  BTO may lessen the surplus somewhat, but that's yet to be seen... and I'm inclined to think it won't address the issue sufficiently, since it appears large dealers have already ordered more BTO items than their confirmed consumer orders.

 

David

I have noticed that throughout my life "old" was defined as 20 years older than one's self .  I assume this still holds and that when and if I'm 80, old will be 100+, or perhaps 90+.

 

Like Allan, I'm not worrying about any of this.  It just isn't a subject that holds my interest, since we all know where this is leading for each of us, personally.  I have no concerns about what happens to my trains in the post-me era.  Or the TCA.  Or the hobby.  Those are issues for those who will be around then .

Wow, Alan, I often find myself at odds with you but this paragraph really nails my thoughts.  Having re-entered the hobby back in the early 70's, I was happy to find that Lionel was still around but I never expected to see the boom in O gauge offerings that happened from the mid 90's to about 2008.  As a traveling salesman on the road much of the week, my trains gave me a much needed escape and saved my sanity for over 30  years (and still do).

 

With so much to be thankful for in the hobby, what are so many stressed out about?  Your posting reminds me of a little saying I repeat often:

 

Yesterday is history

Tomorrow is a mystery

Today is a gift

That's why it's called the present!

 

Happy railroading,

Don

IMHO, many folks worried about the "future of the hobby" are really thinking about:

 

- will my stuff hold its value for resale?

- will their favorite train companies continue to make stuff they like?

 

I used to tell my friends that when the bottom fell out of the train market, that would mean I could buy more trains!

I need to find a better class of friends and relatives! LOL

I don't know any retirees that can afford to plunk down $2K on a toy. Most have trouble buying food, meds and gasoline.

Perhaps joining the TCA will allow me to buy $2K trains when I get to be that age????

 

 

It'll take a whole lot better planning than that!  

 

As I indicated in my follow-on post, my original comment was more targeted at identifying a marketing "sweet spot".  Today's importers have a pretty good sense where the $$$ live.  And while many talk about churning interest in the hobby at a young age, that's all fine and good.  But it's not the marketing sweet spot for the big ticket items.

 

I think the importers know they're living on borrowed time in that regard, but they're largely concerned about today -- not tomorrow.  That'll be someone else's problem.  Meanwhile, there's probably a good 5+ years remaining -- 10 would be really pushing it -- where we'll continue to see Lionel and MTH catalogs hitting or exceeding the 125-page mark.  Beyond that timeframe, it'll very likely be a completely different toy train world with respect to new product production.  

 

I guess I still remember so vividly the difference between the 1969 and 1966 Lionel catalogs as a kid.  It was only a difference of 3-4 years worth of catalogs.  But when I had a few more $$$ to spend on toy trains in 1969, the Lionel catalog had almost shrunk to the size of a fold-out brochure.      So hurry up and build those basement empires now, folks.  You might never see a better time to do it, although I'm quite sure toy trains in excellent condition will be available on the secondary market for at least a few lifetimes!!!  

 

David

It's funny I was thinking of posting what is the average age of the Lionel bigboy? I think I got my answer on this post. I would guess 65. I love going to York but I am going to let my membership expire.For me I am paying 50 bucks just to go to the Show. John

I've been enjoying this hobby awhile now.  I rediscovered my Lionels, and collecting/operating in '73.  My TCA #75-8586.  I'll be the average age this October.

 

Aside from 'Made in XXXX', this is the golden age of the three rail hobby.  IMHO.

 

I hope to have many years left to enjoy.

 

Oh, also, like CW said, that TCA dues is just killen me.

Average age, humm. I haven't thought in those terms. Joined in 2007. I'm 57 now. Guess that makes my average age 53 and 6 months. I'm younger than I thought!

 

This goes to prove that when you're active in this hobby, you just don't age as fast as everyone else....

 

Gilly

Beautifully said.  

 

The only "future of model railroading" I even think about is that of my own: I really wonder if I will ever get some of my projects done!

 

I think what is at work with the various folks that Allan talks about pre-occupation and such, is that model railroading is not really just one hobby.  There is a diverse range of very different interests in model railroading in TCA, on this forum, etc., all united by some overlap/connection to toy trains: we each get what want and need.

 

Just on this particular (Hi-Rail, O-27 and Traditional) you see very different interests, and if you visit the other ones such as two-rail, real trains, etc., you often get a sense those people are into a totally different "thing" - because they are.  But I can appreciate the enthusiasm of someone who, for example, wants to know all about the details of booster engines on steam locos (interesting thread on the Real Trains forum right now) even when I'm not that into it.  Some people really thrive on the TCA, the industry organization and activity, and are concerned about that.  I'm not, but I'm okay listening to and talking to them, and I suppose in some way, all of us are better off for them and the diversity of interests all around us. 

quote:

I think the importers know they're living on borrowed time in that regard, but they're largely concerned about today -- not tomorrow.

 

Whatever happens, it will be interesting to watch.
I would not be surprised to see sales of newly made product impacted by falling secondary market prices. I think there is a significant group of people who buy trains thinking that they will be able to recoup most of their spending by selling the trains later on.

 

We have to remember that the TCA welcomes both collectors and operators. I know both types of TCA members, as well as people who do both. Not many of the pure collectors that I know purchase new or recently made product. (I put myself in the "both" group)