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A tremendous loss for the hobby is putting it lightly.

He was a driving force for not just the established hobby, but for spreading the joy far beyond the hobby's boundaries, and deserves all the credit behind all the TM books, videos, and everything else in the past 50 years. I absolutely would not be as involved with the hobby as I am now without I Love Toy Trains.

He will very much be missed.

Is there an obituary yet?

Last edited by Mikado 4501

Wow!!  So sorry to read this sad news.  Tom was a major player in our hobby, a truly fabulous ambassador with all his I Love Toy Train Videos and books ... of which I own many and have greatly enjoyed through the years ... and still do to this day!!  

Thank you Tom for all of your creative and infectious energy as you have made a major contribution to our great hobby.  Tom you will be missed and never forgotten!  

I do not have words to properly express the sadness I felt when I learned of Tom's passing from Joe Stachler, who worked with Tom for some 24 years. Still cannot accept or believe it. Tom and I have been very good friends/colleagues/competitors for many years, and he most definitely was a major force in promoting and advancing this hobby through his many published books and videos that were instrumental in growing the O gauge segment of the hobby--especially through documenting the long history and current-day popularity of Lionel trains. I will have to collect my thoughts and memories and write a more detailed tribute to my friend a bit later, but simply cannot bring myself to do so now. My sympathies and love to his beloved Charyl; to sons Tom Jr, Jeff, Chris, and stepson Jack; and to the entire TM Books & Videos crew.

Last edited by Allan Miller

I became hooked on collecting Lionel trains 49 years ago after reading one of Tom's early books.  I have great admiration of what Tom has contributed to the hobby and often enjoyed chatting with him, especially at the LCCA convention in Chicago in 2018, when we shared tables.  He will be sorely missed.  RIP Tom.

Bob Osterhoff

Last edited by funfactory

So sad to hear. I was a friend of his. I was introduced to his work on my 6th birthday when my parents gave me a VHS tape he produced called I Love Toy Trains. The video featured many toy trains running on many layouts he filmed for the model railroad and train collecting hobby. It was that video that ignited my love for toy trains and have been collecting them ever since. It was also his shows that inspired my love for filmmaking and videography and I am currently planning on producing a toy train short film, but I'll discuss that another time. In December, 2022, I had the blessed opportunity to meet Tom at his I Love Toy Trains store and TM Productions HQ in Michigan City, Indiana. He was such a delight to talk to and he enjoyed my enthusiasm for the hobby. Just a few months ago I purchased one of his prized locomotives, a Lionel model of the New York Centrals famed streamlined Hudson steam locomotive, the Commodore Vanderbilt, which was used in many of Tom's productions for the hobby.

My deepest condolences to Tom's wife Charyl, his son's Tom Jr, Chris, Jeff, his stepson Jack and to all his friends and family.

Tom, you will be dearly missed and I, along with many of us in the model and toy train hobby will never forget the wonderful impact you had on our lives. May the Lord bless you in his kingdom of heaven and as you said in many of your shows, keep smiling. Toy Trains Foreverinbound6121328505174168856inbound2588780934099852605inbound5505922481786584846

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Like you Bob I remember buying my first TM book a lifetime ago - “Lionel a collectors guide and history vol.2 postwar” - that was it for me

Tom did so much for the hobby and train collecting community - no matter what your interest in the hobby TM books and videos have been along for the ride

We are all going to miss Tom - RIP

Tom McComas was a true icon in the toy train hobby. Few individuals had a more important and lasting influence than he did. Truly, he helped resurrect Lionel when it was nearly dead in the early 1970s through his wonderful series of books which still hold tremendous documentary value to toy train historians.
Then  he pioneered toy train videos (his “A Lionel Christmas” is unmatched for nostalgia) and continued to promote our hobby in new and exciting ways for decades.
A true innovator that has helped the O-gauge hobby as few others have and left an unmatched legacy for us all. Thank you, Tom. Rest in peace. You did good. Real good…

My sincere condolences to Tom's family and friends.  I used to take my sons to a train show every summer  in the late 80's and 90's. No matter what , we always had to come home with the latest "I Love Toy Trains" vhs tape that we'd all sit down and watch together. ( I guess it was 1993 when the first ILTT was released)  Good memories for sure.

Thanks for the memories, Tom.

Last edited by Penn-Pacific

Tom McComas' video programs on toy trains like the I Love Toy Trains series were a profound influence on my brother Keiji and I's lives, with its wide-ranging showcase of real and model trains, both new and old, some of which inspired me to start collecting, like the 1997 MTH "General" model. We were so delighted to meet both Tom and his son, Jeff McComas, at the I Love Toy Train Store in Michigan City, Indiana, during our family's cross-country road trip in the summer of 2016. Tom was so kind and generous to us all, and not only did we buy the matching freight cars from MTH's I Love Toy Trains starter set from their store, but he took the time to give us a tour of their studio where their newer productions were filmed, while sharing fascinating anecdotes and memories from their time producing their signature video series in the 1990s and early 2000s. We will always cherish our visit and friendship with Mr. McComas over the years. Say hello to Ward Kimball and Tom Snyder for us.

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