Toy Train Collectors Society (TTCS)

Well, I finely heard back from the TTCS member director. The good news is the TTCS is still around, although perhaps a bit smaller. I also found out I am the only member in Massachusetts.  Although they are small, the TTCS has historically been very active with shows in upstate New York from Utica to Buffalo.  If you do live in western New York you may want to consider joining. Membership is only $18 a year.

I’m in Massachusetts and looking to find something a little closer is there any others? I’m southeast MA.

@87smokemetalic posted:

I’m in Massachusetts and looking to find something a little closer is there any others? I’m southeast MA.

Are you looking to join? The nearest shows are the Utica shows in January. Where I think the potential could be of the TTCS is perhaps is if we as a club could plan uncatalogued locomotives and cars. @JR Junction Train & Hobby based in Syracuse, would be a natural partner.

Utica is 240 miles from me. Little bit of a hike.

Utica is not much better for me either!

I joined a long time ago.  Member number L-821.  No more newsletter but I do get the show flyers.

Lou N

@87smokemetalic posted:

I’m in Massachusetts and looking to find something a little closer is there any others? I’m southeast MA.

The Boston Metro Hi-Railers Club was located in Wilmington - not sure if they have moved or not.

Boston Metro Hi-Railers Model Railroad Club (bmhrc.com)

In Texas, 250 miles is considered a very short trip.  I drive farther than that for pie.

@Lou N posted:

I joined a long time ago.  Member number L-821.  No more newsletter but I do get the show flyers.

Lou N

Very cool Lou! Do you have any insight on how TTCS formed?

I sometimes wished I lived in Texas. I’ll check out that Boston high railers

@Bill DeBrooke posted:

In Texas, 250 miles is considered a very short trip.  I drive farther than that for pie.

Must be some dam* good pie, specially with gas prices nowadays!

TTCS was one of those clubs where many joined just so they could get tables at some really excellent train shows across central and western New York State.

Back when I was actively buying and selling trains, I always did the TTCS shows in Utica at the old train station every January, Oneonta in late August, and others in the Syracuse area.

Utica always amazed me as we might get 6 to 10 inches of snow during the show, but people would still be pouring in the door all day long. Hardy folk!!!

The Rochester and Buffalo area shows were a little far away for me, but were also excellent shows.

Good times.

Jim

@Jim Policastro posted:

TTCS was one of those clubs where many joined just so they could get tables at some really excellent train shows across central and western New York State.

Back when I was actively buying and selling trains, I always did the TTCS shows in Utica at the old train station every January, Oneonta in late August, and others in the Syracuse area.

Utica always amazed me as we might get 6 to 10 inches of snow during the show, but people would still be pouring in the door all day long. Hardy folk!!!

The Rochester and Buffalo area shows were a little far away for me, but were also excellent shows.

Good times.

Jim

The Utica show is a great show. I haven't been to it since I left New York back in 2014 to return to Massachusetts. K&K Train and Hobby in Utica NY was wonderful train shop in its day. At one time, the Utica area had three train shops: K&K Train, another one in New Hartford and one in nearby Vernon NY. Now there are none with the closet one @JR Junction Train & Hobby .

Does anyone remember the late Charlie Brown who ran a train shop in North Syracuse twenty years or so ago? Very nice man Rest In Peace.

The TTCS was around in the early 1980s, perhaps earlier.  The Rochester show was quite large and held in sizable venues, but has shrunk considerably over the years.  I suspect the club was affected by the internet sales of the 1990s and later, and perhaps the aging out of the original founders.  They have largely been replaced in Rochester by a large Rochester Institute of Technology two day show in December, and occasional shows by the relatively new TCA Upstate division largely operating out of Buffalo.  I think the growth of the Syracuse show in November has also taken over some of the audience.   There was once a vibrant TTOS division in Rochester as well that went dark when no one stepped forward to take over running it from long-time leaders.  The TTOS division in Buffalo remains very active with layout tours and shows.

@Landsteiner posted:

The TTCS was around in the early 1980s, perhaps earlier.  The Rochester show was quite large and held in sizable venues, but has shrunk considerably over the years.  I suspect the club was affected by the internet sales of the 1990s and later, and perhaps the aging out of the original founders.  They have largely been replaced in Rochester by a large Rochester Institute of Technology two day show in December, and occasional shows by the relatively new TCA Upstate division largely operating out of Buffalo.  I think the growth of the Syracuse show in November has also taken over some of the audience.   There was once a vibrant TTOS division in Rochester as well that went dark when no one stepped forward to take over running it from long-time leaders.  The TTOS division in Buffalo remains very active with layout tours and shows.

I assume you were a member at one time?  The Syracuse show is a large show as well. Interesting comment on the TTOS... I think it has gone dark in other places besides Rochester.  However, they seem to have a website again!

https://www.ttos.org/

But not much information... no shows listed, no club specific cars and locomotives for sale... You can't join the TTOS from the website either... The short train video shows a train running on 2-rail, not 3-rail track...BUT... you can sign up for their newsletter, which I did.

Yes I was a member for many years but eventually let my membership lapse when the shows became much smaller and I had less time to attend.

@Madockawando posted:

Does anyone remember the late Charlie Brown who ran a train shop in North Syracuse twenty years or so ago? Very nice man Rest In Peace.

I remember Charlie well. Like you said - a nice guy.

He organized a train show at the state fairgrounds in Syracuse at one time. I don't recall if that was a TTCS event, but a great show none the less.

Jim

@Landsteiner posted:

Yes I was a member for many years but eventually let my membership lapse when the shows became much smaller and I had less time to attend.

Time to rejoin!! Only $18 a year! 😁

The TTCS shows were always good and the Utica show is definitely the best TTCS show in New York State (today).  It is second only to the Syracuse (Great NYS Model Train Fair) www.modeltrainfair.com which is not only by far the largest but the oldest model train show in the state and second largest public show of its type in the northeast.

Charlie Brown (owner of North Syracuse Train & Hobby) ran the TTCS Syracuse “Empire State Meet” for many years at the (then) Sheraton Hotel on Electronics Parkway in Liverpool.  I’m not sure when it was started because I was a young child attending the shows back in the early ‘80s.  When he retired from running the show, Gerrit Vanderwerff took over and moved the show to the Knights of Columbus hall on State Fair Blvd. where I believe it only lasted no more than one or two years.

The best part of the TTCS Utica show in the 1980’s as a child was getting on an Amtrak Rohr Turbo Train in Syracuse and going to the beautiful Utica Union Station where it was SO crowded, it was almost impossible to make it through the narrow aisles.

At the fairgrounds, besides a few failed attempted train shows put on by a outside traveling show promoter, ALL model train shows on the State Fairgrounds was sponsored and run by the Central New York Chapter National Railway Historical Society Inc..  This year will be the 47th year.

As for Utica hobby stores, K&K Train & Hobby was a great store and sorely missed today.  If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have worked for them and later purchased their Syracuse (Liverpool) satellite store and remain in business for nearly 23 years.

Madockawando, thanks for the kind mention.

After seeing this thread I just learned a big part of the TTCS and Utica train show has passed. You could always spot him at the show wearing his conductors uniform. I believe he brought one of the layouts and his kids would operate it while he ran his spot selling trains.

Doug

https://www.legacy.com/us/obit...obituary?id=34961363

@JR Junction Train & Hobby posted:

As for Utica hobby stores, K&K Train & Hobby was a great store and sorely missed today.  If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have worked for them and later purchased their Syracuse (Liverpool) satellite store and remain in business for nearly 23 years.

Did you work for them when they started out on Sunset ave.?

Doug

Bill DeBrooke

You are correct but many Texans say how many hours to Dallas, etc. not how many miles.

Charlie

From Point Comfort, TX

@trnluvr posted:

Did you work for them when they started out on Sunset ave.?

Doug

The K and K Train store started out on Sunset Avenue in Utica when the Koury brothers bought an already old Lionel train store at that location.  Regardless, the the roots of the of K and K store go deep into Utica history.  All gone now, @JR Junction Train & Hobby is all that is left of their legacy. And I am happy to say that @JR Junction Train & Hobby does a wonderful job of keeping up the tradition of the best of K and K.

@trnluvr posted:

After seeing this thread I just learned a big part of the TTCS and Utica train show has passed. You could always spot him at the show wearing his conductors uniform. I believe he brought one of the layouts and his kids would operate it while he ran his spot selling trains.

Doug

https://www.legacy.com/us/obit...obituary?id=34961363

I remember Richard Wielgosz. Rest in Peace and thank you for your contributions to our hobby!

@Madockawando posted:

Very cool Lou! Do you have any insight on how TTCS formed?

No real insight.  I do remember the newsletters ad show flyers always came from Lou Bohn.  I joined in the 80's because at the time Buffalo and Rochester didn't seem so far away from Cleveland.  And in the early 80's information about collecting was beginning to grow.  So I took the chance and got a life membership.

Lou N

@Lou N posted:

No real insight.  I do remember the newsletters ad show flyers always came from Lou Bohn.  I joined in the 80's because at the time Buffalo and Rochester didn't seem so far away from Cleveland.  And in the early 80's information about collecting was beginning to grow.  So I took the chance and got a life membership.

Lou N

I don't think lifetime membership is available right now... correct?

@trnluvr posted:

Did you work for them when they started out on Sunset ave.?

Doug

No, but I was a customer there shortly after Ziggy sold the business to George and Bill.  I worked some Saturdays and most Mondays (Danny’s day off) at the French Road location.  George mostly had me “merchandising” the shelves because he liked how did it.

@JR Junction Train & Hobby posted:

No, but I was a customer there shortly after Ziggy sold the business to George and Bill.  I worked some Saturdays and most Mondays (Danny’s day off) at the French Road location.  George mostly had me “merchandising” the shelves because he liked how did it.

Ziggy!!! I remember that name although I never met him, he was before my time. What was the name of Ziggy's shop? How long was it there?

@Bill DeBrooke posted:

In Texas, 250 miles is considered a very short trip.  I drive farther than that for pie.

Yessir! 250 miles is a piece of cake...uh...er...I mean pie.

My daily record so far in the Land Yacht is 648 miles in 12 hours, from Boston, MA to Hubbard, Ohio, with a short detour in central PA to an RV Park where we didn't fit. We decided to keep heading west on I-80 and stayed the night at the Truck World truck stop in Hubbard.

Sorry to hear about Richard W. Always remember him hanging up his extensive display of tee shirts before every Utica show as well as setting up his layout.

Others members that I remember were Joe Borio - great guy - always had some really nice postwar, and Wendell French and his wife. They were encyclopedias of postwar knowledge. If you had a question whether something was original, they were the ones to ask.

Jim

Since I live about 45 minutes east of Utica and it was part of my sales territory, I frequented K&K Trains regularly. I still have things I purchased there that I now come across with the K&K on the price tag. I remember Bill as one of the owners, but Dan was my go to guy. He was knowledgeable and was always helpful when I needed crazy stuff. I am now retired, but when in Syracuse, I try to get to JR Junction. I have some things on my layout from that store.  Bill

@Madockawando posted:

I don't think lifetime membership is available right now... correct?

Sorry I can't answer this one.  I did sign up for the newsletter so let's see what it says.

Lou N