Hear Ye, Hear, Ye, Can You Hear Me Now?

e*Train Issue: Apr 2019 | Posted in: TCA Adventures

By Carol R. McGinnis, HE95-41066 Spring 2019 Update

Here is the fourth issue of these newsletter links. It has been updated, edited, and otherwise changed as of March, 2019.

As you read through the newsletters you will see that there’s a lot going on throughout the country. You will also see that each and every division and chapter does not have an active newsletter link. Since you are looking at this article it means that you are fairly well versed in online communication. You should consider being the editor of your local chapter or division newsletter and getting it uploaded online. It’s a task worth pursuing!

TCA has a link: Division/Chapter Newsletters to see what is happening across the country. You can also go to the National Headquarters News (NHN) to view an electronic copy of this TCA e*Train publication which is chock full of fun facts. (You will need to have a TCA login and password.) If you have ever lost, or misplaced, your copy now you can access it readily. If your division or chapter does not have a link on this page contact your entity directly.

This advantage to being a TCA member can be especially important if you are a traveler. As you travel you can check the TCA Division locator to see what division is in the area. Go to Find A TCA Division. After that you can check the newsletters for that area. If you go to Pittsburgh, for example, look at the Fort Pitt Division newsletter. You will see what’s new to do, what’s happening in the area, and find our who you can contact for more information!

Below are links to current newsletters, as of March, 2019. If you click on the BLUE underlined information, it will link you to the newsletter. You may download, print, and use any of these newsletters for your personal use.

Desert Division
Desert Division Newsletter, February 2019
March, 2019 Desert Division Newsletter, March 2019
Desert Division had a great turnout at their monthly train show in February, even going so far as to pull out more tables! President Chris Allen talks in his column about the “Trains f=that bring us all together”, but it’s NOT all that they do. It gives us the opportunity to make friends and get to know people across the country. There’s a nice article on Lionel History by Peter Atonna. Dixie Division

Dixie Division ~ Music City Chapter
Music City Chapter Winter, 2019 Newsletter
The next Music City show is March 23rd. Join them at the First Baptist Church on Lebanon Rd, Donelson. For details check out their newsletter. They’ll have door prizes and their logo t-shirts available!

Eastern Division
There’s a link to information about the updated Discount Policy for future York Meets. New President, Dan Danielson, is excited about the upcoming York Meet. Updates and news are at
Eastern Division York Meet Notice April 2019 (Newsletter)

Eastern Division ~ WB&A Chapter
The Trolley, Jan to March 2019 (WB&A Newsletter)
General meet information and notes. There’s also a book review of Greenberg’s Guide to Lionel Trains, O Gauge Volume 1:1915-1928, by Bruce Greenberg. This review was done by Harvey Tafel, TCA# 99-50324.

Pacific NorthWest Division (PNW)
2019 Winter Edition of the Logger (PNW Newsletter)
President Rick Dunn shares his last thoughts as he steps down from the presidency having spent 6 years on the job. The new president will be elected in the next ballot. Great pictures of meets and upcoming news.

Southern Division
The Layout, Winter 2019, Vol 53. No.1 (SD Newsletter)
Click on “The Layout” on the left task bar, then click on Vol 53-1.
Information on the Fenn Center (Ft. Pierce) Train Meet and there’s a long list of social events and activities.

Shop Amazon and Help TCA

TCA members who shop at Amazon.com can have each of their normal purchases generate a modest payment to TCA! And it won’t cost you anything!

The Train Collectors Association is now a participant with AmazonSmile, which is a special website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com.

The difference is that when customers shop at AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.

The process is simple. Just search for and select Train Collectors Association when you sign up and shop at smile.amazon.com.

You use your regular Amazon.com username and password, but when you log in to smile.amazon.com, you’ll see that you are supporting TCA with your purchases:

Note that if you just log in to the regular amazon.com, this benefit does not operate.

There are no costs to either you or TCA, but TCA benefits!

This is a great way for TCA to earn extra cash to offset costs, so sign up today to help support TCA.

* Note: TCA is not a party to any of your Amazon transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors.

Helping TCA with your ebay purchases when you use PayPal

If you’re an ebay user and have a PayPal account you use to make payments, you can designate a donation for TCA when you’re checking out — any amount, small or large.
If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can pre-designate a percentage of your sales to be donated automatically in your name to TCA as long as the purchaser pays with their PayPal account.

In both cases, you will receive a donation receipt from the PayPal Giving Fund, and enjoy applicable tax advantages.

How to do it:

Click on the image above, or use this link. This will take you to ebay, where you will see the following page (log in to ebay if you are not already):

This offers TCA as an option. Click on the “Add to My Charities” button where indicated with the red arrow. Thereafter, when you make a purchase, at checkout you will be offered the option to make a donation to TCA in any amount of your choosing. Small amounts add up, larger ones are great! It’s always up to you!

The option will appear at the lower part of your checkout page, something like this:

If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can allocate a portion of your sales proceeds to be donated to TCA. Look at the green arrow marked “Optional” above to see how to do it. Details on how ebay calculates the donation may be read here. This is a wonderful way to share the financial benefits of your hobby with the organization that promotes it!

An added benefit to TCA is that these donations are not subject to normal processing fees, so that makes your donation work harder!

* Note. TCA is not a party to any of your eBay transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors. PayPal issues the receipts to you for your donation, not TCA.

Hear Ye, Hear, Ye, Can You Hear Me Now?

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