model train set on track

I Want to be a Part of it, New York, New York

e*Train Issue: Aug 2014   |   Posted in:

By Bernie Callen and Stu Rankin, Photos by  Rich Levow   Summer-Fall 2014

June 20 – 28, 2015
Hosted by the TCA Metropolitan Division.
Mark your calendar now!

TCAconvention.org

It took 61 years, but TCA is finally holding a convention in the New York metropolitan area.  This metropolis is unlike any other in the world.  From the financial caverns of Wall Street in lower Manhattan, to its narrow streets and historical buildings where the first President of the United States took office, to the Bronx and the “house that Ruth built.”  The first sight for many entering America was the Statue of Liberty and its beacon of freedom shining in New York harbor.

We have a fun-filled week planned with activities which are guaranteed to appeal to everyone.  Are you looking for train “stuff”?  Our first tour on Sunday is to the Essex Valley Steam Train and Riverboat in Essex Connecticut.  This is the last steam train with a riverboat connection running in the country.  Do you want something a little more modern?  Tour the state of the art New Jersey Transit Meadows Maintenance Complex and see what it takes to keep a fleet of commuter equipment in top shape. 

We’ll also be visiting Strasburg, PA, “Train Town USA,” where you will be immersed in prototype and toy trains (not to mention some outstanding Mennonite cooking).  A visit to Grand Central Terminal and the New York City Transit Museum will give you an opportunity to see both the old and the new in urban transportation.  Still don’t have enough of the real thing?  We wrap up our week with a winery visit and a ride on the Delaware River Railroad Excursion.

For the history buffs in the group, we will be visiting Hyde Park, where you will tour the homes of Franklin Delano and Eleanor Roosevelt.  Another tour will take you to West Point where you will be touring the US Military Academy.  Don’t have enough history yet?  Our Sleepy Hollow tour will let you walk in the footsteps of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman.

Is science and technology your forté?  Then you should definitely take our Cradle of Aviation/Old Westbury Gardens tour or perhaps visit the laboratory of Thomas Alva Edison in West Orange, NJ.

Okay, you want to see all of those famous NYC sights?  There is a whole selection of tours for you.  Take a ride on the Circle Line and spend the morning seeing the entire island of Manhattan from the water.  Perhaps you want to spend the day exploring lower Manhattan and visiting the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.  Have you always wanted to see Fifth Avenue? We’re doing that too!

As Lou Redman used to say, it’s this little toy train that has brought us all together.  We will be visiting some of the premier clubs and home layouts in the area including the New Jersey HiRailers, the Trainmasters of Babylon, the Central Operating Lines and the Nassau Lionel Operating Engineers.

What would a convention be without a dinner cruise?  We have planned one set against a backdrop like no other in the world.  Sailing aboard the Spirit of New Jersey just before dusk, you will see the city transform from shades of orange and yellow as the setting sun reflects off the skyscrapers to a twinkling show of millions of lights as the city of the night comes to life.

Get yourself in a New York State of Mind and come have the time of your life in 2015!!

See video on the tour opportunities:

For more information and detailed tour descriptions, check out the TCA’s convention website:

www.TCAconvention.org