President’s Message: Second Quarter, 2008   ALL ORGANIZATIONS GO THROUGH TRANSITIONS AS THEY AGE.   Some grow, becoming more dynamic while attracting more and more followers or members. Examples: travel clubs, computer clubs, even cigar clubs. These examples are products of our modern society, one that promotes and touts the new and the modern while looking at the past as irrelevant and just for “old folks”. Our hobby, toy trains, seems to have fallen into that category of an old by-gone pursuit that our young men and women view as old fashioned and not for them. Why? Is it because our children are preoccupied with “My Space”, X-Box, chat rooms and other diversions that we never had to deal with? Or is it because we, the “keepers” of the old hobby of toy trains feel that the kids have their own thing and that’s just the way it is? There are probably many answers to these questions and all have some merit. I think as “keepers” of our hobby we can attract this younger age group, as we must, if the hobby of toy trains is to endure. Just how do we do that?   Most people under the age of 40 have never been on a train. We in the hobby have been on trains, many of us several times. Nostalgia, sentimentality and a sense of history motivate us to spend some of our time in the past age of our parents and grandparents. We must convey all these concepts to our younger generation to preserve that precious part of our history. WB&A has taken this mission to heart by providing the train experience through our excursions and our train meets. Many of our members bring their grandchildren on our excursions and it is so gratifying to see the wonderment and fascination in their eyes as they see live steam engines for the first time and watch the countryside go by at a leisurely pace that we seldom enjoy today. Those of us who have provided this link to the past and the sheer pleasure of toy trains have watched in satisfaction as that seed we plant takes root and shows a young person that model trains are much more than mere toys. The inter-active layouts that we bring to our meets allow children to participate in the magical world of toy trains and we hope, make them the future of the hobby we all know and love. Children are admitted free to our meets and we have hundreds attend each event.   WB&A is doing much to keep toy trains and what went before in the forefront of leisure activities in a fast paced modern world but we need your help. When you see an excursion in our newsletter, plan to attend and bring a guest whether it is an adult friend or a child. Bring them to a meet. Your friends will have a unique experience and the children will love it. There is a general membership meeting planned for June 01st this year. Please attend and sell your trains, if you wish, at a free table and join us in a free lunch at the end of the meeting. This will be your opportunity to meet your officers and some members who know almost all there is to know about toy trains. Join us and have some fun.   Art Tate, President WB&A Chapter TCA