Bandit Meets

I think you hit the top two, although I believe there's another one primarily for the S gauge crowd held somewhere in the area.  However, ALL are mere shells of their former selves.

The meet at the Holidome is getting better with each meet. I suspect it will be a lot better this time if the weather is good. There is also trains at the Best western. There is alot of S gauge at the firehouse on West Market st. at the rear of the fairgrounds. Hope this helps.

 Don't listen to Allan, he doesn't know anything about trains.

Eddie, I do admire your enthusiasm for York! 

No question about that.  I used to go to York on Monday and stay through Friday or even Saturday.  Now I drive over on Wednesday and return home early--very early--on Saturday morning.  The bandit meets used to be great fun and were very well attended by both sellers and buyers.  Nowadays you can go through the few that remain in a couple of hours or so.  

My buddies and I don't bother with the bandit meets any longer. We don't feel they are worth the extra days travel expenses.

Could someone please explain this to me? Also, it is my impression (maybe wrong) that the bandit meets in "the old days" had many dealers that did NOT sell at the TCA York Meet (hence, you would miss items if you only went to the Meet). Recently, it seems that most of the bandit meet sellers also set up at the Meet, Comments?

The Thursday opening of the Eastern Div. York Meet pretty much killed off the bandit meets slowly but surely, perhaps by design.  Those various meets--there were at least a half-dozen of them--were very popular and you could find some darn fine bargains if you knew your way around and knew what to look for.

I suspect that the York Meet officials received complaints about folks showing up for the "regular" meet with lighter wallets after having spent several fun-filled days browsing the bandit meets...who can say?

The current York Meet is still a great event, of course, but the two things I miss most from the "good old days" were the extensive bandit meets and the AOL Train Gang get-togethers.  And, the truth be told, I still miss the jam-packed Yellow Hall a bit.

One problem with the bandit meets was that they depended so much on the weather.

I found the indoor portion of these meets pretty tame with the same dealers in the same place every show - not many good deals. It was in the parking lots outdoors where the most interesting things appeared.

The old Billy Budd had a big tent, but, still, if the weather was really bad, not much was going on. Perhaps some people, myself included, could not justify the expense of committing in advance to an extra day's motel, etc. for a "maybe" meet.

I think this is also why they expanded to more than one day to increase the chances of at least some good weather for those who could manage more days at York.

Jim

I went to one at the fire station which seemed OK, haven't been to any others, will try to hit a few more this year

Clem's primer still list them?

There are TWO fire station meets (one now exclusively S scale, although I did find

an O item there one meet) near the fairgrounds...the other is over on the other side

of town east of the Walmart.   The former Billy Budd has really gone south...but still functions...there is the other motel parking lot setup, and finally the Holidome (or whatever its name is this year).  The train shop just off 30 at the top of the hill closed a few years ago and the building was razed...did it move anywhere?  The one down town that used to be west on 30 is now inaccessible due to parking  (lack thereof) so I gave up trying to check it out.  Are there any others in the York area now? Ones I used to visit up the Susquehanna from Harrisburg closed some years ago, too.  I have

heard of some down in MD., but have not gotten to any there...

Your loss there (ample parking in the area if you don't mind walking a half-block or so).  B&E Junction is jam-packed with trains and I have left there with several hard-to-find items in the past.  Steve and his wife Pat are great folks, too.

I've been going to York for 20 years now, and those old Bandit meets were a lot of fun. I recall one year the Pa. tax department raided the Billy Budd and shut everyone down who didn't have the sales tax permit.

And there was a lot to buy. But it was very weather dependent. However, (in good weather which was anything that didn't have rain) it gave you easy access to a lot of items that just weren't as much fun at the TCA meet. To me, I loved the fact that it was easy to walk around. I get very frustrated at the narrow aisles at the show, particularly in the seller halls. Makes it difficult to get through them and it was never like that at the Bandit meets.

Gerry

I remember that as well.  Saw it happen several times in fact.  Usually accomplished by an attractive lady in a business suit accompanied by a couple of uniformed officers.

ditto, have not been to bandit meet in 12 years

Yes, the bandit meets are only a shadow of what they used to be, but I still go to them.  I can usually find something I want(need?)  I will have to admit that with hotel & food costs and time off from work it is bigger issue than it once was.  For me being retired and living only 25 minutes from the meets there is nothing but bad weather to keep from attending.

Paul Edgar

Flea markets in general are not what they used to be. In fact, the huge ones in Adamstown, PA are 3/4 (Renninger's) to 1/4 (Shupp's Grove) of what they were. Odd thing is, many buyers still show up.

I'll leave for York on Monday but I have to take the better 1/2 down to VA for a week with her daughter.  Getting back to York on Mon nite gives me all day Tuesday for the bandit meets.  I still really enjoy them, and as one of you mentioned, there's a more relaxed atmosphere.  Of course, they're dependant upon the weather for their success, but I generally pick up a few things that I might not at the official meet.  Sometimes you can pick up non-train items, which aren't allowed at the TCA meets.  I picked up a really neat, commercial voltmeter, about 8" in diameter which is going into the hall leading to the basement.  A year or so ago, I bought an old fire call box, made of cast iron, which now adorns my cousin's man-cave/shop.

But I found some nice train items, like a little Hornby 0-4-0 tank engine, in "0" gauge which I never would have looked for at the main meet.  Cute little guy which I'm still getting ready for minimal operation.

It's stuff like these that makes the bandit shows all worthwhile for me.  Maybe I'm a bit weird, but I guess I enjoy the weird stuff, too.  And then, Wednesday is the manufacturer's day at the NTTM.  Always look forward to that session each spring and fall.

Paul Fischer

I'm a local train enthusiast so I always try to pop down for a morning at the bandit meets just for fun.  I always seem to leave the house with cash and return with new layout items...

I thought the bandit meets were better this fall than for several years.  Although I only purchased from one table.  The holiday dome parking lot had more sellers and buyers than I have seen in 2-3 years.

My opinion is that eBay has done more damage to the bandit meets than the York meet starting on Thursday.

So what product are at these meets? Legacy? Or pre/post war?

quote:

Flea markets in general are not what they used to be

Same can be said about the outdoor antique shows in my range too. Well known shows like Brimfield, MA and Boukeville, NY are much smaller than they used to be. Same goes for the less famous shows in Round Lake NY, Syracuse NY, and more are also much smaller.

That written, I think they bottomed out a couple of years ago, and are starting to rebound. The number of vendors and customers appears to be up from the lowest point (but not back to where it was).

Only hit the Holiday Inn today. I'd say it was average in terms of size. Lots of postwar and prewar,but prices where high. The crowd was good, but I don't know if they where buying. Beautiful sunny day for the folks in the parking lot, they finally got a break this fall with no rain.

Bill