Documenting the York Experience

That actually is a law in PA but you might be the only person I've heard of getting ticketed for it.  Usually its supposed to keep people from driving slowly in the left lane and getting passed on the right.  State Trooper or some local trying to make up their budget?

Same law in Maryland also.  JK is right , you're the only person I've ever heard of getting a ticket for that. I regularly run up 83 and know where all the speed traps are, you just got lucky!

 

Jerry

It is the law in New Jersey also

Drivers that stay in the outer lane all the time are a PITA.

 

What a great thread. I am unable to go this fall and am excited about your coverage. Sorry about the ticket (I mean warning).... Have fun and be safe!!!!

 

Thanks

Woody

 

Nick, My Uncle also got a ticket for that a while back while driving on 287 in Jersey.  Never heard anyone else getting one until now.   Must have been the out of state plates. 

"Please keep right except to pass."

Enough of the traffic law stuff (left lane is for passing only in a good number of states--no big deal).  How about getting back to York Meet reports?

Rob, I've always found that works great in theory but during rush hour if they expect everyone to stay in the right hand lane and leave the left clear for passing they evidently don't drive during rush hour, all the lanes are full and no ones moving at the posted speeds.

 

Jerry

Was a great first day. Weather was spotty but it never really rained that I saw and there was always a nice cool fall breeze. Lot of premium prices since it's the first day but still plenty of deals. Stopped by Beth Marshall (Public Delivery Track) in the Brown Hall and found a few GGD head-end cars I needed for my Penn Central passenger train. I also re-discovered the fact that you really can't comprehensively see everything in one day. I did my best but ended up exhausting myself and haven't yet covered the Blue and Red Halls. Freshening up in the hotel now, and then off to the OGR party! I also discovered my hotel is directly behind the famed Round the Clock diner. Guess I know where I'm having breakfast tomorrow.

 

More photos (right-click and open in a new window to see full-size):

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have done all of the halls on thursday, some of the buildings twice, however I was also looking for a few items, so I focused on those items only.  Fridays for me are for the get together meetings and clinics.

 

Thanks for the report and photos, Nick.  Looks like crowds outside were a bit thin.  Hopefully most folks were indoors spending money.

 

I see Steve (Ross Custom Switches) got this usual prime parking spot.  I imagine our OGR trailer is not too far over on the right-hand side of that entry drive.

Nick... Thanks for the great updates and pictures. Great to see some " young blood" like myself with as much passion for the hobby as the 30 year vets! Keep them coming... I'll be making my first York trip this Spring...

Steve

At noon, the ECTCA announced that 12,000 people had registered and nearly all tables were reserved. Not quite the 13-14,000 usually announced. Postwar prices seemed to be up from last Spring, Prewar and Modern era prices looked about the same to me.

I saw two flagrant law breakers taking pictures in the Orange Hall with their smartphones.  No arrests were made or citations issued.  I wonder if they will show up here?    Wouldn't that start a conundrum!

All fine and dandy.  Taking the photos is one thing; "publishing" them is quite another.  The likely result would be expulsion from the York Meet and possibly the TCA.  I imagine that wouldn't matter to some people though.

I saw a member/dealer tell someone in the Silver hall to stop taking pictures.

 

I also saw/ran into plenty of knuckleheads who don't understand the 'follow the arrows on the floor' rule, even after it was announced every 30 minutes or so.

I'm not that great at estimating crowds, but based on my travels through the halls and eyeballing the parking lots, I'd say this was comparable to the past several years. It certainly seemed like robust business being done. 

Nick,

  thank you for starting this thread.  I have learned quite a bit about the surrounding events which are actually more interesting to me than even the show itself.  I am hoping to be able to attend in the spring with my modular group.  I have not been to the York event since I was in high school and went to as a guest with my uncle.

 

  I actually have a much more important event this weekend.  The wife and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary!!

As a first timer, I can say that some of you take this event way too serious. The crowds were no where near as big as I expected. I was at the gate at 1140am and there was probably 40-50 people waiting to get in. The halls were not crowded at all, and NO ONE was following the direction of travel as far as the arrows on the floor.

 

Some one took pictures??? OMG call the FBI! Really, who cares... all the info will be posted in the next few days anyway. Pictures, announcements, its all out there, so what's the big deal.

 

Some old lady grabbed me as I walked in the door from one hall to another. The wind was blowing outside and it turned my badge around. SORRY! My bad! I didn't know, even though I'd been there for 4 hours already. Call Homeland Security NOW!

 

No one followed the direction of flow based on the arrows on the floor.... BIG DEAL.. I've never been to a train show/meet that tried to control the traffic. It's a swap meet people! 

 

I tried to talk to Dave at Crescent Locomotive Works on a couple different occasions but people walk up and butt right in because they think they are more important than anyone else who has paid good money to a dealer. Well YOU'RE NOT! My money is just as good as yours.... I assure you.

 

York isn't any different than any other show/meet, other than the fact the numbers are bigger. More people show up, members, dealers and manufacturers. People are rude, have a self entitlement attitude, and pay no attention to those of us in the younger generation.

Sounds like you're having a great time! 

Don't get me wrong.... I'm having a great time checking out all these venders and getting to meet the people I talk to online, and have spent thousands of dollars with. It's just funny to see and hear all the drama related to model railroading. 

 

I'm glad I came to York, and brought my wife with me. It will definitely give us something to talk about for a long time to come.

 

 

Typical Thursday crowds for the opening at noon.  I'm pretty sure that 1/2 left before 4 p.m.  --  I don't remember that happening previously.  Maybe it was the threat of rain.

 

I noticed more people talking on cell phones IN the halls today than I think I've seen combined in the previous 20 Yorks I've attended.

 

Times are a changin', folks!

Don't sweat the small stuff.  Like any other thing or place in life, most of the people and vendors are great.  After a few trips most of the fun is seeing friends and making new ones, with trains as the backdrop!

Well I'm a 1st timer...and my wife and I were there from 1145 to 530pm. I used my cell phone a few times, to confirm a purchase. I stepped off to the side to keep out of the way of the crowds (not very big anyway) to text my Dad about a couple things. You should send me to federal prison I guess....

 

Yes it's 2013, times are changing. Get used to it.

"sorry guys,we would like to stay ,but there's a chance of rain".......huh?.........where i live rainy weather is good trainmeet weather.-jim

My only beef at the show so far was one particular DVD seller that got pretty aggressive with me. I walked up to browse the selection and he instantly starting asking what I was looking for and interested in. No big deal, but I made the mistake of not saying "just browsing". Almost out of being startled I said "uh, got anything on Hudsons?" Seller grabs a DVD and sticks it in my hand, $30. Ouch, really don't like to pay that much for a DVD but okay, I made the mistake of asking. But then he remembers there's a lot of Hudsons that appear in another one and sticks that one in my hand, $40. Now I have to be that guy and tell him look, I'm sorry but I really can't spend $70 on DVDs. Will they be on any kind of sale later in the show? Guy gets pretty upset and starts going on about how these are quality historic productions you won't get in $20 DVDs, yada yada. Whole thing was an awkward mess and the type of aggressive seller I honestly hate. Other than that, I haven't had any issues at the show yet.

Really nothing to get used to.  The use of cell phones is now permitted at York...has been since this past April.

Well Allan people still do mention and complain about it. I just stated what I heard, seen, and experienced. There are just those type of people that complain about stuff no matter what its about, just to hear their own voice I guess.

 

Nick we came across that same guy you are talking about, he kept putting them in my wife's hand and telling her how good the quality was. I finally just told him thanks but we already have those.

They are pretty good about watching the badges and letting you know to turn it around

 

The UTZ sign looks different than the Toyota sign for sure. Oh well I am sure they paid nicely for that

 

As for the arrows as long as you start down the aisles the right way I figure its good enough. Really no way or reason to worry about someone going back and forth along the tables seeing what a vendor might have. Just because something is out of reach, it would be pretty unrealistic to expect someone to walk all the way around again

 

Yep. Happened to me entering the Blue Hall. My badge holder had flipped around while outside (I had no idea) and I practically got the old stiff arm from the guy at the door. 

 

No harm, no foul.

The people at the doors have been told to check badges. Let them do their job.

I was browsing a book dealer's booth in the orange hall. He told someone else if they were interested in the new price guide they were looking at that the cash register was right there.  I would have walked away if I was those people. I didn't buy anything from them either.  That customer had just picked it up too. Not like they were there for a long time.

For a variety of reasons, I was only able to drive out to York on Thursday for the day.  And I regret not being able to stay longer.

 

Got a chance to meet Alex M and his wife Dina while they were helping at the Korber booth until Rich arrived in town.  Terrific folks, and I hope to make it out to Staten Island for the next "open house"!!!  Thanks for the wonderfully hospitable invite, Alex!!!   Felt like I knew him for years.  

 

Also met two nice gentlemen, Marshall and Dick, who helped me with a Wanted-to-Buy forum thread I posted earlier this year when I was in search of an MTH CN twin-stack "gunderson" set that has become all but impossible to find.  Pleasure chatting with them in between a few rain sprinkles that happened to fall during the late afternoon hours.

 

Also picked up my LUG Shirt from Marty in the Orange Hall.  Many thanks again, Marty, for making the shirts available.

 

Trying to do everything in one day this time was frustrating.  And by everything I pretty much mean visiting the dealer halls.  Not sure where the time went, but I only did the Orange Hall and still didn't accomplish everything I wanted this time -- partly because I felt lost in a sea of dizzying deals.  Everywhere I went, I saw something I wanted at a great price.  And unfortunately, we all have our limits.

 

Gryzboski had terrific deals:  Lionel F3 Legacy AA sets for $395, Legacy Shays for under $600.  Not to mention their usual broad selection of stuff.  You get the idea.

 

Nicholas Smith also had terrific close-outs for those looking to fill in some missing pieces with left-over rolling stock:  Lionel Mechanical Reefer THREE-packs for $95, Skeleton Log car 2-packs for $60.  Just a few examples that I remember.

 

Then I got lost in "tinplate heaven" at SideTrack Hobbies for quite a chunk of time.  That's the "new found" part of my hobby nowadays, and I could have spent a year's train budget right there with all the great stuff they brought along.  They even had ZW-L's for $619 -- one of the best prices I've seen (and you don't need to pay shipping). 

 

The Trainworx booth is ALWAYS fun to check out.  And while Darcie was holding down the fort in Texas this time, Roger spent some time answering a few questions for me.  I'll be calling Darcie soon to place an order for the Chicago Union Station as well as one of their new products:  a 4-foot long factory flat, actually about 4" in depth so it's more than a flat... but Roger indicated he plans to offer a series of these over time, so they'll make quite a nice focal point and provide added depth perspective to a backdrop.

 

Honestly, I could have spent one or two years' train budgets on some VERY nice stuff that caught my eye this time.  But I actually walked away spending very little, because the clock struck 7PM before I knew it.    And security wasted no time ushering folks out the doors and turning out the lights.  Had I stayed an extra day, it would have been VERY bad news for the bank account.    Who knows, I may still drive back... pick up a great deal... and still be ahead even if I factor in another round-trip cost of gas.    That's how good the deals were.   The seasoned dealers know what it's all about, and they were willing to provide some great incentives to help us fill our cars to the brim.

 

As far as the "importers" go... obviously Lionel's Big Boy demo did its share of crowd-catching, but I do miss the larger layout that they had on display several years ago.  And the same holds true for MTH and Atlas-O.  Their "demo" layouts pale in comparison to Yorks back around 2005/2006.  Those were very inspirational layouts; but I understand everything comes at a cost, and everyone is closely watching the dollar sign these days.

 

Here's hoping everyone finds something that will make the trip extra special -- whether it be a memorable train purchase or a newly made acquaintance. 

 

David

Hallelujah! Cell phones permitted at York! Watch out for price competitive spies!

 

MUHAHAH! It has me wishing I could have gone. Oh, well there's always Allentown, PA.!

 

Green with jealousy again!

 

Mike Maurice

Another one in the books. For me, that is. I know there’s still some “York left” through mid-day tomorrow.

 

A bit of an unusual York this time. No trains, per se, but was not empty-handed.

 

My big ticket item was Mianne bench work. Have been exploring this option for my next layout and finally pulled the trigger. The best part is that they waive shipping costs if you order at the show. Given that it’s 10% of the purchase price, a pretty decent savings.

 

Picked up some shelving from Glenn Snyder. I have been battling the usual problem of train clutter/storage issues and have put off the shelving for months. Now, I’ll get organized.

 

Bought a few tinplate street lights/lamps from Sidetrack for my tin layout. Always good to deal with the Sidetrack folks.

 

Last but not least, a few DVDs from TM Books & Video. The new Christmas-themed one looks good.

 

So, no trains. It was tempting but had other fish to fry this time.  I’m happy.

Ahh yes it sounds like a normal York. Lot's to see and do. We usually have drinks with the evening meal so Pa liquor laws never affected us. I do Remember some counties in KY that are "dry" you can't buy any kind of drinking spirits. And Mich also has a stay to the right law.

if the security door goons are so worried about  seeing the right side,why dont the badge have the information printed in both sides?you would need a holder with clear plastic on two sides.[edtca can then sell you another badge holder].-jim

Those "door goons," as you choose to call them, are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing.  None of the requirements for entry into the halls are unreasonable or difficult for anyone with the least bit of common sense to follow.  

 

If you don't want your badge to be blown around by the wind, use a clip-on badge holder that fastens to your shirt or jacket.  No big deal!  I wear my badge around my neck most of the time, and just do a quick check to assure that the badge is visible before I try to enter or re-enter a hall.  It isn't rocket science, and it certainly doesn't merit calling those folks demeaning names.

these people complaining about a badge must not have worked at a place that requires identification to gain access to their work location.

The diligence in checking badges isn't the issue but rather the decorum or manner in which it's done. No matter how crowded an entrance area might be or how inexperienced someone might be at checking badges, that is still not an excuse or free pass for badge checkers, be they volunteer or paid,  to be curt,  rude  or physically accost a patron.  Afterall they represent the TCA and might for a newcomer to York offer the first impression of organizers of that event.

I've personally been to more crowded events at larger venues requiring badges, tight security and much higher admission fees than York and never saw such classless behavior to attendees. IMO, not good for the image of York, the TCA or a good representaion of train hobbyists.

Some just like to whine...almost any topic will trigger them.  

 

As you approach the door to one of the halls, you glance down for a second to make sure your badge is properly displayed.  Seems kind of simple to me.  Go figure!