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It was a sad week for me at York. Steve Feinman, a TCA member since 1982, died on Monday 4/24/17 at Old Country Buffet in York. I first met Steve in 1977, we became friendly, and he re-introduced me to trains in the early 1990's. I started coming to York in 1993 and think its great.

Most of you probably didn't know Steve because he was primarily a collector of pre-war trains (and some post-war). His desire was to get an item as close to original as possible. He also was a huge believer in privacy, and you really had to know him to get to see his trains. So the thought of posting on the Forum (or even joining something like the Forum or other public or semi-public "spread the information" sites) was not something he would do. 

In my earlier days at York, I would love to go to the bandit meets and would hang around with Steve. What many of the people interested in new trains don't realize, is that there is really more than one "York". The pre-war group is a much smaller group than people interested in the newest toys, and the money is really serious money (Rich's post about substantial cash found reminded me of that). A lot of the pre-war dealings were done York week, but prior to going to the Fairgrounds. In fact, many times Steve would not even stay until the Fairgrounds opened because his "wheeling and dealing" were done by then. I suspect that the pre-war group is not the only group like that. And BTW, when people who collect newer trains think about an expensive item, they might think of a BigBoy for a couple of grand. Chump change for the pre-war guys.

Although our paths diverged in more recent years, I will miss Steve. And I will forever thank him for his friendship and getting me back into this hobby.

Gerry

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Hudson J1e posted:

Gerry, I am sorry about your friend. It sounds like he was a good guy. I am 51. Most of my friends in this hobby are older than me and one of my greatest fears is losing any of them. 

Sorry for your loss, Gerry--sounds like he was a great guy.

Hudson, I'm 48 and share your same feelings; most of my train buddies are old enough to be my Dad; the trains are a great equalizer; when toy trains are involved, age difference doesn't matter.

Gerry,

I've known Steve for a few years through my day job, and it was always a pleasure to work with him. I had worked with him on a few deals in just the past six weeks and our phone calls went beyond just getting a deal done. We would talk about the hobby, his collection, he would share stories and listen to mine. I was shocked to receive the news on Tuesday. He will be missed by many people in the circles in which he ran. 

Your comment about what most collectors consider expensive, makes me smile. Steve did run with a different crowd and his collection proves it. 

He will be sorely missed and I'm glad you took the time to post. 

Derek

He died at the buffet?  It must have been sudden and quick.  I can only hope that it was peaceful, and empathize with his surviving family and friends.  Sometimes these unexpected deaths are difficult to deal with.

It's a good reminder to us all, to always try to be nice, even to those we find irritating, as none of us want to recall unpleasant last words with another.

Last edited by Number 90

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