artyoung posted:
Most of all, I miss my stamina to walk through all the halls in one day!
Ah, yes. Even when I do all the halls, it now involves a number of "sit" breaks and men's room visits. I make sure I have plenty of one $ bills on me for tips. 
Dmaxdeere87 posted:I love the orange hall don’t get me wrong but miss the grandstand building underneath and the Lionel tent!
I’m with you on this. It was crowded, busy and old fashioned.
That's easy ... ME!
CHOO-CHOO MIKE posted:The evening auction at the fairgrounds .
Several yrs back I liked watching the auction until I entered a set of excellent condition postwar Congressional cars in the auction. When they came up for bidding, the bidding was over before you could blink. He must of had a buddy bidding on them who really wanted them. They sold for $450. At that time they should've brought $700.- $750. easy.
The AOL Bbqs under the carport between the grandstand and the open field that became the Orange hall after we were banned from the fairgrounds after 5 Bbqs. Grown man drinking beer, talking trains. Dangerous folks doing that! The food we cooked was far better than the garbage served on the fairgrounds. Sitting around on coolers talking trains and stories to the wee hours of the night and Mike Newcomer(let him rest in peace) telling us stories and laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes.
Those were the good ole days from 20 years ago.
I know Allan Miller will chime in about those days.
Remember when MTH performed repairs at York?
Gerry posted:Remember when MTH performed repairs at York?
I do, they did the repairs in their tent
Ted R posted:Gone too is the Green Hall and the gentleman with the homemade trains. My sons were young then. Every York they would always head to his display to push those trains back and forth.
Made of soup cans and coffee cans, those trains had a character of their own. I enjoyed stopping by the Green Hall and chatting with that fellow.
Pete was a club member of ours and still does a few local shows with his tin can trains and track he made. I helped him set up this past month at Railroaders days at Pine Creek RR in Allaire State park, Wall, NJ.
I miss the AOL dinners at the Viking club with the late great Stirling Woodham (I hope I got his last name right.) as the M.C. And as Ted mentioned it was always fun to talk to Mike Newcomer there too. May they both rest in peace. If only there was a Hall of Fame for York people!
I also miss the Green Hall it was a great place to find a bargain, because nobody knew it was there!
ME!!!
I most miss me being there. My York excursions have been derailed the past few years by a combination of scheduling difficulties as well as personal and family health issues. Hope I'll soon get this old caboose and family consist back on track for a not too distant trip to the TCA York Meet.
People.
irish rifle posted:Also Beth Marshall and the Public Delivery Track. With Beth's exit from York, the Brown Hall closed.
I too miss Beth , Bought many a car from her. One thing she deserved better and should have been a Key vendor in the Orange hall.
RoyBoy posted:Sodl's is gone??
I miss the AOL spaghetti dinners in the (VFW?) hall a few blocks away. K-Line would debut some of their newest offerings there.
It was the Viking Club, and that was a huge amount of fun.
I also miss the announcements for the Ethics Committee meeting hosted by Bob Grubba
Paul
I also miss the Grandstand meet up
and of course the hospitality ... for bonus points whose face is that on the right?
and of course - the Lionettes
Paul
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Railrunnin posted:RoyBoy posted:Sodl's is gone??
I miss the AOL spaghetti dinners in the (VFW?) hall a few blocks away. K-Line would debut some of their newest offerings there.
It was the Viking Club, and that was a huge amount of fun.
I also miss the announcements for the Ethics Committee meeting hosted by Bob Grubba
Paul
I also miss the Grandstand meet up
and of course the hospitality ... for bonus points whose face is that on the right?
and of course - the Lionettes
Paul
Looks like the famous Jim Barrett.
Bill
Nope, not Jim. He is wearing glasses in the picture and is by name crazy (hint hint)
miss the great deals by loco louie in the yellow hall.
Anyone have old pictures of inside the grandstand during York? That would be awesome!
You couldn't take pictures back then.
I miss the small animal wooden shelters. They provided shade for cars parked inside.
Speaking of the grandstand, one of the dealers there was George Ether, a retired Reading Company conductor. He modified K-Line cabooses for railroads not offered by manufacturers. He wore his uniform. I always enjoyed talking with him. Here is a photo of one of his cabooses. The real one runs on the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern
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I greatly miss Kirk in the Purple Hall. RIP, Kirk !!
ReadingFan posted:I miss the small animal wooden shelters. They provided shade for cars parked inside.
Could you please expand on this?
Beth Marshall with Public Delivery Track. and....
The no cell phone rule. Before flaming me, let me explain. Since the rule changed, I have made the mistake of leaving it ON. That opens me up to calls from work. A few years ago while I was at York, my (now) BOSS called and gave me 15 minutes to be at work. I'm from Richmond, Va.
He was none too pleased when I explained that I might be able to make it to my car in 15 minutes.
Fred Dole.......bought this from Fred many moons ago....in the Yellow Hall to be exact....
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Joe: The animal shelters were for the critters at the York Fair (the nation's oldest agricultural fair - older than our country, in fact). The Orange Hall is at that site now.
Gilly@N&W posted:Beth Marshall with Public Delivery Track. and....
The no cell phone rule. Before flaming me, let me explain. Since the rule changed, I have made the mistake of leaving it ON. That opens me up to calls from work. A few years ago while I was at York, my (now) BOSS called and gave me 15 minutes to be at work. I'm from Richmond, Va.
He was none too pleased when I explained that I might be able to make it to my car in 15 minutes.
a) If your boss doesn't understand the concept of "vacation day", you need a new boss or a new job.
b) What would have happened if you were on vacation overseas? (They would have figured it out.)
c) Well, if you hadn't called in "sick"...
d) Two words: Caller ID
Mallard4468 posted:a) If your boss doesn't understand the concept of "vacation day", you need a new boss or a new job. On call 24/7/365 w/o any premium comp.
b) What would have happened if you were on vacation overseas? (They would have figured it out.) Overseas vacation is beyond even discussion.
c) Well, if you hadn't called in "sick"...
d) Two words: Caller ID Two words, flip phone. Open, and busted!
All great ideas. My solution is to retire 2/1/18. Updated: I retired 1/31/18.
I have had Friday 10/20 on the vacation schedule since January. I might know Thursday if I am going. Right now, I'd give it no better than 50/50 odds. Updated: Ultimately found out Wednesday that "it just wasn't convenient". (I ended up having to eat the motel cost for Thursday night).
Friends that I used to meet up with back in the early 2000’s that have now passed on to the train room in the sky.
Arthur, the gent you are talking about was Lyle Cain of Lyle Cain enterprises. He sold the Toonerville Trolley and related items in the Yellow hall. The Yellow hall was lots of fun. I still have my trolley today that I purchased from him.
This will be York number 75 for me. I have seen many come and go over the years. I thought about composing a story about my years at York. Back when I started the halls opened at 0800. I could do every aisle in every hall and be done by noon. I laugh when I hear rookies making statements about York slowing down.
The first person I met at York was a young kid named Mike Wolf. Mike introduced me to Lou Caponi. We were all car guys and a great friendship was born. My good friend Louie is gone and I think of him often. He did great work for the LCCA. Today Al Kolis has done a great job as Louie did before him. I miss those who have passed and value very much the great friends I see every York.
Gilly, I was very lucky as I always had great bosses at work. When they needed someone to cover, I was the go to guy. They were all aware of what York was to me and we all worked together.
It has been a great run.
This is an awesome thread . . . thank you!
For me, definitely the Yellow Hall, The AOL Gang, their cook out and the Viking Club, and of course, the comradery from all of those who I have met over the years,
I guess the yellow, gold, and green halls have been gone for ten years or more because I have been to York almost twenty times and I don't remember them. I would like to read more about them.
Scrappy
This is my 66th straight York and I have loved everyone. I miss the friends I have made and have passed away.
There is one person I miss more then life itself and that is my brother Ron who passed away last Christmas. we attended every York together and had allot of fun talking trains. It's just not the same without him. Miss you bro.
Dave
artyoung posted:Joe: The animal shelters were for the critters at the York Fair (the nation's oldest agricultural fair - older than our country, in fact). The Orange Hall is at that site now.
Thanks. That was before my time (TCA time, that is. I'm 75). I know they still have a few of those at Timonium.
I attended every York Meet from 1982 thru 2013 but I only will be a going on occasions due to not being as young as I was and I used to be. I really miss members who were friends that I would see at York who are no longer around. And Beth and Rachel Marshell of Public Delivery Track. Rachel lived on the next street from me when I was a kid and was also my sisters best friend.
Gil Finn
RIP
I think he only brought it once, but Neil Young's HORDE layout. (I forget which meet, but I think 1998)
That was a phenomenal display to see at York. Glad I was there for it for it's single appearance.
Also the Big Mo (MTH layout in a trailer) display that Harry Turner used to bring (Harry also no longer with us unfortunately).
-Dave
Not sure about all the love for yellow - I'll take orange over it any day. Bad lighting, bumping into girders, etc.
When did the change from yellow to orange occur? There is a gap in my York attendance from about 1994 to 2003.
I also miss the woman who sold decals. I think she had rubber stamps too. IIRC, she couldn't reach an affordable licensing deal with Lionel.
Mallard4468 posted:...............When did the change from yellow to orange occur? There is a gap in my York attendance from about 1994 to 2003. ...........
Wikipedia claims it opened in September 2003, so if we trust that, it would be the October 2003 meet was the first using Orange. (I didn't try to double check with old York meet flyers).
-Dave
Dave45681 posted:Mallard4468 posted:...............When did the change from yellow to orange occur? There is a gap in my York attendance from about 1994 to 2003. ...........
Wikipedia claims it opened in September 2003, so if we trust that, it would be the October 2003 meet was the first using Orange. (I didn't try to double check with old York meet flyers).
-Dave
Seems like only yesterday -- certainly not 14 years ago. But I guess that makes sense. Toyota must have had a ten-year arrangement, and it's already been a few years now that the Utz sign has been on the building.
Wow!!! Time IS really marching on.
