Was there a good crowd of people? How many halls were open? Were people spending money? Were the halls filled everyday? Did you have a good time? Will you go back in the fall?
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There was a decent crowd on Friday, kinda' sparse on Thursday and Saturday. People were spending money, I had a great time, and I'll go back whenever they have another meet. 
John, thank you for your report. Glad you had a wonderful time. Yes, you want to go as often as you can.
Attendance for the meet announced at the business meeting was 5900 with 700 public as of 9am this morning. The meet since end of covid, each meet has earned a profit. TCA has approx 14000 active members so meet represents a little over 40 percent of the membership of national.
I attended and had a good time walking through all the tables and picked up a fair bit of layout items and BCRs. I scored a nice Proto 2 locomotive from another forum member (Thanks Mike!) and last minute found the S2 Switcher I needed at a final walk past a table.
Question about the 5900. That number includes table holders. So how many selling and how many coming through to look or buy? Thanks Dave
dk122trains and EmpireBuilderDave, Thank you both of you for your reports.
My highlight of the show was the $35,000 Erector Set in the Orange Hall. I would have bought it but I only had $56.00 in my pocket. 
@Bruce Brown posted:My highlight of the show was the $35,000 Erector Set in the Orange Hall. I would have bought it but I only had $56.00 in my pocket.
I saw that as they were trying to get it down an aisle on a flatbed cart trying not to bump the box edges. It was getting rather tense!
As far as buying, I don’t know about anyone else but my wallet reports that buying was heavy, brisk and often. Remarkably I prevented the back window of the rental car from being obstructed.
As for attendance I thought the crowd was huge! There were so many people in my way to buy the trains!! I’m hoping attendance is much lower in October! I had a great time buying train items, seeing friends and making new ones and eating way too much food with them.
I filled the entire bed of my pickup, and half the rear seat with purchases!!!! A big show for me....Definitely the most I ever purchased at the show!!!!!
A very good show for me as I was able to buy everything on my list plus a few extra items. I found the mood to be good and people exceptionally friendly helpful. In reality York is first and foremost a great social event.
Miketg
@dk122trains posted:Attendance for the meet announced at the business meeting was 5900 with 700 public as of 9am this morning.
Great to see and chat with you at the meet, Don! I did not come home empty-handed (rarely do). Picked up an MTH Alaska Budd RDC set at a decent price. It's PS2, but I'll install a BCR. Alaska isn't my "primary" road for modeling these days, but I still like it a lot and have been adding a few new things to the roster. And the buddies I went to York with as a freeloading ride-along managed to pretty much fill a good part of the back of one friend's F150 pickup. We all had a great time!
That 5900 attendance figure is kind of disappointing, but that's primarily because I can still easily recall when the meet attracted 12,000 or more participants. However, life is full of change, and there's no reason the York Meet should be immune. I still advocate for an annual, rather than bi-annual, meet to be held in October each year, but I have lobbied for that change for years, obviously without any success. But, if the Eastern Division is still in the black with the event, that's definitely a good thing. Hope to see all in October!
I concur with Gunrunnerjohn's comment that Thursday's attendance was light, but I will say, that was the day I did the most damage to my wallet!
Friday's attendance was strong, IMO, and people were buying. Spent a lot of time in the Orange Hall speaking to many vendors and friends I have grown to know over the 30 years as a member. To top it all off, a dinner at the Olive Garden, after the show on Friday, with Traindiesel. Gunrunnerjohn, Peter Condro, Todd Pitney, David1, and many others, was a true delight. It was a great and enjoyable show for me and I am looking forward to attending the October Meet.
Jim
Arrived Friday morning and was able to get everything on my list by noon. Crowd was decent, definitely not overcrowded. The largest of the crowds from my observance were in the Blue & Silver halls on Friday Afternoon. (I was able to score a pair of Atlas-O cars from a motivated seller)
As for Saturday the crowd was very light. I entered the Orange Hall on the right side by the TCA lobby booth and only about a dozen were lined up at 9am to enter.
Steve
As usual, we camped at York... enjoyed the shopping on Thursday and Friday!
Arrived with no list in mind (just looking for some additional MTH/Lionel Tinplate Corp O gauge stuff, and there was virtually none!)
But, somehow I ended up driving home with about 15 items!
Most prices seemed high, but it seems like what I was interested in, people were discounting to get rid of... perfect combination!
I had a good York. Arrived in York on Tuesday morning, found some treasures at the Four Points and Wyndham bandits, and my club mates found some treasures at the and the fire hall and Purple Hall. We then went to Hanover to visit the antique co-op that has a small train store inside where I found a couple of Civil War RR books - one from the train shop, and one from another vendor in the co-op. We then returned to York for the TCA Welcome Party (I highly recommend it if you come this early - excellent meal and one beer or glass of wine for only $10). We finished the evening at one of our hotels with some Scotch, Bourbon and whiskey and some fine conversation.
On Wednesday, we hit the bandits again, and I found another small treasure. We then headed out to Intercourse, PA to visit Barry's Car Barn. This collection has to be seen in person. Classic cars, muscle cars, Corvettes, Shelby Cobras, motorcycles, memorabilia, and even a display case with a number of nice sets of standard gauge and Postwar train sets, and a lot more! From there we went to DJ's Diner for a quick dinner and then to the Strasburg Train Shop, and then on to the Lower Susquehanna club open house before returning to York to enjoy another evening of adult beverages and fine conversation, this time with more participants.
On Thursday, I was fairly busy at my tables and sold some trains. After the meet closed, we headed to one of our favorite restaurants in York, Shangri La. The lady that runs this restaurant is incredible - she remembers our preferences and even our previous orders, and we only go there twice a year! After dinner We continued our beverage/conversation tradition.
Friday saw some more sales at my tables, and I picked up an item on my "Unicorn List" in the Orange Hall, then dinner and drinks afterward.
Saturday saw a few sales at my tables, I registered for October, late lunch at the Lyndon Diner, and then made the trek home.
We ate breakfast every day from Tuesday through Saturday at Round the Clock Diner.
Overall, it was a fantastic trip! Now the task at hand is to weather the long wait until October!
Andy
@BradFish1 posted:No less than John Menard was one those 5900 people. In the gray jacket.
I would never have recognized him. I wonder if he was amused by the guy who hauled a bunch of Menards items to York and was selling them for double the retail price in the Orange hall.
I too had a great show and more sore calves keep reminding me of that. One interesting change, Fed Ex was there to ship items, not UPS. Credit to Eastern Division.
@Allan Miller posted:Great to see and chat with you at the meet, Don! I did not come home empty-handed (rarely do). Picked up an MTH Alaska Budd RDC set at a decent price. It's PS2, but I'll install a BCR. Alaska isn't my "primary" road for modeling these days, but I still like it a lot and have been adding a few new things to the roster. And the buddies I went to York with as a freeloading ride-along managed to pretty much fill a good part of the back of one friend's F150 pickup. We all had a great time!
That 5900 attendance figure is kind of disappointing, but that's primarily because I can still easily recall when the meet attracted 12,000 or more participants. However, life is full of change, and there's no reason the York Meet should be immune. I still advocate for an annual, rather than bi-annual, meet to be held in October each year, but I have lobbied for that change for years, obviously without any success. But, if the Eastern Division is still in the black with the event, that's definitely a good thing. Hope to see all in October!
I'd say though Allan that if money is being made by the vendors to keep going with both meets. I only attend April because October doesn't do well with my schedule and there may be others that are "fair weather friends" to the TCA. I know I helped a few vendors convert trains into greenbacks...
@Allan Miller posted:That 5900 attendance figure is kind of disappointing, but that's primarily because I can still easily recall when the meet attracted 12,000 or more participants.
12,000 sounds like a good number. How far back was that?
Here is my take on this York
1- I think we should lobby to have the April meet for people in scooters only October for everybody else
2- Why would you bring your dog into the halls
3- I signed a certificate and left it with my $35000 Erector set Nobody bought it even though they can get my signature
4- The Italian Ice guy should change his name Worst Italian ice ever More flavor in an ice cube Maybe he should call it Boston water ice
5- Quaker steak on Thursday was great Said hello to all the anti-social people sitting in the main room whan I was leaving even though we had a ton of chairs left in the back
6- The LCCA and METCA Officers and Boards are still some of my favorite people in the world Got my friend John to join the LCCA
7- Mike should get an award for how much stuff he fit in that Jeep Wrangler
8- Lyndons diner blows Round the clock away with their food and all the waitresses wear train shirts Peter they have a nice separate room too
I had a very enjoyable show. I completed all my sales on Thursday (with 1 exception) and stumbled upon a few bargains in the process. I heard a few vendors discussing the very brisk business done on Thursday; it seemed like a big turnout for a Thursday at the April meet. Friday's attendance (5900 for the meet seems low) was higher but didn't seem to reach the level of "buzz" seen the prior day. Prices were OK and sellers seemed willing to deal; there was a bit more flexibility than I saw last October (that's in keeping with the thought that April is meet where folks unload stuff). My buddy Price and I saw lots of old friends during the event.
Great time!! The old saying "A bad day at a train show..." has never been more true! 
George
I came Friday afternoon with the mrs. I didnt see too many deals for O gauge. I did pick up some Bowser O scale 53ft trailer bodies and some roadrailer bodies [ one with a side door]. Now i just need to find a 3d printer to make the floor. For the roadrailer, im considering chopping some shells down to 48ft. I have enough 53ftr's at this time.
I also picked up from Grysbotskis the ACF 3bay Lionscale hoppers in PRR.
Not much in in G scale this time.
Attendance was light (5900, WOW!!) but it was a steady flow through the White hall. I was selling in there and did better than the last 2 Yorks so for me...an excellent show! And getting to say hello to lots of train friends is always a highlight. Unfortunately, it seems Quaker Steak attendance is getting smaller each year. Only had few NJ Hi-Railers there and we used to fill up the big round table plus.
Thank you, to everyone that answer my questions pertaing to York. Sounds like great times and good deals for all.
While I had heard that EDTCA had relaxed the photography rules for the member halls, I was also surprised that they also did away with the restriction on vendors trading amongst themselves before the meet openings. The old rule never stopped them anyway. In any case, it is nice to see EDTCA listening.
Andy
@Terpfan6 posted:...One interesting change, Fed Ex was there to ship items, not UPS. Credit to Eastern Division.
Good call by ED. Hope it worked out well for those who use it.
@Andy Hummell posted:I had a good York. Arrived in York on Tuesday morning, found some treasures at the Four Points and Wyndham bandits, and my club mates found some treasures at the and the fire hall and Purple Hall. We then went to Hanover to visit the antique co-op that has a small train store inside where I found a couple of Civil War RR books - one from the train shop, and one from another vendor in the co-op. We then returned to York for the TCA Welcome Party (I highly recommend it if you come this early - excellent meal and one beer or glass of wine for only $10). We finished the evening at one of our hotels with some Scotch, Bourbon and whiskey and some fine conversation.
On Wednesday, we hit the bandits again, and I found another small treasure. We then headed out to Intercourse, PA to visit Barry's Car Barn. This collection has to be seen in person. Classic cars, muscle cars, Corvettes, Shelby Cobras, motorcycles, memorabilia, and even a display case with a number of nice sets of standard gauge and Postwar train sets, and a lot more! From there we went to DJ's Diner for a quick dinner and then to the Strasburg Train Shop, and then on to the Lower Susquehanna club open house before returning to York to enjoy another evening of adult beverages and fine conversation, this time with more participants.
On Thursday, I was fairly busy at my tables and sold some trains. After the meet closed, we headed to one of our favorite restaurants in York, Shangri La. The lady that runs this restaurant is incredible - she remembers our preferences and even our previous orders, and we only go there twice a year! After dinner We continued our beverage/conversation tradition.
Friday saw some more sales at my tables, and I picked up an item on my "Unicorn List" in the Orange Hall, then dinner and drinks afterward.
Saturday saw a few sales at my tables, I registered for October, late lunch at the Lyndon Diner, and then made the trek home.
We ate breakfast every day from Tuesday through Saturday at Round the Clock Diner.
Overall, it was a fantastic trip! Now the task at hand is to weather the long wait until October!
Andy
Excellent summary. I stopped by your booth hoping to meet you, but you were away at the time - hopefully in October! Good info regarding restaurants.
Overall, I think it was a good meet. Lots of interesting stuff, and many vendors seemed to be more negotiable than previously.
Re the seemingly low attendance number... I can believe 5900, but IMO it's not the number that matters - it's the enthusiasm of those who are there. Also, based on experience with my club's shows, a relatively small percentage of attendees do the lion's share of the buying - if those people show up, the vendors will be happy.
@Allan Miller posted:Great to see and chat with you at the meet, Don! I did not come home empty-handed (rarely do). Picked up an MTH Alaska Budd RDC set at a decent price. It's PS2, but I'll install a BCR. Alaska isn't my "primary" road for modeling these days, but I still like it a lot and have been adding a few new things to the roster. And the buddies I went to York with as a freeloading ride-along managed to pretty much fill a good part of the back of one friend's F150 pickup. We all had a great time!
That 5900 attendance figure is kind of disappointing, but that's primarily because I can still easily recall when the meet attracted 12,000 or more participants. However, life is full of change, and there's no reason the York Meet should be immune. I still advocate for an annual, rather than bi-annual, meet to be held in October each year, but I have lobbied for that change for years, obviously without any success. But, if the Eastern Division is still in the black with the event, that's definitely a good thing. Hope to see all in October!
Personally, I think TCA Eastern should continue both spring and fall meets. The twice a year meets gives everyone a chance to go to York whereas one meet per year MAY NOT. As of now, per the reports, York is still making money. I’m not sure once a year meet will make a significant difference in increased attendance. TCA Eastern has done an excellent job in conducting this meet thru the years and has made some good changes recently in rule changes for the meet and adding the pre show event. I believe they will continue to make changes benefiting all who attend the meet. Thank you TCA Eastern Division for your continued efforts to make York a bi-annual meet enjoyed by all whom attend!!
If I'm attending York, my preference is to make it to the fall meet. I think there's just a bit more going on in the fall. This year, I am not able to attend the fall meet so I attended the spring meet. (Have done the spring before.) Grandkids sporting events, (Georgia), may prevent me from attending Fall York for a while. So, glad there are 2 opportunities available each year. Others may be in a similar situation. As long as the TCA is making a profit, 2 a yr works for me.
Thanks to all who worked so hard to put the York meets on. Great staff and volunteers. Younz do a great job.
SuperO Tom
My dad and I came on Friday, and as much as we had, it's VERY evident that the show seems to get smaller and less exciting each year. I don't know if it's the case with everything post-COVID, or the lack of manufacturers like Lionel showing off the upcoming product, but a lot of the flare of the previous shows is very noticeable.
TrainWorld wasn't there, nor was TM Books & Video, and a few other noteworthy faces I always look forward to seeing with these meets specifically. It was nice to see Atlas and MTH, as well as other familiar faces, but I don't know. These are mostly my father's words than mine, but I can't hep but share a lot of the same opinion.
Maybe it's also because we don't have time to experience the events pre- and post-show. Maybe if we did, our opinions would change, but this is just going off those who come for a day and stay for the show itself.
Nonetheless, there was a good chunk of good trains for sale, and I didn't walk away without a few solid purchases, so there's that.
I guess I'll chime in. I thought the "crowds" were light especially Saturday. Thursday and Friday were OK but still seemed lower attended than even in the past few years. I didn't come home with a lot but still had a great time with friends. First time in a while I stayed all 3 days. My brother probably took home the most out of the 5 of us. He can always find something pre or post war to add to his collection.
On Friday the excitement of the day was the small brawl that broke out in the Red Hall. We witnessed the tail end of the authorities being there. My brother said there was definitely some contact. Other than that a fairly uneventful York.
Thanks to all of the EDTCA volunteers, and the fair ground workers! I've always said I could come home with a pocketful of money and still have a good time, and I did.
Until the fall...
BTW @Andy Hummell, they raised the rates for the fall.
Jim,
I was in the Black Hall running Standard Gauge trains with the SGMA Standard Gauge Modular club. I did visit all the halls and from what I saw it was average size York crowd, with an average number of sellers. Seemed like I saw more new trains for sale than the last few Yorks. IMO it was a good show. I saw lots of people having fun, and carrying purchases out to their cars. Additionally, I saw more young bucks in the crowd then ever.
I had two “only at York” moments:
One: SGMA member drives up from Kentucky, and brings three Harlan Creswell “Liberty Lines” custom made 600e’s. Totally blew my mind, I have never seen one, and now I have three right in front of me, and running, double headed, with Protosounds 2 upgrades, smoke and sound.
And two: Setting a new SGMA club record, two custom made Challengers pulling eighteen state cars…wow!
So much fun!
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I was there Monday thru Saturday. Thursday was slowish. Friday was crowded. Saturday was dead as usual. I got a nice C & O 624 switcher in C8 condition for $ 100.00. And a lot of nice cars at good prices. Also got a Williams Alco FB dummy for parts - broken sideframes.
@MartyE posted:BTW @Andy Hummell, they raised the rates for the fall.
The table-holder rates for the Fall were the same as they were for the Spring. Our rates went up last year. Wouldn't be surprised if it went up again for next Spring, but the EDTCA needs to do what they need to do. They do a great job every time.
Andy
Great time as always........more trains than can ever be imagined......meeting old friends and making new ones.....and, stimilating the economy a little!
Peter
If you didnt have the chance to get to the lower Susquehanna club layout here are a few things on it that I think are great
This is the parking lot of the drive in
This cop takes his job serious
I'lll be back
The ACME tunnel portal
Met the Doc and John there Good friends
This is the breakthrough we have all been waiting for Brian becomes a Yankee fan What will be next Chuck becoming a Phillies fan
If Chuck becomes a Phillie fan I'm not going to let him take her there
Annnnnnnddd The Highlight of the Orange hall Arnold Cribari and his wife Shawn playing Folsom City Blues to a packed house
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@Andy Hummell posted:The table-holder rates for the Fall were the same as they were for the Spring. Our rates went up last year. Wouldn't be surprised if it went up again for next Spring, but the EDTCA needs to do what they need to do. They do a great job every time.
Andy
Hotel rate.
@MartyE posted:Hotel rate.
That hotel's rates were always a little higher in the fall than in the spring. Haven't booked yet for fall to compare with last year.
Andy
