IS THE HOBBY DYING?? TCA YORK TRAIN SHOW, Fall 2024

[@djplayerproductions]

Man that was amazing. Thank You for sharing.

[@TransformerDad]

I remember going to Pittsburgh area train shows in the late 80's and 90's with my dad. I'd say the biggest difference between then and now, is that Lionel and American Flyer aren't the only players in the game anymore. Also, I remember him picking up a Chessie System set with grain hoppers and caboose for around $350-400. Most Locos go for more than that now. But that's also a difference of 30 years.

[@Porschedude8]

Well done! I believe it's like the "Antique's Road Show", or the Stock market. Some seasons are more busy than others. I must visit York in the future. There is some beautiful locomotives and rolling stock. The buildings are amazing as well.. As always, thanks again Nick for all you do... 🙏😊

[@PghTrainFanatic]

I’m glad you enjoyed the video! I do love going to York. The unique stuff I really like to collect. Things you can’t go on eBay later and buy.

[@Porschedude8]

@@PghTrainFanatic Agreed 💯 I've never seen anything this attractive on ebay. 😏

[@frankbullitt4556]

I have been going to the YORK TCA fair since 1980. I was new and was able to talk to Lou Redman one of the original members. He saw me looking at 3 passenger trains, which I bought from him. I didn't know who he was until I saw his name badge. Very pleasant and comical gentleman. He told me that things had really changed . So now, things have changed since then. Prices were very much higher then. You couldn't buy a Lionel standard gauge blue comet for less than $10,000.00. There were several sets at the show and I sure wanted one. But they were too high for my pocketbook. And then came EBAY and the internet. What was thought to be very rare was not so rare at all. Then MTH moved in. Some liked Mike and some were angry that he started reproducing Lionels trains. With that he brought in new technology. I met him and he was a very interesting entrepreneur. I missed this year but plan to go in April.

[@PghTrainFanatic]

That’s great story! Yes you’re right internet sales haven’t helped when it comes to York, that is a little before my time when I got back into the hobby but I can totally see why trains available online could hurt the so called value of these items. That’s actually one thing I wouldn’t mind having is an mth tin plate set with newer electronics. Hope to go in April also. Say hi if you see me there!

[@dillonohlemiller401]

People ask that question every year. No. The hobby is not dying

[@alpugliesetrains9753]

Great video Nick! I'm sorry I wasn't able to meet you this time around but soon will. Keep up the good work!

[@realtoytrains]

Thanks for the shout out brother! Hopefully I make it back to York with all the BS going on… PS hope you enjoy your early Xmas gift!

[@LoCoMotiveTimeTravelersDNA]

Another great vid Nick !

[@brian4815]

Love your videos nick

[@PghTrainFanatic]

Thank you!! Appreciate you!

[@RABSTRAINS]

OUTSTANDING video and overview of the show! Thank You for a GREAT video and narration 🔥👍🙏💪❤️🇺🇸

[@Coreyt1976]

Great video Nick!

[@paultorrey]

Nick, thanks for a great video. Looks like you had a great time in York. We used to have Large Scale shows there till 2018. It's a great venu and I miss going there. Lots of regional vendors and Manufacturers. Thanks again,

[@ILSRWY4]

Cool video! thanks for sharing... Great show! One of these days I'll make it out!

[@PghTrainFanatic]

You should, it’s a great show! People say the spring show isn’t as good but honestly I don’t see much difference. Just a little busier in fall

[@paulgiacovelli9754]

Fascinating hobby. Super creative.

[@MarkJensen706]

I really want to get out to York at some point. Definitely seems like there’s a lot of great stuff

[@jimmytrains]

Nice, thank you for showing my booth!

[@BritishRail60062]

I really enjoyed seeing all the trains. Thanks for providing the vendors details as well. I will be buying from them in the future. Great show and I loved every minute of this video.

[@johnandrus3901]

Cool! A great overview. There was a lot of nice stuff there, this year. Plenty of accessories and buildings and the bridges were just plain incredible. There was a total lack of AMT passenger cars, which I collect, unfortunately. On Saturday, one of the vendors put some out, but I had already spent my limit. He wanted me to name a price, but he wouldn't have liked what I would have offered for them. The best thing about the show for me, other than hanging out with Ray and the rest of the 3Rails/4Dads crew, was that I got a bunch of new subscribers to my channel. As far as the hobby goes, it sure ain't dying. There was a lot of young people there and they were pretty enthusiastic. They are the future and the hobby needs to make sure that they stay interested. Offering some inexpensive, entry level sets that have more than just a circle of track and some chincy trains, would be the best. Either way, a fine overview, for sure and an excellent video, as always.

[@michaelfaretta3854]

This video, along with others I watched, have shocked me. I have not been to York TCA or any other shows since 2000. I used to set up at the Holiday Inn parking lot as well as in the halls at the TCA show. Every available space was taken at the parking lot show and it was always wall to wall people in the halls during that event. To me, it appears that the hobby is all but dead. It was nice to see John Brady on your video. I bought many post war trains from him before he had his own store. He was always fair with his prices. Thanks for sharing the video!

[@99thObsidian]

I've been in the hobby since 2000 and based upon show attendance I might agree with you. However since 2000 the Internet has become a much larger alternative market for model trains than shows. KZbin reviews of new and old train products, layouts, shops and shows provide a informative alternative to in-person visits for hobbyist. Yes I miss visiting and meeting friends and subscribers but not all of us can make it to York. We have also benefitted from the greatest technological improvements and features since 2000. MTH and Lionel have made command control of engines and layouts better and added lots of details. So no, I think the hobby is far from dead.

[@alanlough638]

An awesome model train show, Nick! You bought really great model train cars and buildings for your model train layout. Being that you're a model train enthusiast, I bet that you're like kid in candy store when you go to the shows. I wish you the best, Nick. As always, Alan.

[@jimmelchin1531]

Very enjoyable film...thank you ! 👍

[@PghTrainFanatic]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!

[@sodanotrains]

Great haul!!

[@kevinquinn9361]

Not dying, changing.

[@SOU6900]

I want to go one year, just wish I could find someone I could hitch a ride with and pay for gas. On a side note I've heard there was a issue there this last show involving security and a seller/vendor.

[@SuperRPC123]

Fascist train? That isn’t the Trump one!! That’s real news. Great and descriptive video. Thanks for posting!

[@atillerman5843]

Yes the hobby and all "collectible" hobbies are dying. My millenials have no desire to keep my model train and fire collectibles (I was a 32 yr career FF) and they can't change a light switch much less lay track, put together buildings or cars, fix engines, I broke my hip last year and had to move in with them and I have a 4x4' Christmas Tree layout I've put up for 45 years (S scale) that even her old friends were happy to see when they would come over for the holidays, but her excuse is "not enough room" though for years I was able to make room for it and the buildings, repair broke wiring, lights, buildings and rolling stock in October. One year my daughter even gifted me an S Scale Oscar Meyer locomotive seen on our now defunct S Scale club modular layout which she convinced the modeler to make for ME. (I had just had MRSA in my ankle and was wheelchair bound at the event and believe he kind of knew me from my days in the local Tidewater Div NMRA, and did it for her, for me.We used to have 10 train shops in our 2 million population area reaching from Williamsburg to Moyock, now there is just one, and it caters to Lionel, but has a good seleciton of other scales as well. His only competition went out of business a couple years ago when it's 85 YO proprietor passed away. I cut my teeth on inexpensive "Blue Box" Athearn kits and learned how to put them together, make them run better, replace motors, wheels and gears and enjoyed the satisfaction of the build or repair. I had a 4 x 20 ft layout in my 2nd floor specially built in 1992 train room, but when medical issues stopped me from using stairs, I had to dismantle the layout, it's all boxed up in the shed and medical issues have stopped me from enjoying adding too and improving it as I had planned for decades. My "model railroad" experience now is limited to going to shows and conventions, but the seminars often don't interest me as I used flashing Christmas lights to create emergency vehicle and burning building efffects and building lights, and grain of rice bulbs for hidden lighting, and wiring bulbs in series to lower their intensity and extend their life. I haven't found DCC and $300 locomotives and all their LED effects exciting, or the complicated police cars and fire trucks that have great lighting effects I could never create in the 90s. I bought some of the Menards HO buildings and have them lit up on my entertainment center to enjoy their lighting effects and put a track and street scene in front of them hoping some miracle will occur one day and I'll be able to again climb the stairs, crawl under a layout, and frame up modules to again have trains to run somewhere as if I can do that I can live on my own again and not not worry about there not being room for my model railroad, as there won't be room for a bed or dresser in that bedroom as I got used to sleeping in a recliner in the living room and don't need no stinkin bed and dressers etc. in a special room wasted on sleep. The hobby is enjoying a "bump" right now as manufacturers like Scale Trains have taken advantage of us older hobbyists who have the $$$ in retirement and time, but not the eye sight or dexterity to "model" anymore. But I am not seeing millenials who love to bring our grandchildren to the train shows and club layouts, and I see the glow on their faces as a "Big Boy" smokes and whistles its way past them, but their are no longer the men out there who have the skills or desire to do construction, electrical, paint, or learn other skills required not only to build a layout but maintain one. I've been saddened to see landmarks like Roadside America, the BSME and now Entertrainment Jct (and other local clubs including my local S Scale modular group) close and get dismantled as the owners retire and no one wants a building with a layout inside it. Model train layouts are in deed works of art, some as inspiring as the Mona Lisa or Starry Night, which no one would even suggest be destroyed if their building were to be sold or the collection broken up. But we are seeing more and more model train museums, layouts, shows and conventions failing financially as members pass away and admission fees aren't enough to keep the bills paid.

[@anfieldroadlayoutintheloft5204]

Great video

[@TrueFFranco]

Nice video bro , sadly this is a hobby for millionaires. I was looking the price for the bridges, holy cow ,$1200 , damm.

[@stpaulisland]

Train hobby isn't dying. The cost to get into a train show is ridiculous though. At one time, it was a few bucks to get into a show, now it can be as much as $12 per person.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Still cheaper than going to the movies or a ball game!

[@russrockino-rr0864]

I love the Trump Train! Thanks for Sharing, Nick!

[@danielhemple8649]

I saw you Thursday, I think the demand for old tinplate is way down

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

From what I see the prices on Pre-War tinplate are definately dropping on the lesser condition articles, those that are in like-new condition are still bringing top dollar. Same with the Post-Wars. So if you want to get into Pre-and Post-War articles now's the time, prices are getting VERY reasonable.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

"Is the hobby dying?" Not from what I see. Certainly this isn't 1954 when everyone just HAD to have a train set but the hobby's found it's niche and that niche is pretty solid. Not bad when you consider all the competition for recreational dollars out there.

[@Eyrrll]

It’s dying… but it can be a pretty wide distance between “dying” and “dead”, so it’s probably nothing to fear for a while. I am a life long collector of American comic books, which are also dying. You would not think it, but the decline of the comic industry has a lot of similarities to model trains… and the companies involved have adapted similar tactics to delay the inevitable. I am not worried about either hobby ending over the next 20 years or so, but the decline will continue (and anything beyond 20 years will require some luck).

[@jefflynnalex]

Any hobby exists because people have money to blow on it. After four years of massive inflation, people don't have as much money to throw around. If and when the economy ramps back up, train shows will get busier again.

[@jZ0357]

What’s the difference between the silver orange and blue Hall?

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

As far as what might be inside not much but the main difference is the Orange Hall is where the major professional dealers are to be found and is open to everyone including the general public. The Silver, Blue, and other color halls are restricted to TCA members only.

[@JJSTANLEY-m8s]

NEED HO SCALE PRODUCTS, AND GARDEN RAILROAD PRODUCTS

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

HO, G, and N Gauge are making inroads into the York show from what I saw. To be sure the classic sizes like O, S, and Standard Gauge still predominate but the others are making their presense known, and that's a GOOD thing in my opinion. As time goes by I'm sure we'll see more HO, N, and G.

[@bobfunkytrainman5422]

your the guy makingflat building i got 2 from you

[@nickatano9086]

Of course it's dying. Who can afford to be involved these days. Manufacturers are pricing themselves out of business. Look at the price of passenger cars and other rolling stock. Ridiculous!

[@daveklein2826]

Go buy some cheese to go with your whine

[@danthomas9414]

Any g scale there?

[@PghTrainFanatic]

Some but now tons. This event is heavily O scale. I’d say second most would be standard gauge and S gauge.

[@johnandrus3901]

Quite a bit, really.

[@Thespiritofcoloradorr]

great show but the trump train can go in the garbage lol

[@kris17767]

That was one of the the best parts. 👍🏻👍🏻