Where will Lionel be while we're at York in October?

Always worth a try rather than just wringing your hands and bemoaning the downfall of whatever it is you are referring to, the train hobby, the end of Game of Thrones, vinyl records, western civilization, that sort of thing.

Well then enlighten us. 

Just the voice?

Isn’t it true that Lionel decided not to exhibit in April a couple of years ago and the ED gave their spot to Island Trains and then the LCCA set up a table to give away catalogs.  The ED did not give Lionel back their spot for the October meet and Island Trains went back to their original location.  At the same time MTH decided to downsize but kept their spot until Mike retired and sold off parts of his business.

There have been a number of issues between the ED and some of their exhibitors over the years.

100% agree, just wish we could get some of the dealers back to the show.  Even CharlesRo doesn't attend the Amherst show anymore.

Everyone that attends a train show has their own thoughts, feelings and experiences. Each of us gets different things out of these events. I’ve heard and read about people thinking a show was terrible because they couldn’t find what they were looking for or the prices were too high. While others may only spend an hour, buy something they like and say it was a fantastic show. Same with the vendors, sales were great, sales were slow. Not just the York Meet but public shows too. 

Similarly, each TCA member that attends the York Meet has their own perspective. To me, even with the minor improvements made over the years, the York Meet system of operating hasn’t changed much since I first attended in 1981. I love it because model trains are my main and largest hobby in participation and purchasing. For me it grew into an additional social activity. Lionel was always there in one form or another and the other importers followed. 

But it was always a buy/sell/swap meet. It was always produced for the members by the members. All the dealers and importers had to have TCA membership to attend. And for the most part the importers only displayed what they catalog. I believe that what gave it a ‘trade show’ atmosphere was the construction of the current ‘Orange Hall’ building. It was huge, well lighted and all the importers and dealers highlighting and selling mostly new items were housed there. But it was always still a swap meet. 

The Meet’s dynamic didn’t change. The importer’s absence was missed but didn’t stop or change how the York Meet operated. To me anyway, I loved visiting the importer displays, but their absence didn’t change the fun I had or the trains I buy. There is always going to be turnover in the numbers of vendors and dealers and member attendance. I believe the most significant factor for the variations are the ease of Internet sales. People and dealers didn’t need to travel anymore to see or sell a lot of trains. Some like me still love to go. The attendance numbers have shrunk for hobbies of all types especially since the pandemic. 

To me the York Meet is still the premier attending experience. 

As I read the various posts folks who have considerably more history with York than I have despite my age, the wistful tone is striking. It has all the aspects of nostalgia, but it is more than that. There are elements of feelings one would normally associate with the joy/curiosity of a class or family reunion with the sadness/appreciation of a celebration of life/memorial service.

These are complex emotions that one does not typically associate with a retail/mercantile event.

Some of the comments about Lionel and former retail attendees absence have an element of sadness and betrayal.

It is hard for me to imagine that the same feelings would be expressed for the demise of a Big Box store chain, or internet etailer.

While swap meet may be the most accurate description, there is a sense that this term is a disservice to the personal interactions which occur at York.

The scenes in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind where authorities ask the folks who disregard the fake anthrax scare to get near that mountain after having shared a close encounter come to mind.

To bastardize Traindiesel's tag line it is not an impulse, it is a compulsion. I had to be there!

York whatever it is or isn't today compared to the past or future, is a shared compulsion by which many mark time. Not only real time, but their own time.

As long as they can fly, drive, drag or crawl themselves to York they will come.