Show us your YORK Loot!

John: not your usual car full of loot this time?

Nothing terribly exciting; first purchase of the day and I messed up right out of the chute. I needed, and still need, a 6462 gondola for a set I've been putting together...found this nice complete brick-red version for just twenty bucks (even came with a shredded original box):



Got home and realized I need the RED 6462-125 (1955-1956), not this brick red version (1950). I must have seen a hundred red ones, but somehow convinced myself I need the brick red version. Back on the list for April...

  

From Bill Becker's booth in the Orange Hall, a couple Flyer repro cast brakewheels for prewar freight cars, and a repro casting of the ubiquitous Flyer grade-crossing guard:



Ever notice that most of the grade-crossing guards were missing a leg? I've often speculated as to why that is/was.

 

  Healey36, the crossing guard is just true to prototype - back in the day it was common for the railroads to keep a severely injured employee on the payroll by giving them the job of crossing guard or some other form of employment which did not require a lot of physical exertion.  I can't point you to a specific picture but I know I have seen photos of crossing guards standing by their guard sheds and in many cases it is obvious the man has lost a limb.

  You can also find pictures of train crew members who have suffered injuries but whose injuries have not kept them from continuing to work for the railroad. Most often what you will see in those pictures is one or more of the members wearing some sort of glove other than the standard engineer glove - if the position is identified the individual wearing the glove will most likely be one of the brakemen and the reason for the glove is to hide the fact of missing fingers due to accidents with couplers.

I will have to wait until I get home next week. The crowds were noticeably larger. Too many people in my way to buy things. Numerous items I didn’t have enough arms to carry were stol… umm, bought by some stooges before I could get back to them. 

But The Voices were concise, loud and clear in Their guidance!

I had a great time at York, bargains were everywherere!  I couldn't gethem them all!  I did take home a nice haul this year.  Now for the fun!

I filled a couple of holes in my MTH 36' woodsided reefer collection, and I bought a Lionel smoking hobo shack. I have a very small list of items to look for and I'm surprised I actually found a few.

I generally thought the prices were high on a lot of things.