# Large Scale Dealers at York TCA Meet?



## Tom Lapointe (Jan 2, 2008)

*For the first time in about 20 years, I'm hoping to make it down to the York TCA meet next week. *







(The deciding factor was being able to get a hotel nearby that close to the meet date!







). I have a question for any other MLS members that also happen to be in the TCA; how many Large Scale dealers am I likely to find down there







(I'm assuming Charles Ro of USA Trains will be there, for example). The highest-priority item on the "shopping list" is a Bachmann 2-6-6-2T logging Mallet.
















*Tom*


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Tom 

It's been a good 20 years since I was at the York TCA meet. So I asked a friend of mine what he thought since he just got back from the TCA show. He asked another friend who collects G gaige stuff and this is what he said. 

Over the years G-scale is getting less and less at York TCA. I only bought 2 LGB items and one USA engine this year. Not because I wasn't looking, there just wasn't any g-scale there. 

Three weeks earlier their was a large scale show at the fair grounds. Only the Silver and Blue halls are used. The Silver is full of sellers and manufactures, the Blue hall is full of layouts. About 4,000 attend and around 75 dealers. This has become a great G-scale show. 

If your friend is looking for G-scale only I would be hard press to tell him to attend the TCA show. How ever I have made many a purchases of LGB's / G-scale at TCA but like I said it is getting less and less. 

So, while you might find something you want at a TCA York meet, it looks like slim pickens. 

Randy


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## Tom Lapointe (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Tom Lapointe on 22 Oct 2009 12:47 AM 
*Hi Randy! *









It wasn't for a friend, it was for *myself *







that I was inquiring about York. I had rejoined the TCA a few years ago (after something like a *20 year absence! *







). Back in the recession of the early 1990's I wound up out of a normal job







& self-employed (barely keeping my "head above water" financially







back then!); I could no longer afford the TCA membership at the time, had dismantled my home O-scale (2-rail DC) layout to make room for a home business, & sold off some of my O - scale brass to help pay for equipment I needed for the business, essentially getting out of model railroading *entirely *







for about a 10-year period. When I was active in the TCA, I used to make the trip to York twice anually with a friend of mine who passed away







about 6 years ago. The deciding factor on going this time was getting lucky & finding a room at a good hotel *only 3 miles away from the fairgrounds *







only about a month prior to the April meet! 

I'll agree that G-gauge equipment *(other than LGB) *wasn't in great proliferation, but I did "snag" the *2 items I was primarily after - Bachmann's new 1:20.3 scale caboose & the specific version I wanted of their 2-6-6-2T logging Mallet. *







I also got a like-new Aristo signal tower to replace the very-weather-worn







one currently on the railroad, & a bargain on an Aristo barn to add a dairy farm as a new railroad "customer"!









*Tom*


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