@Rich Melvin posted:Right there is the reason why many of the manufacturers don't attend York any more. It has become a big social event as opposed to an event where the action was centered on selling trains and making a few bucks. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that. Greeting old friends you only get to see once or twice a year is also an important part of this hobby.
This is the natural evolution of a meet that is sponsored by an organization that does not know how to attract new, younger members.
I’m pretty sure the manufacturers like Lionel, Atlas, and Williams and magazines like OGR weren’t doing much selling when the event was bigger/younger.
It should be the big manufacturers acting as stewards of the hobby that are trying to get younger folks into the hobby.
The TCA only sells memberships… The manufacturers are the ones that need people to be interested enough to buy products.
Anyway, the holes left by OGR, Lionel, and others are now mostly filled with more dealers. So there are more trains to buy!
