Day Four: Saturday, the Final Day of the Spring Meet
So I planned to go to breakfast before heading over to the Fairgrounds. The alarm on my phone began playing it’s tune at 6am. I immediately hit the snooze icon. Ten minutes later it sounded again. I turned it off altogether. &@(:/$!/ I grumbled. My legs and feet still ache, I’m still full from Friday night’s dinner so I’m not going to eat anything and I’m done shopping. So we slept in for another hour or three. We eventually got ourselves together and headed over to the Meet.
We walked into the Orange Hall and I was stunned! “What is this? Is this Saturday?!” I’ve been going to the York Meet since 1983 and I’ve never seen so many people in the Orange before! I would usually have entire aisles to myself on a Saturday. But today I had to dodge some real live breathing people! Now I’m not saying the attendance rivaled a Thursday or Friday, but it was a lot busier. A couple vendors I spoke with said overall attendance was down but the people that were there were buying.
At noon there were a few still buying tickets to enter. And several young families. The best was seeing a young couple and their toddler son pushing a stroller. The child had to walk because the stroller was toting boxes of trains. OUTSTANDING!!
Although I was done buying during this trip I just wanted to see if the Atlas O "Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis" PS-1 box car was still at the booth I saw it in on Friday. I liked it because we went to Chattanooga back in October for a wedding that caused me to miss York. I wanted it as a trophy for retribution for missing last October’s Meet! If it wasn’t there, no big deal. But it was still there so I bought it. But wait! What’s this??!! (You know where this is going now!) Two of the new Lionel covered gondolas in Milwaukee Road and Santa Fe! I was surprised how hefty they are. But wait, that’s not all! Up on top of the rack was the recent “Altoona Curve Beer” reefer. I’ve been to Altoona, Pa many times railfanning and tasted the Curve beer. Onto the pile they they go, paid for them all and out the door I went!
As I was putting my new treasures into the trunk of our much too small rental car, I was now in full hunt mode!! I remembered seeing a Vision Line NYC sound box car set, but where? I couldn’t remember! So with a deep breath and blazing red eyes I ventured into the abyss of the Orange Hall to acquire them. No such luck. I was either in the wrong place or it was sold. But the O Gauge Gods smiled upon me again! Instead I discovered a Vision Line Santa Fe stock car set with sounds that I really had hoped to find. I had to excavate the box from a pile of freight cars. I just knew if I waited to ask for help someone else might steal them from me. Out to the much too small rental car they went.
Lynley just shook her head and laughed. “I thought you were done”, she said. “I am”, I said, “But I want to check one more thing”! I didn’t wait for a reply. With tunnel vision I dragged my tired ::bleep:: for one more trip through the aisles. I was trying to find a Vision Line B&O box car with sounds I saw on Friday. It was gone. So I figured I’d call it a Meet and headed back to the lobby to get Lynley and take my stash to the UPS table outside the Silver Hall to ship back home.
As I slowly strolled through the aisle, taking it all in and absorbing the energy that model trains provide before leaving York, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Two Atlas O Milwaukee Road box cars with different car numbers. I got a little discount because the vendor didn’t have to pack them up. Then, like The Incredible Hulk when he calms and returns to become Bruce Banner, I knew it was time to go. I always end up buying most of my trains at York on Saturday!
But first, I checked out the TCA Kid’s Club layout in the Orange Hall lobby.
We then drove over to the UPS tables outside the Silver Hall. While they worked to secure by bounty for shipping, I went inside to make my final purchase by registering for the October Meet and got our badges to take home. When I came back to UPS my packages were ready to go.
As they finished up “Happy Trails” was playing over the Fairgrounds speakers signaling the end of the April 2023 York Meet. It feels like the last day of summer vacation before school starts up again.
By now we were really hungry so we went to Lattuca’s Sub Bar for lunch. The best cheesesteak this side of the Susquehanna River. (Until we get back to San Diego county where I go to a sandwich shop owned by a family friend from the Philadelphia area who makes authentic Philly cheesesteaks).
Cheesesteak with pepperoni, fried onions and sweet peppers.
After lunch we started our trip to Philadelphia to visit our youngest daughter who will be having her first child, and our ninth grandchild next month. Near the end of the show there were announcements that the Halls would be closing an hour earlier because of heavy thunderstorms on the way. Weather was calling for torrential rain, hail and possible tornadic activity. The wind was picking up and the skies were getting angry. Luckily we outran the storm and made it to Philly without a drop of rain. We checked into the hotel, relaxed a bit then got ready to take my daughter and her fiancé to dinner. We went to one of our favorite restaurants, “The Pub” in Pennsauken, NJ. Of course on the way the rain arrived but just a few steady showers. Not as violent as was predicted.
9oz filet mignon with 8oz lobster tail and fresh green beans
After dinner we took the kids home and headed back to the hotel. We are winding down from another great York Meet. My purchases should arrive by Friday. Then it’ll be exciting all over again!
The trip continues Sunday after a good night of rest.
