Oh man, I remember "Skinny John". Growing up in the Region, I only went to YORK once as a kid. It was quite a site. Rick nailed the hoarder part of it. Hands down the most unorganized train shop I ever saw. That being said, I have no idea what happened to John or his inventory. If it was still stashed somewhere it might be interesting.
We were lucky in Northwest Indiana in the 1990's. There were some nice hobby shops around. Today they are all in the history books.