IS THE HOBBY DYING?? TCA YORK TRAIN SHOW, Fall 2024

This should not be called a train show !! It's a 3-rail LIONEL marketing barn !! I can not believe adults STILL go for this stuff with the very wrong looking track, giant couplers, and way deep flanges ! Yeah, many loco and car shells are to scale today. But the 3 rail thing is just so ridiculous already already., leave alone the great space you need if you DO want some modicum of scale mileage, and the cost now; most of it twice or three times what HO and N scale costs...
I know why 3 rail is desirable, wiring-wise; no return loop problems, AC and all..But with today's digital devices which handle that and a hundred other activities, I just can't understand and never will, this side of the hobby which really is toy trains to me...
And, too bad if you don't like my honesty..I doesn't give a choo choo's shoot !!

great video

When Goin to a Train Show If You can Stay Till Closing And Stay As Many Days You can.

Those Engines I would Get in Ho And N Scale.yeah Buddy!

By The Looks Of It This Looks Only to Be O Scale Only I See.

Too much STUFF which is clutter. Too big of an area needed to create a layout. And TOO MUCH MONEY. Trains are better to do on a computer simulator.

I used to collect model trains - now I collect money. It is my hobby and it's easier.

I can't answer this question directly. I've been back into the O-gauge hobby for 4 years and I have a few observations.
1. It is an older white male hobby. No surprise. My generation was the one that got into trains back in the 40s and 50s and that love for the hobby has stayed with us. Unfortunately, age and death are catching up. There are fewer and fewer of these generations around.
2. It is not cheap to get started. The price of many engines is outrageous. If you have money, this is no issue. But for someone with limited or fixed income, it is. I think Lionel has taken advantage of MTH departing full scale manufacturing to push prices up. Once again, the rich don't care. The rest of us get screwed.
3. There will always be a market for trains. I think supply is more than keeping up with demand given the changing demographics of the hobby, but I feel that the total number of O-gauge enthusiasts is indeed shrinking and it will be interesting to see how the hobby fares over the next 10 years.

Flintstones goes great with Lionel dinosaur gas station. Thanks for the video!

Haven't been to York since the 80's. Does anyone still sell parts there? Use to be a great place to get parts to keep them running and to build one or two.

Rose colored glasses.

I simply can't afford the newer "stuff", so I stick with the older less expensive rolling stock. Locomotives with all the new "bells and whistles" going for $1500 to $2000 and more are simply out of range for the average collector but there are plenty of older conventional runners in good condition for one tenth the price. Williams for example was always out of my price range but now it's affordable. The hobby is not dying it's only changing. Thanks for you video, I was there and had a great time.

I wish I would have been able to make it to York but luckily I think I’m able to make it to the Greenberg show in November

Great seeing you again at the show Nick. Can't say the hobby is dying. It's still clinging on. For how long? Well.....

The 'hobby' since the late 80s has become the financial premise of middle-aged Boomers and Millennials. There is NO kid or working parent out there who can afford the insane and ridiculous prices of a model train set or layout. Even those who masquerade as model train builders in North America have all their product built in Asian sweatshops. The 'hobby' was dead over 40 years ago.

And no love for coasterdynamix!

Vote Trump

Magnificent catches of the model trains coming by and pass, I like it 5 stars.
Thumbs up.
Keep up the perfect work, my friend, I just liked and subscribed your channel, Greetings from Portugal to the USA.

Great Fall York show video Nick! It was good to meet you as well! Thanks for all you do to promote our hobby and keep up the great work!

Groceries are near double. Chew Chew.

Tell Harris to fund the hobby for us 😅😅😅😅😅

Is their any polar express train

Yup....your right buddy...was in o Guage since 1998....now had to give up and went to HO....couldn't afford anymore...the manufacturers must be on drugs.....their pricing g us out of the hobby....shoot...Evan HO is getting pricey....can't win....

It is not dying. It could live on just the money I spend! lol. Seriously though, anyone can't start with used TMCC items at a more reasonable price.

You know what I don't like about your videos? You show me things I missed, HAHA! I would have snagged that Ghostbusters car, but did not see it lol.

You had that UNAMERICAN DICTATOR playing in the back ground!! Good bye!!!!

Has to be a tough business selling $700 - $1400 dollar train locomotives in a tough economy, the entry level stuff and used allow folks to participate with normal budgets. Seems like the hobby is alive and well in my area. Starting a club and surprised at the first meetings attendance. AND the interest in the post war Lionel. Me? I love finding older Williams , Weaver , and MTH stuff to bring back to life. fits the budget and some are really nice running models as well. :) AND we have the Syracuse show this weekend and one in Binghamton the following weekend...

I would not say that the O gauge model train hobby is dying but positioning itself to cater exclusively to the deep pocket buyer. As such I would say that it is becoming more specialized. The York show will continue but I see it diminishing slowly. The demographics of those in this hobby are not favorable to it continuing as it has. When you add up all the costs for admission, travel, lodging, snacks and meals it can be $500-$600 before you even enter the gate. I'll stay more local go to the Allentown Meet and save a ton of money.

When you consider the time it takes to create the buildings, weather cars with the graffiti, etc... The prices are very good !

Wish I was young again and a millionaire. I would build and enormous layout. lol

Heard the comment about the TRUMP TRAIN as the "Fascist Train" ...not cool.

So technically the York and Timonium, MD shows are geared towards O scale?

Im a classic train collector (1) because i love the old locos. (2) I can't justify the price of new stuff. $2000.00 for a new loco and only five cars is just not happening for me. That's not meant to knock new stuff its great stuff! Its just outside what I'm willing to invest.

Thank you, I am looking forward, to my first York, train show, in 2025.

Yes it's dying. There is no entry level. Not everyone can afford these high prices. Can't afford used anymore

Most kids today don't even know what a train is. They live is big cities where trains don't exist and they don't travel, just sit on their cell phones all day, getting into trouble.

Hye i love your video and live watching it. My name is Putra from Malaysia and i love train and play a lot of game call LOCOMOTION and MASHINKY. My question is can i buy a train from America and ship to Malaysia? IS it expensive? The scale that i would love to buy is HO scale. Ps love the Diesel train.

I wish somebody would take me to york😢. Anyway you did a fine job,,, but you did not take me😢

i just went to the raleigh show yesterday and it was mobbed..10 dollar gate too!

I shop around and get bargains but to many pricey items out there hobby to me is not dieing its dealers having to take high end stuff that takes almost forever to sell and there is a dealer try to sell used items for more money than they went for brand new

It has become an adult hobby to a much greater extent, it also is more about buying thing rather than making them. First time I read Model Railroader it was strictly an adult magazine with complicated articles about building an O gauge steamer from scratch, I was only a kid myself then but I loved it. I attribute this to greatly improving my reading skills and my understanding of tools and technology well beyond the average teenage boy. That my father had been a draftsman for American Locomotive probably had nothing to do with it, haha! What really changed my thinking was a visit to PA's East Broad Top narrow gauge, small railroads that could be modeled realistically with small locomotives and shorter trains.

It may not be dying but is definitely on the endangered hobby list. Two of the many reasons for this are age of participants and cost of materials. Where are the young people and kids? Sadly, they’re not interested in this sort of thing. You’ll notice that the majority of people at the show are baby boomers. They are the ones who grew up with the hobby and love it. However, most of them are living a limited retirement income. The price of model railroading supplies has made it unaffordable for many of them. I agree that this is not a sustainable situation for manufacturers whose target market is aging and has limited money to spend on the hobby.

Is the Hobby dying ? - Well, at O scale prices, it's no wonder !!! It's like newbie Bikers whose first bike is a $16,000.00 Harley. Come on guys, less is more enjoyment in model railroading, even if you need better glasses.

I used to go to computer shows for years but I have been to one in over 20 years and the last one I went to was almost empty

We had two sets of American Flyer trains sets along with switched and plastic ville buildings back in the 1950 & 60's. Spent a whole weekend setting them up for my son. Had rubber roadbed and light inside every building. He might have spent 5 minutes running them and a minute next day then told me he rather play on his play station. My brother's did not want them so ended up selling them. Doubt if 2% of people younger then 40 are interested in trains. Was great learning experience in that I learned how to install wires and soldering ( soldered track together for smoother running ).

Only gauge O?

Been doing it for 30 years and work with people from all over country. I know one person that does it.

I'm 58. When I was 13 I had a paper route and could make $20 every two weeks. A new Athearn engine cost $19 and rolling stock cost $3.99 back then. So a kid could have Model Railroading as a hobby. Today, no 13 year old could earn enough in a year to buy an HO engine. Look at the crowd in there - all old adult men. Teens are not invited to the hobby anymore.