Count down to East Coast large scale show

EMD trainman Jan 14, 2009

  1. EMD trainman

    EMD trainman TrainBoard Member

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    As you all may or may not know there is a large scale only train show coming up. It's called the East Coast Large Scale Train Show. It will be held on March 27 and 28 2009 at the York Fairgrounds in York Pennsylvania.

    This thread will basically be used for different things you will see, what to expect, what manufacturers will be there. If you have any questions for me, you can post them to this thread also. I will try to post something different every week or every other week as we count down the days to the big train show.

    This train show reminds me alot as a kid about how I went with my parents to see trains on dispay, but at that time it was all Lionel O scale stuff. There, you will see manufacturers as well as vendors, then you will see club members actually running the trains, more details on that later. It takes me about 2 1/2 hours to get to the train show, but it is well worth it, I look forward to it every year. I have been going to this show every since it was moved from New York to York Pennsylvannia.

    If you absolutely can't go, don't worry I have you covered as I will be taking many detailed photos and posting them right here exclusively on train board, you will not find them anywhere else so make sure you stay tuned. If you are counting on a magazine to do this for you, they may only publish about 6 pictures tops. I will post these photos into a photo album with a link to the album from this thread.

    Check back as I will post past events and what you will see here.
     
  2. EMD trainman

    EMD trainman TrainBoard Member

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    Gates of East Coast train show

    When you arrive at the main gate on Carlise Ave otherwise also know as Route 74 there is main gate into the York fairgrounds. There are usually many events going on at the same time and many buildingds also. There is usually a fair going on and a couple of other seminars. You will want to stay to your left once you enter the main gate area. then you will drive all the way to the back building which has a green roof on it. This is where the train show will be held.

    When you enter the building there is the ticket area, once you walk into another set of doors, this is the main lobby room. In the main lobby room is where there is a real nice club layout which the same club gets every year. There is also a couple of Aritocraft workers selling the special run show cars there and also the snack area which is kinda small. In this area is where the wings part off, the left wing takes you to the manufacturers area and the right wing takes you to the club running layout area. The display in the main lobby room is ground level, so the kids love to hand out there because they can sit there and see the trains run, so be careful. If you want to eat lunch either wait til 1pm or eat at 11:30, it gets real crowed real fast during peak lunch hour.

    Pictured below: Main Lobby Room display from 2006 show
     

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  3. EMD trainman

    EMD trainman TrainBoard Member

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    Club members area & model contest

    The club exhibitors are in the right wing, once you are in the main lobby area, just make a right around the display pictured in the last post. Accucraft is also usually in the club area for some reason also. The club exhibition area is huge and there is much to see. For the year of 2008, there was a live steamer club running live steam engines, that was neat. There was a couple of circus train layouts to watch. There were many table type G scale layouts there and they were huge, it looks like they but these huge layouts together in what they call modules. The modules can be anywhere from 2ft to 4 ft long. It looks like each club member participates in making modules for the layout because I noticed names of who they were made by. There was only 1 layout actually on the floor and it is kinda neat how they did it. They used brown and green burlap cloth for the scenery, the builings seem to be hand made from cardboard, then silos and tanks made from PVC plumbing pipe, I think that was a neat inexpensive way to make scenery. Plus they had a river made which there was a train barge being pulled in by a locomotive, that was neat also.

    Not all of these displays are roped off, so making sure the kids are well behaved and don't touch is important. My little one learned at a very young age not to touch what isn't yours. Of course the temptation for kids to touch is always there, so I still keep an eagle eye on my little one, but so far all of the shows we went to, never had any incidents of touching. The displays not being roped off allows kids to get up close and personal with the trains that are runing.

    There is also a model contest in this wing, most work on a model all year just for this event and let me tell you there is some talent there.

    I will leave you with a couple of pictures from this wing fromm the 2006 show.
     

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  4. EMD trainman

    EMD trainman TrainBoard Member

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    Manufacturers and vendors

    Once you walk into the lobby room the manufacturers and vendors are in the left wing. There is no vendor list available yet for this years show, but I can tell you who was there last year for 2008. Hartland Locomotive works, Bachman Trains, MTH trains, Accucraft Trains, I got to meet Charles Ro from USA trains, I also met Dave Sauders from Bridegwerks Transformers and let me tell you he will help you in any way possible, real nice guy. Another favorite spot of mine to stop in at is Phoenix Sound dsiplay area. Of course we can forget our main sponsor of the show Mr. Polk and the Aristocraft staff was there in full force. Other manufacturers included Dalle Products and LGB trains, but who knows what will happen with that after the Marklin buyout, will they still be there? We will soon find out when the list gets released in early March. As per new train board rules I can't list the vendors who sells these trains but there are a few big ones who show up and there is plenty to be had. On another note, G scale customizer Shawmut Car shops was also there.
     
  5. DragonFyreGT

    DragonFyreGT TrainBoard Member

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    I was looking around the East Coast site hoping to see if they had a production sample of the Frisco boxcar and not just artwork and discovered something. A Second show in fall. Here are the dates that are announced:
    FALL ECLSTS
    Sept 25-26, 2009

    That's all that they have for the Fall show. Just a heads up incase anyone missed that.
     
  6. EMD trainman

    EMD trainman TrainBoard Member

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    Start Planning, it's February

    Now is the time to start making your plans for the East Coast Train Show. This show only happens on Friday or Saturday, so for those who would like to plan for a Sunday trip, it's out of the question. If you are going on a Saturday like me, you have to get there early, like right at opening because vendors like to pack up early, usually right around 2pm to 3pm. Plan and know your routes to the show, for those who wish to travel Route 30 thruough Lancaster Pennsylvania beware, right near Dutch Wonderland there is a quilt show that happens on Saturday also. This route is really congested through there due to they stop traffic for pedestrians because there isn't enough on site parking, so they park across the street. Plus the amount of cars entering and leaving also clog up traffic, find an alternate route, trust me, I went thru this twice and never again. Also if you plan on two shows, now is the time to reserve a hotel room for that time. Plan your breakfast stops also, because there isn't any served at the train show. The safest way to bring money is to bring a credit card, only bring enough cash to eat and get gas with. Don't bother bringing your debit card, the transactions fees are outragous for the ATM at the show. Most of the larger vendors have sattelite linked machines set up for Visa or Mastercard, I have used them in the past and never had a problem, plus there is no additional charge.
     
  7. EMD trainman

    EMD trainman TrainBoard Member

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  8. FriscoCharlie

    FriscoCharlie Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Frisco boxcar?

    Charlie
     
  9. EMD trainman

    EMD trainman TrainBoard Member

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    Here is the pictures of the official box cars fo ECLS

    I have the official pictures of the East Coast Large Scale Train show cars right here. They are Frisco and Nickel Plate Road. The pictures are credited to Aristocrafts Forum and Harry Hartman for posting them. These cars come in 4 different road numbers and metal wheels will be standard this time around.
     

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  10. DragonFyreGT

    DragonFyreGT TrainBoard Member

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    Is there a possibility that these cars will be the show cars for fall too or do you think they might do something diffrent for Fall?
     
  11. EMD trainman

    EMD trainman TrainBoard Member

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    DragonFyreGT


    DragonFyreGT, that would depend on how well these items sell at the show I would guess. Aristocraft has made it past practice to come up with new trains for each show. They have cut way back this year, there is no special run show locomotives or cabooses this year of 2009, plus the announcement of 2 cancelled Large Scale Train shows. There is absolutley no information on the new Fall version of the East Coast Large Scale show other than dates. So much has changed, it will be hard to tell what Aristocraft will do this year. I did read the ECLS Train Show site again and it said Aristocraft will only be making 2 show cars for the year 2009.
     
  12. EMD trainman

    EMD trainman TrainBoard Member

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    Fall version of ECLS Train show moves foward

    There was a new fall version of the East Coast Large Scale train show which DragonFyreGT has brought to our attention. Aristocraft has announced that the same vendors who signed up for the spring version has already signed up for the fall version. This is great, now we know the fall version will be just as big if not bigger as the spring version. Stay tuned to this thread as more develops on the fall East Coast show in September. For those who were looking forward to the Mid West and South East large scale train shows will be disappointed, both are cancelled for 2009.
     
  13. DragonFyreGT

    DragonFyreGT TrainBoard Member

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    Ya probobly due to production costs. I was lurking around the ECLSTS forums at Aristo's website and the reason there is no show engines is because in the past they don't sell very well. They said their going to take a break from locomotives and do show cars. And seeing as how messed up the economy is and their decision to back a show that generates a higher crowd (although with the springfield impeachment, and it's crowd attraction heh), It only makes sense that both shows would use the same cars. But it seems the problem is finding roadnames people _want_ to buy.

    I asked some G-Scaler's at last month's Great Midwest Train Show what roadnames they wanted to see for the show cars and the one answer I always got was Spokane, Portland, and Seattle. But it is Aristocraft's decision, not ours. I'm hoping this fall I'll be able to get out there.
     
  14. EMD trainman

    EMD trainman TrainBoard Member

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    DragonFyreGT


    If not I got you covered, I'm planning to go out there again for the fall version and do some picture coverage for Train Board. I'm sure it is alot harder for them to pick a road name out than we think. They should give out questionaire forms for next years show of what people want to see, let them fill it out and put it in a box at this years show.
     
  15. EMD trainman

    EMD trainman TrainBoard Member

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    The East Coast Large Scale train show is only 3 more weeks away. I will be buying a pack of AA batteries just for my camera and have already bought a huge 2MG SD card for the pictures I will be taking. I can't wait to see what the manufacturers have in store for everyone there.
     
  16. TroyNJ

    TroyNJ TrainBoard Member

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    I'll be heading up on Saturday, I'm looking forward to it. I have friends in York so I'll kill two birds with one stone.
     
  17. DragonFyreGT

    DragonFyreGT TrainBoard Member

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    I'm actually making plans for the Fall ECLSTS. Can't make it this month due to Negative balance in the bank account. If possible, EMDTrainman if you can can photographs of the new Aristo PCC Trolley's at their booth, I would be very grateful.
     
  18. EMD trainman

    EMD trainman TrainBoard Member

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    DragonFyreGT, That is no problem I would be more than happy to take a picture of the PCC trolley. Sorry, to hear about financial hardship. So far I have been one of the lucky ones to have a job due to I'm a blue collar worker in the trade of repairing diesel trucks. Although stores may have slowed down on getting inventory, people still have to eat, garbage still has to find it's way to the dump, the roads have to be plowed and taken care of, so trucks really can't stop rolling and someone has to fix them when they break.

    If anyone else has a request of pictures they want to see on train board from the East Coast Spring Train show who can't make the show, please list your request in this post.
     
  19. DragonFyreGT

    DragonFyreGT TrainBoard Member

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    I still have a job, but my boss told us either we took a pay cut or lose the blue cross health insurance. Unanimously voted to keep the health insurance. He takes good care of us. Just have to learn to not spend so much money for a while. I figure by june I should be back on my feet.

    And ya I appreciate you photographing the PCC's for me. I plan on at some point getting the Custom Run CTA units St Aubin is doing and I just want to see aristo's pre-production models before I make a final decision.
     
  20. EMD trainman

    EMD trainman TrainBoard Member

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    DragonFyreGT, no problem, I'm the same way and want to see pre-production models. I was however very disappointed with the long term running peformance of the Aristocraft Mallet, it looked and ran great at the East Coast Large Scale Train show in the exhibit, but really didn't see any running in the club diplays. After having a ton of problems with my Mikado and the Mallet just uses 2 mikado motor blocks I decided to research that before buying one and glad I did.
     

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