2015-2016 NYS Train Show Schedule

Either way, not New York.

I need to remember to dig out, I picked up a flyer for another April event when I was in Hamburg and now I can't think what it is.

sd80mac wrote:

Otto Vondrak wrote:

Rockingham Racer wrote:There's a Florida Rail Fair--Model Train and Railroad Artifacts Show and Sale in Deland, FL on Saturday, April 9 from 7:00 - 9:00 AM. Seems kinda short, doesn't it? Sponsored by Golden Spike Enterprises.

You'll probably want to post this in the appropriate forum, this thread is discussing show dates in New York State.

-otto-

I think that he's referring to the hours...

We find that with "Hamfests" (amateur radio flea markets, plus). By 10 or 11AM pretty much anyone who's gonna show up has. I couldn't make Eastwood this year, but that pretty much describes that even, too.

As I said before, Eastwood set a record crowd and was busy just about all day. Although there was a lull or two I sold things right up into when I started packing up.

Okay, here's the new dates I came across. This was all on one flyer -

5/14 - Jamestown - Toy Train Show And Sale, part of National Train Day, Jamestown Gateway Erie Station
5/15 - Dunkirk - Toy Train Show And Sale, part of 165th anniversary of first train arrival, Chautauqua County Fairgrounds (gate 2)

Both events are said to have operating layouts, the Viscose #6 steam engine will be at both, plus various other displays and tours. It looks like they expect vendors to treat both as one day shows 30 miles apart, kind of an unusual way to do it.

Scranton was disappointing, down about 40% for me, more like the fall shows have gone. Kind of strange after two weeks way up. I didn't get attendance numbers but it seemed lighter than usual.

Binghamton Regional Show is this Saturday. I guess let's hope for less outdoor-event friendly weather and higher attendance.

Slight note on the 5/14 Jamestown show. Amtrak has announced that there
will be no national train day this year, as far as they are concerned, due to
financial issues with Amtrak's bottom line.

It appears to me that the National Train Day event will just be static displays with regard to real trains, at least from the way the website is written. No mention of Amtrak anywhere, but then they don't normally go to Jamestown anyways.


Tomorrow, March 12 is the Binghamton Regional Train Show. 10-3 at the American Legion, 177 Robinson St. Binghamton already had their St. Patricks Parade last week, so no conflicts there. Weather is supposed to be nice. $5 admission. If they get a big line at the door before 10 they've been known to open early.

The Legion is a just a few blocks from BD -

I did very well in Binghamton, sales what looks to be about average for the spring show.


The Albany Train Show will be Saturday from 9am-3pm in the Polish Community Center, on the Washington Ave. Extension near Crossgates Mall and the I87/I90 interchange. Drop the wife at the mall and come buy some trains.


Also, does anyone have any details for the Greene Model Railroad Club spring show? I'd forgotten about it until someone asked me about it at Binghamton, and can't find any information on it. Last year it was on the 18th of April which might make it the 16th this year. Anyone been to it? I'm guessing it's small. Apparently they also do a fall show, but I missed that entirely, they don't seem to have any internet presence and all I can find is listings for past shows.

Greene show is April 16th, confirmed. 9AM to 3PM in the Berean Bible Church’s gymnasium at 109 County Road 2, Greene NY.


Albany show today was fair, attendance was good, no one spending very much money that I could see. What used to be a good market seems to have reversed and become a poor one the last few years.

Don't forget, this weekend, April 2-3 in Rochester, the Greenberg's Train Show at Bill Gray's Iceplex. 10-4 both days.

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lvrr325 wrote:Albany show today was fair, attendance was good, no one spending very much money that I could see. What used to be a good market seems to have reversed and become a poor one the last few years.

I have been to the Polish C.C. a couple of times and always found it disappointing. Meeting up with friends/vendors there was nice, but the trains were almost always used trains. And, very often it was old Lionel or American Flyer trains. Sometimes there were used N scale trains and buildings, but not too much HO and not much new HO. Going to the P.C.C. show before Christmas was always good to stock up on some last-minute things needed for the under the Christmas tree layout, but for my more serious endeavors I have to look to the show in the Egg and Springfield in January.

And, the last time I went to the P.C.C. show last fall vendors were packing up very early. It turned me off from the show, as I usually cannot get there until later in the day. If the P.C.C. wants to increase their numbers they may want to get a better diversity of vendors. I feel like every time I go I see the same stuff, and very little is what I actually want.

I'm neutral with regard to how Greenberg went. I didn't hear an attendance report, but both days the crowd died off badly in the afternoon and the sales went with them. I suspect Tiger Tracks got more people overall. Interestingly though my sales total ended up being the same as the last show at the Dome in 2012.

It's possible some folks who may have come from the Buffalo area skipped this for the TTCS show there.

Venue is not that great, parts of it are pretty run down, food was good but service was weak. Loading in and out wasn't bad.

I'm just glad I'm not the vendor from Texas who had six tables and paid for an electric hookup - and had three nights in the motel there too. Or the big American Flyer vendor with 12 tables who couldn't possibly have sold enough to cover their costs.


A few other things:

- shows don't always have the same vendors each time.
- shows don't go out and "get" vendors, vendors go to them, the show has no real control over who comes or what they bring other than they can ask people not to return
- If a vendor has stuff you like, buy from him, even if it's a $5 package of signs or something, and thank him for coming.
- there were multiple vendors with new and used HO at the PCC show, including myself.
- there's much less profit in selling "new" items versus used, so that's why you see less of it.
- I know I've been through this before but 95% of shows you sell little to nothing in the late afternoon. By the last hour either you've done great and another $10 or $20 doesn't matter, or you've done terrible and it's time to cut your losses and move on. The Scranton show ends at 2:00 because of this. At Greenberg's show I sold nothing after 1:30 Saturday and after 2:00 on Sunday, even though it ran until 4:00. It's not fair to vendors to expect them to wait around for one more customer to come by.




This coming Sunday is the Batavia show, and also the Alco T&HS show in Amsterdam. I will be at Batavia. That's likely to be my last show of the year, unless I sell a ton of stuff there to where presuming Lockport still has room I can afford to risk the expenses on a spot there.

I thought the Greenberg show was pretty good from a shopper's standpoint. The venue was chilly (it's an ice arena), some parts were downright drafty. The single staircase in and out was a chokepoint, though I understand there was an elevator somewhere for those who needed it.

-otto-

The Batavia Show this Sunday is at its long time venue, the Batavia Clarion off the Thruway. Doors open at 9:30 AM and admission is still $5.00 for adults $3.00 for age 12-18 and under 12 free. No annoying stair cases and reasonably warm.

Greenberg is good for the buyer because they bring in a batch of dealers who tour with them and this is the only time you'll see them in this market. They fill it out with the local folks you see at the other shows.

I virtually always have something new at every show I go to, or I've rotated some things so I put out items at some shows and not others.