2019 Fall Train Show Listing

Batavia was about it's usual crowd, busy early, quiet after about 12:30.

While not the disaster the spring show was, the sales still aren't what they should be, and I wasn't the only one who felt that way. It's almost like making it bigger watered it down, with more vendors fighting for the same money everyone gets less.

And the usual guys dumping things. I bought a piece that regularly brings $200-$300 online for $75. Toward the end of the day I bought another easy $200 of stuff for $40. There's a reason all the hobby shops in Buffalo are closing, you can't compete with people just dumping stuff left and right.


I also picked up a new flyer for a late addition to the listings -

12/21-12/22 - Niagara Falls (Sanborn) - Train Show, American Legion Hall, 6525 Ward Rd (rt 429).

Flyer is very plain and no indication of who's hosting it. While it shows Sanborn, the location is further to the south closer to St. Johnsbury, kind of in the middle of nowhere. So you now have two shows 16 miles apart the same weekend, with the Broadway Market's little show also those days. I wish them luck but you'd have to pay my costs up front to get me to set up, this market didn't need another show, especially a two day show.


I am however pleased to note that for the spring 2020 shows, I have a complete list and have verified all but four of the 17 shows. The ones not verified either haven't had their fall event yet or generally don't announce until late December or January. Two events have been entirely cancelled. I also have a flyer I need to find for one other event that I can't find anything online for, it would make an 18th event.

Interesting how things can change in a week. My sales at Binghamton were more than twice Batavia and more than at Syracuse by a few dollars.

I also now have their spring date confirmed, so that just leaves a couple of shows unconfirmed and I will probably make the thread after Hamburg. Being a Saturday show I don't think it conflicts with anything, at least not in NY, and actually moves it off a conflict with the Albany show at the Polish Center.

Do you know when NorthEast in PA will host the show?

Why isn't NE included in the list, few minutes South of NY-PA. But you do included Scranton, pa. Just wondering...

Thanks

I did a quick look and didn't see a show in North East. It looks like there was a show in Erie on November 3.

I've never heard of a show in North East. If they have one they don't put out flyers anywhere I go to, like this weekend at Hamburg.

Erie I didn't include because even from the Buffalo area it's 2 hours and the last I was aware the man who promoted those shows, had died, leaving them up in the air. I do know some Buffalo vendors do go there rather than come to Syracuse. It probably makes more sense for them, less commitment, cheaper tables, less competition.

Scranton on the other hand is just an hour for guys in the Binghamton and Tier area and I actually went to it myself for a couple years. If I really wanted to get into it there's a lot of shows in that market or close to it, but then you're listing all PA shows that mostly get their own group of vendors and their own crowd.

Somehow this post got duplicated.

As expected Hamburg was pretty bad, my slowest one ever dollar wise.

Saturday was very crowded through about 1:00, but they seemed to avoid my row, maybe because it only had vendors down one side, the other side was the back of a large vendor's booth. Sunday had a light crowd until about 12:30 and then it dried up and was pretty quiet. I presume in large part because of the Bills game. I packed up early and got out to make sure I avoided that traffic. Felt bad about it but I didn't want to be stuck somewhere in the middle of a jam either. And I was far from the first guy out the door.

The bigger vendors who can take cards were pretty happy.

A friend went to the Rochester TTCS show and he said they did have plenty of vendors, but the crowd was light, maybe 40 people when it opened and while he was there.

In fact I sold three times my Hamburg total at the GTE show today and that on a down crowd due to the weather. They lost a few vendors due to the weather and it only took me until 11 to get home, but I'm still happy with the day. Does make me wonder what I might have sold with normal attendance though.

The TTCS show in North Tonawanda went on as scheduled too despite some icy conditions early.

I'm glad I held off on the 2020 list, I picked up another show date to add to it. I'll probably post this week, about 90% of them are confirmed now.

My understanding is they (GTE) lost one dealer from Utica who had a heart attack while driving to it yesterday or Sat. I think I know who it was however I am hoping I am wrong.

A dealer who specialized in Lionel parts, yes.

But they certainly had room for more, the upper lobby had open tables and space in it. At least one dealer who does most of the same shows I do was absent, as well as a couple I only saw out here.

lvrr325 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 10:44 pm A dealer who specialized in Lionel parts, yes.

But they certainly had room for more, the upper lobby had open tables and space in it. At least one dealer who does most of the same shows I do was absent, as well as a couple I only saw out here.

I am glad to see I was wrong about the dealer I thought it was, however it a shame to lose any dealer from health related issues.

Apparently the remaining former owner of Hojack Hobbies is in bad shape as well. I hear he was selling at Fulton.

RIT Show is coming up in a week and I got the email with the preliminary floor plan and so forth.

I just wanted to share this, because this event is in a college facility and the times being what they are, the security is a little greater than we're used to. They did some of this last year so it shouldn't be a surprise.

Everyone entering the building is subject to a security search, and a courtesy screening, which
will include the use of metal detection devices. In addition, all bags will be searched. If possible,
please leave all bags in your vehicle.

Please note, the following items are prohibited from entering the building: Illegal Substances,
Alcohol, Knives (Hobby tools are permitted for vendors/exhibitors), Pepper Spray, Other Weapons
and items deemed to be a threat to the safety and security of the event.

If you carry a pocketknife may want to remember to leave it in the car. One of the few bad things with this facility is the parking is not ideal and it's a long walk back and forth particularly if you end up across the road. I've suggested before they come up with a shuttle of some sort, the college must have passenger vans or buses, to run one back and forth all day, but perhaps it costs too much. As it is the table cost seems to keep rising.

Taking another look at the RIT Tiger Tracks web page, they will have a shuttle running from 9:30 am to 4:15 PM on Saturday only, free.