2021 Winter-Spring Train Show List

The American Legion on Robinson Street

Show report for Binghamton:

Normalcy. Crowd was about normal, dealers all made it in, sales were very good, not a record high for these shows but close to it.

Hopefully this bodes well for Fulton.

Don't forget the Fulton show this weekend, Volney VFD, Route 3 just east of Fulton. Your last shot for the season short a multiple hour drive to another state.


I checked on Greenberg and the pandemic basically killed them; the company has changed hands and retains some of the previous people. They have a summer schedule with dates in PA and NJ and a planned fall schedule. So far nothing local, but they didn't typically come into upstate NY until around first weekend in March so we'll see.

I went to the Fulton show on Saturday morning. Protocols include recording your name, phone number and number in your party for possible contact tracing which slowed down entry but is required. I would imagine there were instances of "Donald Duck" and "John Doe" recorded. (In a related story, when arrivals to Rochester Airport were required to turn in contact information, "Walt Disney" showed up lots of times from Florida, how about that. But I digress.)

Using my unscientific crowd estimate, when I left 90 minutes after the show officially started, the first door prize drawing ticket was almost 200 numbers past mine. The show occupied almost the entire building: a room for entry, a long narrow room in which Salt City N-Trak was set up, and a larger room with dealers along the perimeter and display layouts inside. Business looked like it was going pretty well. Prices ranged from good to (insert your choice of colorful expression of disbelief here).

Someone I know was able to get tables last minute and I'll probably have a sense of how the entire two day event went later.

This show went pretty well, the rain Sunday may have helped but Saturday was the busier day by far. My Sunday sales were about the same as November. But overall it was up and I'll plan to be back next spring. I would probably do the fall one too but it's opposite Binghamton and normally also Batavia.

At least one vendor found the show via this posting.


I didn't see too many overly high prices. What I did get was a number of people wanting to offer me less than cost on brand new items, I had to tell them no, you're already getting 20% off and the tax discounted. "well I didn't know" you walked past the same darn thing in the other room for 50 cents less but plus tax, come on.

On the other hand I've sold off now most of the cars the super cheap dude who comes to Binghamton wanted to give me like $3 a shot for, so I won't have to listen to him again. "your inventory doesn't turn over much" he says at the first show I've done since the last time he tried the same thing at the last show I did.

I also picked up a few good flip items for the internet which will keep me going a few more weeks. Which is good since who knows what car shows will actually happen this year.


In other updates, I did hear some indication there will be a small show in Avon but no details. I didn't bother to press when I overheard it saw 120 people as a display event over the winter and that they had room for like three dealers for their next one.

I also hear the Syracuse Model RR Club is essentially now defunct, but members have moved on to join the Skaneatles club in Hartlot and intend to look at reviving the Eastwood show in a fire hall in Elbridge or that area. Sounds like a good idea to me, the CNY NRHS does fairly well with their show in Camillus. I guess we'll see what happens.