Fall 2022 Train Show Calendar for Upstate NY

Shows in italic are not confirmed yet. Explanations below

September -

Weekend 9/10-9/11 - Clayton NY - 1000 Islands Model Train Fair, Cerow Rec Park Arena

Weekend 9/24-9/25 - Hemlock NY - 2nd annual Hemlock Train Show, fairgrounds

Weekend 9/24-9/25 - Massena NY - Train, Toy and Collectible Expo, Massena Arena (confirmed per Railfan & Railroad magazine calendar listing)

No sign of a Buffalo Central Terminal show, I would think a month out they'd have it on their webpage so I'd presume no show like was reported last year. Some of these guys make it really hard to confirm their events, Massena it took about four different search combinations to find that single listing.


October -

Sunday 10/9 - Buffalo (Depew) - TTCS Buffalo Falling Leaves show, Polish Falcons

Sunday 10/16 - Batavia - GSME Great Batavia Train Show, GCC Call Arena (confirmed via website)

Sunday 10/23 - Kingston - Kingston NY Model RR & Hobby Show, Midtown Neighborhood Center. (back from the dead)

Sunday 10/30 - Poughkeepsie - Hyde Park Station Annual Train & Hobby Show, Mid Hudson Civic Center (ONE WEEK EARLIER)

No word yet on a Lancaster Trainorama show, typically last weekend of October.

I also checked the Upstate Model Railroaders page for a South Glens Falls show and it says one planned for 10/16 was cancelled due to lack of vendor response.

November -

Weekend 11/5-11/6 - Syracuse, Great New York State Model Train Fair, NYS Fairgrounds (note same new Expo Center building as last year, apparently my info last year on going to the cow barn again was incorrect)

Weekend 11/12-11/13 - Fulton - Oswego Valley Model RR Club fall show, Volney Fire Department

Saturday 11/12 - Binghamton - Binghamton Regional Train Show, Legion Post 1645

Saturday 11/19 - Albany - Albany Train Show, Polish Community Center Washington Ave. Ext. (per center webpage)

Weekend 11/19-11/20 - Buffalo - WNYRHS Train & Toy show, Erie County Fairgrounds (per mailing)

Sunday 11/27 - Rochester - TTCS Rochester Thanksgiving Show. (source on this incorrectly shows 28th as date - that's a Monday)

Fairly certain on the Binghamton date, Jeff Olin (promoter) said he'd locked in the show for 5 years with the Legion

TTCS page is not fully updated for the fall yet.

December -

Sunday 12/4 - Buffalo (N. Tonawanda) - TTCS Trains in the Tonawandas show, Knights Of Columbus Erie Ave

Sunday 12/4 - Albany - Great Train Extravaganza, Empire Convention Center

Weekend 12/10-12/11 - Rochester - RIT Tiger Tracks, RIT Gordon Field House

Typically Broadway Market in Buffalo has a small show the next weekend but likely won't have it announced until November.

RIT website page has updated dates but still has the ominous warning from last year. Probably will know more in early September after classes start again and they get a chance to update and send out applications.

Expect an addition or two down the road as well as confirmation of those I guessed at.

I presume based on last year's thread that the Ominous Warning was about COVID.

RIT's main website has this:

Masking is optional in all locations except public transportation (RIT shuttles, buses, and vans) and some health care facilities (including the Student Health Center, Rochester Regional Health Family Clinic, and the NTID Audiology Center). Individuals are encouraged to assess their own personal risk when deciding how and when to mask in optional locations. Masking is encouraged during the move-in process within Residence Halls due to high-density.

The Tiger Tracks page has not yet been updated for 2022 as noted in the above post.

I received the flier for the Alco "Rails along the Mohawk" show on 10/16/2022 in Amsterdam, NY. I can't easily post it here online, but it is shown on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ALCO-Historica ... 880365740/

I looked for a fall show for them and could not find anything when I made up the post. In fact there's still nothing on their website whatsoever. Too bad they picked the same date as Batavia, frankly I'd rather go to Amsterdam, but I'm already paid for Batavia. And the Batavia date was known at the spring show, their website was updated ages ago.

On a note in a similar vein, for the 2023 season -

I did get an email from Train Show Inc. and they are doing a Rochester Greenberg show in 2023 but the date is February 18-19, which is usually the weekend when the WNYRHS has their winter show. Same location as in the past, the Dome Arena. Now this year (22) the WNYRHS was a week later, so maybe it won't conflict. I tried to email Art Toale but as yet no answer.

A little late with this report: the Hemlock Show had considerably more vendors than last year. I was there on Sunday (before the Bills/Dolphins fiasco) and attendance looked brisk. I was told that Saturday went well.

Also, RIT Tiger Tracks website is updated to officially note "As of 8/23/2022 this means that vendors and guests are not required to wear a mask or be vaccinated though it is recommended but also stated "The RIT Tiger Tracks Train Show and Sale must follow RIT's latest safety plan, found on RIT's website here: https://www.rit.edu/ready/rit-safety-plan ."

Hemlock last year was something like 250 people. Be interesting to hear what this year was or how people did. I did three swap meets in the three weeks prior and of the three, one was okay, the other two were terrible sales-wise, despite about average crowds.

RIT never sent out a dealer packet like they normally do. I didn't get one, and another regular vendor I ran into didn't get one. Usually they send a big envelope with the dealer reg form, a letter, and a couple dozen flyers. This year, so far, not even a reg form.

I really expect by that weekend things will change in a way that makes it so the show doesn't do well, particularly if they've chosen to cut back the advertising and marketing.

I've also never seen anything to indicate an Amsterdam show on the 16th, nothing in the mail, no web page update for the Alco group.

The 101st Great Batavia Train Show will be Sunday Oct. 16, 2022 at the Robert Call Event Center located in the Northwest corner of the Genesee Community College parking lot. Every dealer table in this large facility has been sold for the show. Hours are 9:30AM to 3:30PM. Admission is $6.00 for adults, under age18 $3.00 and 12 and under free. See WWW.GSME.com for details and directions to GCC.

According to their show flyer, the Bullthistle Model Railroad Society will hold its annual Train-Toy Show at the Broad Street United Methodist Church located at 74 North Broad Street, Norwich, NY 13815 on Saturday, November 26, 2022 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Admission is $3.00 for adults, $2.00 for children ages 6-12, Under 5: free

Seems like I always forget to check for that Norwich show, but when I first posted this they probably didn't have an update either.

I did finally hear from RIT today via e-mail. The table price went up about 50% - heard that last year, last minute, the folks they rent from raised the price. This puts the price of a table higher than any other show I cover except when Greenberg has their shows - but they put a ton of money into advertising and I pretty consistently sell more at their show. RIT reached it's saturation point right away and has never really grown since. The sales have been all over the map but only a couple times out of the 14 times I've done it were they really good. (I missed one because of a conflict). Just to give an idea, I often sold more at Eastwood with 400 people through the door than RIT with 4000.

I said this before but given the college charges them to use the building and to use the tables it's probably time to look at holding this somewhere else. The parking is terrible particularly for older people to have to walk an extra 100 yards to get in, the metal detector stuff is downright silly, all that stuff turns people off from attending. And now the table prices are jacked up. I think I'd rather go do that little Norwich show.

I didn't catch the attendance but Batavia seemed to be about normal. So busy early it was hard to get down the aisles, but once the Bills game was on pretty quiet. I took the time to update my current log book and the sales for me, though lower than fall '21, were about average. As usual a lot of things being dumped cheap. I bought a brass HO steam engine for $50.

I never saw anything personally to indicate if there was an Alco H&TS show in Amsterdam.

I did however see there will be a Trainorama in Lancaster, on October 30th at the Variety Clubhouse, 6114 Broadway. Oddly, the flyer is posted on the Kingston Train Show website. Not thinking many people are going to be at both given they're 320 miles apart.

I also picked up flyers for a batch of shows going into next year, the spring Batavia show will be March 26th, hopefully the Alco folks choose either April 2nd or April 16th for their spring show. (Easter is the 9th).

Literally covered that in the previous post.

Sorry about the double post.

Syracuse show was pretty good, a little better than average, but there were tons and tons of things being dumped in some instances for silly prices - I dropped a lot of money on things being sold for 10 cents on the dollar, if even that.

Sunday was actually busier as the weather was very nice Saturday.

This coming weekend is Binghamton and Fulton, the latter both days.

I forgot to mention that somehow, inexplicably it appears that in February the Greenberg show in Rochester is going to be directly opposite the WNYRHS Winter Train & Toy show in Hamburg. Greenberg is set for the 18th and 19th.

Normally Greenberg would do this show the first weekend in March, but having not done it in several years for various reasons I presume this was the only date they could get. Meanwhile the WNYRHS folks don't typically announce the winter date until the fall show, so while you could look and see that maybe there's a conflict, there was no way to know. Apparently they can't move it a week either way as the room is booked. I don't know if they've tried contacting any of the other events to see if they can trade weekends.

So the situation creates a choose for a lot of vendors and will hurt both shows. For instance, for me and other small vendors it's a toss-up - WNYRHS tables are cheaper, but it will cost as much in fuel to go the additional 70 miles. Somebody like a Kim's Trains, who has done both of these shows in the past, may go to Hamburg because with a booth the equivalent of over a dozen tables it will be much cheaper there. Very few vendors have the staff and product to split and do both shows.

Attendance wise my guess is both will do about their usual, depending on how bad the economy is by then, the die hard guys will find a way to hit both shows and maybe some people halfway between will flip a coin on it.