Train shows


B

BCK RR

Member
Anyone go to those crazy Train shows which usually advertised as -TOY and TRAIN SHOWS -

For me the last one I went to was with my Dad was November 2004 in rochester,NY we my father and I, lived in webster, ny at the time. The following year one was mentioned at my local hobby shop, I spoke up about car pooling with someone to SYRACUSE and to the one in amherst, Massachusetts .. I received silence and some snide comments after mentioning it with other fellow model railroaders. With that being said I now almost never think about going or at least I scoff at the idea of going when one comes up.


BCK RR
 
Train shows are usually pretty decent. You can get some real bargains, but like Epay, you have to be careful. Those shows also save you some $$ when it comes to shipping. While I strongly encourage everyone to visit their local hobby shop, you also can get a larger variety of items at these shows.
 
Check the number of tables that will be at the show plus the modular clubs that will be set up. Usually, more than 400 tables is a decent show. The shows they put on at Timonium in the Cow Palace are pretty good and well worth the travel of 100 or so miles. When the show is in the Exhibit Hall, its a smaller show like this past weekend.
 
BCK RR said:
Anyone go to those crazy Train shows which usually advertised as -TOY and TRAIN SHOWS -
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Well, there are toy shows with trains, TOY Train Shows, and there are The big model train shows. Here in Denver the GATS (Great American Train Show) used to be the big one that would come twice a year. Attendance began to drop and they sold out to the Great Train Expo. They recently sold out to some other outfit and we only have 1 show a year that can't be more than 1/4th the size that a GATS was. I think it is the internet and ebay that is killing those sorts of for-profit traveling shows. Anyway, now somehow our big show of the year is the Toy Train show, it is like all the HO modular clubs started signing up at the three rail event and it has worked. So it depends on the exact show, but not only do I go, I participate. I ether work with a modular club, help the Youth in Model Railroading Folks, or help at the museum's exhibit (booth) whatever they call it.

The Boulder Club's show is in Longmont next weekend. Even though I am a member I won't be participating because I've too much Christmas stuff to do.
 
You should not miss the Amherst show. Four buildings full of everything Model Railroading. If you go, get there as early in the day as possible and plan on spending all day. Two days is actually better as there is so much to see, and I know a number of people who make it a weekend. Silence and snide comments are too plentiful these days it seems, so I tend to ignore them. Some small division shows and small swap meet type events can be disappointing, but larger national shows like Amherst, the NMRA National, the Narrow Gauge convention, and the World's Greatest Hobby shows are generally worth going to.
 
I have been to one "show" and was very disappointed in it. These shows should be re named "Model Railway Yard Sales" as most of what you will see is second hand stuff with a spattering of new items and very little DCC stuff. The new stuff I saw was also outrageously priced and could be gotten from almost any hobby shop cheaper, so beware of that.

These "shows" are great if you are looking for out of production stuff or things to use for parts or to rebuild, at last that is what I saw at the show I went to, one that was supposedly one of the biggest in NY State.

In short, if you are looking for new items and DCC, don't waste your time. If your looking for spare parts, out of production stock or something to repair/rebuild then go for it.
 
wombat457 said:
I have been to one "show" and was very disappointed in it. These shows should be re named "Model Railway Yard Sales" as most of what you will see is second hand stuff with a spattering of new items and very little DCC stuff.

These "shows" are great if you are looking for out of production stuff or things to use for parts or to rebuild, at last that is what I saw at the show I went to, one that was supposedly one of the biggest in NY State.
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Yup that sounds like what we would call a "model railroad swap meet". We have one of those in Denver the 3rd Saturday of every odd numbered month.
 
Having been a former vendor at local train shows around NY I can offer my observation from this perspective.
Originally local small train shows were put on as a method for local MR clubs to raise some funds and to get rid of excess equipment that no longer worked with what they were modeling. This was also a good venue for the average "Joe" to unload his excess equipment. Table rates were only a couple of bucks and admission was usually only a few bucks. The show promoter usually was able to "borrow" a hall from the local fire hall or other organization for a modest donation. Insurance was never a consideration as the plethora of TV advertising lawyers did not exist. As time went on, shop owners figured out this would also be a good place to move out slow moving inventory. For the most part, people went to these flea markets to see what they might be able to find.

As the years went on, more and more dealers started showing up with larger and larger collections that they bought up from people getting out of the hobby for one reason or another. People started to figure out that if they sold the entire collection for one set price they could get out from under it for roughly what they would have made on it at a show without the hassle of schlepping it all down to a hall, setting it up and then hauling home what ever did not sell. Not a bad plan and for the most part works pretty well. When this was happening something else started to creep into the picture... Liability. Venues that hosted these events now wanted more money to cover the rental and a rather hefty insurance rider from the show promoter to cover anything that might happen. This caused another problem...Increased admission fees and vendor fees to cover all of this.

As a vendor, let me lay out what is involved for me to set up a table at the big train show in Syracuse.

First up, a sizable cash outlay for merchandise to sell there. I don't currently have any specifics on this, but it can be a lot.
For a two day show I need to take a Friday off of work to travel there. Now I do get paid vacation days but I still have to use at least one.
The show is a 200 mile drive (each way) for me to get there. At 20 MPG I need at least 20 gallons of gas to do this. For a while gas was almost $4.00/gal.
Table fee for the show was $50.00
Two nights at the motel was (show Rate) $65.00/night (x2)
Meals for 3 days $75.00
So, for a two day show there I had a cash outlay of around $325.00.

Now, I used to buy collections from estates and people who were just plain getting out of the hobby. Assuming that I purchased, for example, a lot of Athearn freight cars for , lets say, $3.00 each and selling them for $6.00, I would have to sell over 100 of them to break even.

I used to get a lot of people who wanted to deal with me at these shows. Sometimes I did offer a deal if someone was buying a large dollar value. Rarely if it was only a small dollar item.

All in all, over the years I did actually make a bit of money doing this. The time commitment was starting to get over whelming though. Not only did I have to do the show weekends but, I also had to do all of the bookwork now as this is viewed as a business venture and a tax ID number is now required. I have to collect state sales tax, account for which county I collected in so it can be properly paid out to the proper jurisdictions at the year end. I also had to report all earnings on my income taxes at year end as well.

I do still attend a couple of shows a year now as a customer only to keep in touch with some of the wonderful people I have met over the years. I even do find the occasional "deal" to buy.
 
I almost always enjoy going to train shows. I am less inclined to go to the "big" shows, as it seems that most dealers are selling for retail price, and I'm looking for bargains. The smaller shows seem to offer more chances to haggle for a better deal. Even if I come home empty-handed (rare), I still have fun poking around for deals or "diamonds in the rough", and I often run into folks I know but only seem to see at train shows.

Regards,
Tom Stockton
 
I live about an hour west of NYC. In years past, I've gone to local, regional(Allentown, PA, Greenberg, etc), and Timonium as well as Springfield in the last couple of years. I describe them as 'model railroad flea markets,' to my non-modeling friends. Everything said above I've found to be true in one sense or another.

With the exception of Springfield/Amhearst, most of the shows have become places to pick up old stock, such as from guys who resell estates, + a few manufacturers, every once in a while. Springfield/Amhearst has most manufacturers show up, at least the big ones. Sometimes there are also a vendor or two who has something different, such as selling finished buildings, or small scenes that have been detailed, but not always. If you want to speak to a manufacturer directly, I'd say Amhearst/Springfield is your chance. Based on my last trip to Timonium (10/25/14) and Springfield (1/2014), I'd say Springfield has more diverse and better layouts, if you want to 'look,' and not 'buy.'

Over time, the internet, and in the last couple of years, tight wallets on the part of modelers, have reduced the diversity of what you can find at the shows. Not as much new stuff is coming out, that hasn't all ready been done, and what is new, costs more than it used to. Of course, the level of detail is generally higher on new models today, but in the grand scheme of things, I still think 'good enough,' would be fine for many people, particularly teen agers, and newcomers to the hobby. Model trains started out as a play thing for the rich, and they are returning to that kind of status, compared to say in the 70's, when I was a teenager, who only had a modest allowance to spend.

My own advice is 'you won't know unless you go.'
 
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