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Post by trainman9 on Jan 24, 2024 16:01:37 GMT
Has the venue for the show been sold and thus there will no longer be a train show there.
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Post by dlagrua on Jan 24, 2024 19:12:29 GMT
Its just a sign of the times. The smaller train shows are no more. Here in NJ back in the day we had over a dozen train shows. Some of the larger ones were at Wayne and Dover and a bunch held at meeting halls, Ymca's and the like. Today we just have Greenbergs in Edison and that show is not as it used to be. This may be due to the increased popularity of online buying and the changing demographics of those that buy the trains.
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Post by david1 on Jan 24, 2024 21:07:14 GMT
Went to the Hamburg and dover show many times. Sorry to see them disappear.
Dave
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Post by gpritch on Jan 24, 2024 21:14:22 GMT
Has the venue for the show been sold and thus there will no longer be a train show there. If true, I mourn the loss of any train show. HOWEVER, after a particularly BAD experience with a seller at that particular show I absolutely swore off returning. Good riddenence.
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Post by dlagrua on Jan 26, 2024 22:49:41 GMT
Has the venue for the show been sold and thus there will no longer be a train show there. If true, I mourn the loss of any train show. HOWEVER, after a particularly BAD experience with a seller at that particular show I absolutely swore off returning. Good riddance. Its funny I had a bad experience there too. Was the individuals name Fred?
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Post by ron045 on Jan 27, 2024 15:52:08 GMT
When you think of the labor and cost involved. Pack half your store into a truck, transportation costs, labor costs, booth costs. How many trains does the vendor have to sell just to break even?
Small train shows with limited customers it makes it very difficult if not impossible. Even many of the "big" vendors have left big shoes like Allentown and York.
For those of you that go to York regularly... Did you ever think you would see empty booths in the Orange Hall? That place used to be so packed they had to put direction arrows on the floor to control the flow of traffic.
It is sad indeed.
Ron
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Post by atsda on Jan 29, 2024 20:53:06 GMT
Don't condemn a whole show for one bad player. None the less, Dennis is correct regards costs and buying habits. Alfred
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Post by rockymountaineer on Jan 29, 2024 23:33:13 GMT
... Even many of the "big" vendors have left big shoes like Allentown and York. ... I'm not so sure I would characterize "many big vendors" as no longer attending Allentown. That's painting with a pretty broad brush.
Off the top of my head, I only recall three of the well-known dealers exiting Allentown. Charlie Ro stopped attending quite some time ago, because he was getting older at the time... and he simply preferred minding the store around the Christmas Season vs. traveling. Of course, I'm sure expenses played a big role in that decision as well, because they always brought a TON of product and needed a number of folks to man the booth. And after Charles Sr. passed away a couple of years ago, I don't think Charles Jr even attends Amherst anymore.
When Charlie stopped attending Allentown, Nicholas Smith Trains stepped in and took over Charlie's tables for a few years. But now even they prefer to just hold down the fort in their Broomall PA store rather than haul trains to Allentown.
The last of the well-known dealers who no longer attend Allentown is The Public Delivery Track, when they consolidated their operations to the West Coast. That pretty much sounded the death knell of their attendance at both Allentown AND York. And that's understandable.
Aside from those three vendors (each exiting for their own reasons), Allentown ATMA still draws quite a number of well-known vendors, including Grzyboski's, JusTrains of Delaware, Pete Costa (Norristown PA), Trains & Things (Ewing NJ), along with TCA and METCA. Heck... even I've developed quite a following of enthusiasts who've been stopping by my tables since a couple of years before COVID. Most folks don't realize I'm just thinning out my own private collection. The selection of goodies I typically bring gives them quite a different impression. There's always a handful of guys who contact me before the ATMA shows to see what I'm planning to bring! Pretty cool. 
Bottom line... the toy train landscape is forever changing. But you'd be hard-pressed to find an empty table at Allentown in either the November or February shows. And Saturday mornings are typically PACKED with attendees... shoulder to shoulder at times. So that's saying something in this economy.
As far as the Hamburg show is concerned... I can't comment, because I never attended -- either as a vendor or an enthusiast.
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Post by ron045 on Jan 30, 2024 1:20:44 GMT
Point taken... Let me put my broad brush away. Some big vendors.
I'm very familiar with those three and am not going to take the time to research and list the other vendors large, medium or small that no longer attend. In some cases because they have been replaced and the show might appear similar in size as there are not too many empty tables.
But if you've gone to Allentown for any number of years, you would have to agree that Allentown shows of today pale in comparison to what that show was 10 or more years ago. Case in point. Trains 'n Things. Their booth used to be the showcase of the large room. You would walk into that room and there would be 10's of thousands of dollars' worth of the most beautiful engines one could find. They wrapped around an aisle end cap. We would spend so much time there looking at all of the beautiful stuff, wishing we had $1,500 to buy something. Did you see them this Fall? Their booth looked like a fire sale. Just a smattering of stuff and a lot of it used. I have to imagine that is an economic decision not to pack up all that expensive stuff, just to haul it back to the store on Sunday.
There was a time when you could swing a cat by the tail and hit a brand new Orange, Purple or Blue box. Now it's more like... What aisle had all the new Lionel and MTH stuff? Although I will concede, I saw more Blue Atlas boxes at First Frost 2023 than I have seen in a long time.
It's simply economics. If it were profitable, those Big three and others mentioned would still be there. But it's simply just not worth their time.
Ron
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Post by david1 on Jan 30, 2024 1:53:03 GMT
I have gone to the Allentown show for many years and yes vendors come and go but it has kept the interest for me. The show is still busy and actually it is so crowded most of the time it is hard for me to get around. I can't walk like I used to but it still does not deter Me from going.
Hey guys its 2024 and its not 1980 anymore. When I first went to York in 1984 it was so crowded I would arrive later then opening just to avoid some of the crowd.
Its not quite as crowded now but things change. We all buy trains now a days in numerous ways now, shows, online, forums, etc.
One thing that will not change is me going to York and going to Allentown, I like seeing old friends, trains and every now and then buying something I Dont need.
Especially as you age you must keep your mind active and do something else besides watching tv. If your alone it is even more important. You have to be involved.
See ya at Allentown!!!
Dave
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Post by rockymountaineer on Jan 30, 2024 4:25:10 GMT
... I have to imagine that is an economic decision not to pack up all that expensive stuff, just to haul it back to the store on Sunday. ... I think the seasoned dealers know what to bring to a show like Allentown ATMA to make it a win-win scenario. I've talked to Grzyboski Trains about this, because they clearly bring a much larger inventory to York (and I presume Amherst this past weekend) than they do to Allentown. And it's largely because the crowd who's buying at Allentown is largely different than the crowd attending York. Yes... there's admittedly some overlap. But Allentown captures a set of enthusiasts who don't necessarily attend York. And the Allentown attendees aren't GENERALLY looking to buy Vision Line products. But occasionally it happens... especially when the price is right... and almost always on Saturday. Sunday is super-slow (generally speaking) in comparison.
BTW, speaking of Grzyboski Trains... these guys are AMAZING. Their Dad showed them the ropes VERY well. Because on Sunday, the Allentown show wraps up at 3PM. And I swear by 3:15PM their truck is COMPLETELY packed up... their tables in the hall are BARE... and they're already on the turnpike heading back to Scranton. I honestly don't know how they do it so efficiently. Most table-holders are there for another hour or two.
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Post by Traindiesel! on Jan 30, 2024 4:37:42 GMT
I don’t know. If train shows are getting smaller how come the money I spend isn’t getting smaller?!
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Post by david1 on Jan 30, 2024 5:21:13 GMT
I don’t know. If train shows are getting smaller how come the money I spend isn’t getting smaller?! Only you can answer that question my friend!! Dave
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Post by Traindiesel! on Jan 30, 2024 5:24:57 GMT
I don’t know. If train shows are getting smaller how come the money I spend isn’t getting smaller?! Only you can answer that question my friend!! Dave
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