Albany Train Show

My kid lives a few blocks from there...maybe I'll go up and pay him a visit.  Is it still snowing in Albany in mid-March?

PD

The Albany Polish Club train show is extremely close to Crossgates Mall, and only a couple of miles from Colonie Center Mall.

Both malls have lots of shopping and lots of family entertainment.

I plan to attend.

Sounds like fun...I'll try to make it, presuming the weather holds up (I'm six hours south of Albany, in central Maryland).  Good excuse to hit Zombie Planet while I'm up there...a great game store.

PD

Don't forget,

This is a fun show and we will be Attending.

This Sat, and hope to buy more train goodies from the great vendors.

The show is a Great time.

The last Albany train show was great! I am looking forward to attending.

I'll wait for the film at 11..!!!

Great way to spend the day on Saturday. Over 100 vendor tables. Signs are all over. Rain outside, trains inside....

I went to their show in early December.  Good location, lots of great vendors, bought items I had been looking for a long time at reasonable prices.  If it's raining you might as well be there. 

I was at the Albany Train show yesterday. The show was well attended with lots of families and kids. There was face painting and a layout with multiple loops for the kids to operate. I think it was HO.  There were also at least five display layouts.
I'd guess there were around 90-100 tables.

Anybody else go?

What did you think?

Let's see some pictures.

Jack

quote:

Let's see some pictures.

While I don't take pictures at train shows or meets, I understand that the fellows who promoted the train show do have photographs. Hopefully they will post some.

Thanks to all who attended the show yesterday and all of the vendors who made the trip. Special thanks to those who took the time to bring their layouts for everyone to enjoy. We are striving to make this show the best that it can be, so all of your comments, good and bad, are appreciated. Regarding the number of vendors, we pretty much reach capacity at about 105 vendor tables, so our goal is to make the most of our vendor space by having vendors that will bring what novice train enthusiasts and seasoned collectors alike are looking for. We need to attract new, younger train fans to the hobby so having a variety of vendors is important. If anyone either knows a vendor who would be a good fit or would like a particular kind of vendor to participate, let us know.

To Bagelman: sorry that you couldn't make your purchase. If you'd like, you can email me directly, let me know approximately where the items were and I'll see if I can put you in contact with the vendor.  jstedge@nycap.rr.com

Again, thanks to all who attended, and feel free to add your comments to this forum!

Next show will be Saturday, November 21st, 9am - 3pm at the Polish Community Center. Will always be the third Saturday in November, so mark your calendars and  hope to see you there!!!

Will be posting pictures to our website. Once they are posted, we'll let you know. 

Website is a work in progress at present.

I was there with a friend; we shared a table with an eclectic array of stuff ranging from pre-war American Flyer O gauge, a Weaver Milwaukee Road passenger set, new KLine GG1's and so on. He sold a Max Gray loco and i a Lionel Wanamaker box car, but we both had a good time chatting with old friends and acquaintances. It's not about how much you sell, but how good a time you have.

jackson

I could not attend the Albany show, but, I will be at the Kingston show next Sunday.

Richie

Bagelman,

The Kingston show in most respects is very similar to the one last weekend in Albany. However, don't go expecting a large number of dealers at smaller shows like these. Aside: i already told you that before when you asked about the Albany show, if you remember.

The amount of work for a dealer to pack, travel, set up, display, hopefully sell, tear down, re-inventory, and return to the shelves back at the store is considerable; especially when you are already working a six day week. Also there is a considerable expense involved in the form of fuel, tolls,  meals, lodging, table fees, employee overtime, etc. That is why you will usually only find dealers at the major shows and meets like Springfield and York.

Finally, why not just go to enjoy yourself, maybe learn more about the hobby, and if, you find that item you've been looking for at the price you're willing to pay so much the better.

jackson

I prefer smaller, local shows, where the majority of the table holders are hobbyists, not dealers with stores.

Good calls on the smaller train shows! I agree with ALL of your comments. This show will never compete with shows like Springfield or York, but there is certainly a place for smaller, regional shows where hobbyists can get together, see friends, find a couple of bargains and learn from fellow enthusiasts. There is a different feel at the smaller shows and we hope to make this a GREAT smaller show. Thanks for all of the support.

quote:

CW. Did you pick anything up at this past show?   Is there a show in glens falls also a couple times a year?

No, I didn't buy anything.

There are shows in Glens Falls. I've attended a few times. I don't know their frequency or schedule. The times I've gone, friends have invited me to attend.