I just got the email for Allentown First Frost. November 13-14, 2021.
HooRay!!!!!
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Love this show
I find better deals there than at York
I'll certainly be there, I've missed this show. It's one of my "can't miss" shows, but I've missed it because it wasn't there! 
That's more like it!
HamFam, here we come!
Peter
I've only been once. Thing is you just got to get into a groove. I'll see about getting out there again, maybe this year if I'm lucky.
Can't wait!!
this is great news
C'mon Chuck! Start the darn breakfast attendance list already!!
-Greg
@Greg Houser posted:C'mon Chuck! Start the darn breakfast attendance list already!!
-Greg
Could be a touch early for that. 
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Could be a touch early for that.
Yeah - probably could've used a better emoji to indicate sarcasm.
-Greg
Yes, I just received their message sometime over the last couple of days. Welcome news, indeed! I've really missed it along with our breakfasts. I always come home in a good mood and with something completely unexpected. Fun times, even when the parking lot is either a muddy swamp or ice-covered tundra!
Going on Saturday gets you a double whammy with the farmers market being open.
I see from the website they advertise 650 tables. That’s a far cry from the 250 that the Monroeville Greenberg show advertises. Since Allentown is only a half hour longer drive than York is from Northwestern Pennsylvania, it would seem worth my while to make the trip someday. As the old college essay question states, please compare and contrast the two meets, York and Allentown. Thank you.
@Mark Boyce posted:I see from the website they advertise 650 tables. That’s a far cry from the 250 that the Monroeville Greenberg show advertises. Since Allentown is only a half hour longer drive than York is from Northwestern Pennsylvania, it would seem worth my while to make the trip someday. As the old college essay question states, please compare and contrast the two meets, York and Allentown. Thank you.
Let me start by stating that I feel this show is excellent and ranks above all the Greenburg shows I've ever attended with the possible exception of the Edison show. Add in the breakfast at the Ham Fam and it's a solid #2 behind York (though to some, the Amherst show in Springfield, Ma would be #2). But face it, the show doesn't hold a candle to York with respect to size and what you can find. I would not drive 5 hours one way to attend the show but I would drive 5 hours to York without thinking twice. That being said, if you have the time to take an extended trip you could see other things in the area which may make it worthwhile to you.
-Greg
Greg, thank you for the answer. I am not surprised at your answer that it would be worth it if only combined with other points of interest for a several day trip. Over here, the best I have found are the Greenberg shows. I’m not complaining. Many folks live too far from any shows, even other TCA division meets.
I missed breakfast the one time I went. That is partially because I wasn't sure when I'd get up, hit the road, and arrive. That would be something I would have to calculate down to the second. That means going to bed early to make sure I rise like Frankenstein from the table.
Mark, I've been to Greenberg, Amherst, Allentown and York each a number of times. Greg's advice is solid. Greenberg, at least in the Northeast, can't hold a candle to any of the other shows. Although Allentown is a nice show, I agree it's not worth a 5 hour trip one way for a show you can cover in less than a half day. Amherst is a longer trip for you but I would recommend it, at least once. It's four fair ground size buildings with a lot of operating layouts. It's a mixed gauge show. It worth the trip just to see the layouts but don't expect huge and expansive product selection from major retailors like you have in York. You're close to Boston, so there is lots of other stuff to see. If you plan it right, you can visit Trainland and Charles Ro on the way.
Thank you very much, Steve!!!
@Mark Boyce posted:Greg, thank you for the answer. I am not surprised at your answer that it would be worth it if only combined with other points of interest for a several day trip. Over here, the best I have found are the Greenberg shows. I’m not complaining. Many folks live too far from any shows, even other TCA division meets.
Several of us Pgh. Hi-Railers have done the trip to Allentown Spring Thaw shows as a day trip on several occasions. We would probably go to a First Frost show, but Greenberg usually schedules their November Monroeville show for the same weekend. 
We found it worthwhile, although we wouldn't do it every show. We also do day trips to Timonium at least once a year (under normal conditions) , and many of us have done York as a day trip, so we are no strangers to long distance day trips. Traveling with others really helps on those long trips. And coffee, and energy drinks...
Andy
@shorling posted:Mark, I've been to Greenberg, Amherst, Allentown and York each a number of times. Greg's advice is solid. Greenberg, at least in the Northeast, can't hold a candle to any of the other shows. Although Allentown is a nice show, I agree it's not worth a 5 hour trip one way for a show you can cover in less than a half day. Amherst is a longer trip for you but I would recommend it, at least once. It's four fair ground size buildings with a lot of operating layouts. It's a mixed gauge show. It worth the trip just to see the layouts but don't expect huge and expansive product selection from major retailors like you have in York. You're close to Boston, so there is lots of other stuff to see. If you plan it right, you can visit Trainland and Charles Ro on the way.
Greenberg shows are okay, Edison anyway, but it is not like Allentown at all. Edison doesn't have the variety of things that Allentown does. You will see more at Allentown in my opinion, and I've only been there once. I have nearly 10 or more Edison Greenberg shows, and when I went to Allentown I knew it was better. Granted I didn't really find what I was looking for(didn't really have a list either though), I did walk away with some things.
@Andy Hummell posted:Several of us Pgh. Hi-Railers have done the trip to Allentown Spring Thaw shows as a day trip on several occasions. We would probably go to a First Frost show, but Greenberg usually schedules their November Monroeville show for the same weekend.
Andy
Andy, I know you fellows have done a variety of trips, but didn't know you had gone that far. You are right a trip with others is always better. It's good to know you think Allentown was worth the trip once in a while. On trips to the east you would have an hour head start on me, and say Scott would have an hour and a half head start. Of course trips to Ohio, I would have the head start.
Yes, I have noticed that. Why would Greenberg schedule the same time as Allentown? Vendors from the East would want to set up at Allentown insted of Monroeville. is right
I used to go to Timonium back when we lived in Virginia in the late '80s. It was almost 3 hours up there, but I was in my 30s and could drive forever it seemed.
@Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:Greenberg shows are okay, Edison anyway, but it is not like Allentown at all. Edison doesn't have the variety of things that Allentown does. You will see more at Allentown in my opinion, and I've only been there once. I have nearly 10 or more Edison Greenberg shows, and when I went to Allentown I knew it was better. Granted I didn't really find what I was looking for(didn't really have a list either though), I did walk away with some things.
I agree.
IMHO, the best way to describe the Allentown meet is take a Greenberg show and add a ton (and I do mean a ton) of local train show type sellers of pre and post war. Most offer reasonable prices and are ready to negotiate
I'd compare it to the Blue or Silver halls at York if some train store dealers were added to those halls
@Mark Boyce posted:Yes, I have noticed that. Why would Greenberg schedule the same time as Allentown? Vendors from the East would want to set up at Allentown insted of Monroeville.
I know for a fact that there are vendors at Allentown that would also come to Monroeville, and Pgh. area vendors that would go to Allentown if the shows were on different weekends. It just seems counterproductive to me. Maybe with Greenberg under new management, this will change in the future.
Back to the main topic, in addition to the farmers market Saturday, the Allentown show is not far from a big hobby shop that has a huge selection of O gauge -- Trains & Lanes Hobbies. We hit all 3 on our last trip, and we managed to find some great places to eat along the way in both directions. We probably spent more on food and travel expenses than we did at the show, but the fun we had was priceless. 
Andy
@Andy Hummell posted:I know for a fact that there are vendors at Allentown that would also come to Monroeville, and Pgh. area vendors that would go to Allentown if the shows were on different weekends. It just seems counterproductive to me. Maybe with Greenberg under new management, this will change in the future.
Back to the main topic, in addition to the farmers market Saturday, the Allentown show is not far from a big hobby shop that has a huge selection of O gauge -- Trains & Lanes Hobbies. We hit all 3 on our last trip, and we managed to find some great places to eat along the way in both directions. We probably spent more on food and travel expenses than we did at the show, but the fun we had was priceless.
Andy
Having fun is the point of it all! Thank you for your comments, Andy!
@Andy Hummell posted:Traveling with others really helps on those long trips. And coffee, and energy drinks...
Andy
Jerry
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@Lionelski posted:I agree.
IMHO, the best way to describe the Allentown meet is take a Greenberg show and add a ton (and I do mean a ton) of local train show type sellers of pre and post war. Most offer reasonable prices and are ready to negotiate
I'd compare it to the Blue or Silver halls at York if some train store dealers were added to those halls
Yeah, that is probably the best way to say it. At Edison, you will find a variety of stuff, but most come from around the Tri-State, you will find maybe a table or two of prewar stuff, post war is almost as scattered depending on who has made the trip to Edison. You will get about maybe 50% O-Scale, maybe a bit more with the other items(trains of other scales and non-related train items) making up the rest. I know a few times I have cracked up because I didn't know that they made things like Sasquatch dolls, or some other wacky things like that. I've only seen stuff like that at Edison or the former Somerset show.
At Allentown there was a bunch of cast figures, parts, pieces, carts, you name it at one of the tables. I had picked up a few things there along with the SOS Military Car. I did pick up a few cars that weren't on any list, I think one may have been MTH(I usually don't buy much of their stuff, but I have done so in the past). One of the hardest things was trying to figure out if I had one or so of the cars I was looking at. I think one was a milk car, which I do have a few that I had picked up prior and some at York a few times, so that was a bit of phone research while I was looking. The vendor I did buy the 3 cars off of gave me a good deal on them, which surprised me. At Edison whatever the price says may be what you pay unless they offer a deal. I have only met maybe two or three vendors at Edison who gave me a deal before I even asked a price. My first big buy at Edison was negotiated, which was a good price, that was on the TMCC K4 Pacific 1361. Heck, can't remember what I paid. I think that was back in 2015 or so, maybe 2016. Can't remember, just remember who I bought it off of.
Yes! I will be there.
