Hi Everyone,
Is anyone going to the Syracuse Train Show this weekend? I will be there showing my 3x6.5 foot HO scale layout, a Z scale layout (nothing more than a circle really) and have my G scale running on the floor. I am not sure what building I am going to be in. So is anyone going?
I will be there, wouldnt miss it for anything. I think it is the best show in the state.
I agree it is a great show. We went to the one in Clayton in September. It is alot smaller, but gets you excited for the Syracuse show. I have only missed one year in the last 5, and am looking forward to going this weekend.
That goes for me too! I will be there with another train nut on Saturday. We will be riding to the show in style on the Finger Lakes Railway (FGLK). I will try to look you up.
I live in Syracuse (Liverpool) and try to go every year, even if I have to drag my 12 year old daughter who I have this weekend!
It really is kind of a giant junque show anymore and not nearly the dealer tables of new latest and greatest stuff that I see in Springfield MA or the old GATS shows when they used to thrive. I tend to get that though some friendly online/mailorder places anyway so its more a chance to get out and look at trains. Nothing much changes from year to year.
I must say the show was great, I made alot of good buys. Did anyone else have good luck?
Yep, I had a great time there (Even more on the way to and from the show!).
Hey jimk, does this look familiar?
Yep, that looks familiar. My wife actually started scenicing the z scale layout on Sunday, and we rearranged the G scale display Saturday night after the show was over. It was alot of fun actually showing trains. Thanks for stopping by.
I went back on Sunday with my 12 year old daughter who consented to go on the grounds that we not stay real long. She used to ride that train in the photo when she was a few years younger but she has grown out of that now. I see there was a steam style engine in picture and I didn’t give the riding train a real look or I would have noticed the change. I was too busy making a bee line back to Guy Kunzers table along the back of the Horticulture building. He is the best dealer for better quality HO loco’s (Genesis, Atlas, P2k and Athearn RTR). In fact I bought an extra Rio Grande SD40T-2 since they are sold out at Horizon, and one Southern Pacific SD40T-2 since I have a soft spot for SP.
The new Athearn RTR tunnel motors are very nicely detailed. As for deals, heck there was only one D&RGW tunnel motor at the entire show! That is the reason I don’t find the Syracuse show as good as others since the show stock is 95% northeast road names and good luck if you like anything western! I paid $75 each for the tunnel motors which isn’t bargain basement prices but considering they are nearly sold out I was happy to grab a couple.
Otherwise the show was pretty sparsely attended which made it easy to see things, but the Syracuse train show doesn’t change much at all from one year to the next. It seems the same people haul the same junk and put it at the same tables year after year, and only a little new products relative to most train shows. It makes me wonder why so many of the sellers even bother to come. We are talking alot of old HO used junk train cars on alot of tables, or old stuff from the 80’s to mid 90’s still new in the box but still for sale. A lot of the stuff there is really fit for the land fill shakes head
The steam engine you saw is new this year. As you can see, our display was set up right in front of it, so we got a good view (kind of neat feeling the floor shake every time they rolled by). The steam engine is powered by compressed air. They still have the other engine as well.
I know what you mean about the same stuff every year. Sometimes you will find good deals though, especially on Sunday evening. I bought some birch trees that were originally 30 for 5. That’s pretty good.
If you want a different view of the show, show a layout. It is great seeing people come by and watch the trains, and asking questions. I even got to let a little boy run his “brand new” F-7 on my layout so he could see it go. We had a G scale Christmas train set up with a Christmas tree, some fake snow, presents, etc. We had familys stopping to take pictures of their kids in front of the display. It was great.
Jim