wondering

[thatboy37]

   was wondering what are these train shows that are supposed to be in monroeville, and allentown, pa are all about what goes on there at the show and is anyone welcome. was planning on attending one of the if its worth the drive. also are there any good hobby shops on the way there that are a must stop by and check out what they have in stock. as i will be traveling through cincinnati to columbus then east on whatever highway that is to get to pennslyvania. any help here would be greatly appreciated.

[Joe Hohmann]

The show in Allentown this weekend is considered by many to be "the next best show to York". The Monroeville show is, I beleive, the former Greenberg show. It's fine if you're within a 2 hour drive. I'll be at Allentown on Sat., but it's only a 1 1/2 hr drive for me. Joe

[markn]

If you drive thru the Cincinnati area, Davis Trains (actually in Milford-northeast suburb) is an all scale train only "must see" (at least in this day of disappearing local hobby shops)-  my parents live near Cincy so every time I get home I make it a point to stop.  I am pretty sure they have a web site with maps/directions-if not, let me know and I will get the details-sound like a great road trip Reggie-Mark
PS-it's I-70 East out of Columbus-wave to my brother when you go by

[laz 57]

REGGIE,

  The Allentown show is great.  I always go to the one in February.  I have gotten some good deals there.  Joe GRYZBOWSKI is there and has some good deals.  They have about 600 plus tables there and usually Saturday is very crowded.  If you go there is a great place to eat in Bethlehem just off campus called the Tally Ho good food and beer.  You can drop your wife off in Bethlehem and she can shop there while your at the show, thats what we always do in the spring.  Sort of a nice day with your friends and let the women go on their own then have a nice supper together.  You'll need a good 4 + hours to get through it because of all the stuff.  Have fun.

laz57

[phillyreading]

Depends which way you are going thru PA, Lancaster County has Strasburg Model Railroad shop(next to the Choo Choo Barn) located in Strasburg & has very good selection of Lionel & MTH.

If you have time another place to see is Roadside America in Shartlesville PA, just off I-78 on the way to Allentown.   I used to live in Reading PA for about 7 years & have friends that know off many railroad stuff in Reading area or nearby.

One road to stay away from is route 30 as it is hilly and has many curves, take the turnpike or I-78 to Allentown.  If you like go to www.mapquest.com  for directions, if you plan to detour from the main route you can use address C or add a stop along the way.

Lee F.

[luther_stanton]

REGGIE,

  The Allentown show is great.  I always go to the one in February.  I have gotten some good deals there.  Joe GRYZBOWSKI is there and has some good deals.  They have about 600 plus tables there and usually Saturday is very crowded.  If you go there is a great place to eat in Bethlehem just off campus called the Tally Ho good food and beer.  You can drop your wife off in Bethlehem and she can shop there while your at the show, thats what we always do in the spring.  Sort of a nice day with your friends and let the women go on their own then have a nice supper together.  You'll need a good 4 + hours to get through it because of all the stuff.  Have fun.

laz57

Laz,

You brought up two great points - GRYZBOWSKI and "The Ho", the Tally Ho that is. 

I stoped at Joe's shop when we were in Scranton visiting Steam Town.  I bought a pair of NCY F3 Century Club Diesels.

I spent many an Wednesday evening at "The Ho" during pub night.  I graduated from Lehigh in 91 and it was a Thursday night tradition.  Grew up just south in Easton, PA.

- Luther

[laz 57]

LUTHER,

  Great place to eat at" THE HO",  Reall y like there HO Burgers.  We stop there all the time now when we are done that area.  My wife was at Allentown College and she had to take her ROTC classes at Lehigh University and she would do the same on Thursday nites.  She was there in the early 80s though.

laz57

[Buckeye Riveter]

Reggie,

There is nothing in Columbus that I would recommend, but over by Wheeling there is T&K Hobbies.  Nice store with great selection.  Also at Oglebay Park, north of Wheeling is a large layout open to the public in the basement of one of the park buildings.   This link might help you:

http://www.walthers.com/exec/shops 

and of course

http://www.hobbyretailer.com/

Hey you Pennsylvania guys,  isn't there a large layout at Carnegie in Pittsburgh??? And of course the cog trams that go up the mountains.

And Reggie, the highway going east out of Columbus is I-70.  I was just on it on Thursday and met Blueberry in Cambridge, Ohio.

[thatboy37]

thanks guys for the info. sorry to say that i want be able to make the show today as some things came about with the wife that we had to take care of. so sorry if i wasted any of you guys time that found info for me. but thanks a bunch will keep this info for future reference. but i will be making the trip in the near future.

[Dave45681]

If you make the trek to Allentown someday, Nicholas Smith Trains is probably about 45 minutes or so from the show location (although I have never driven from one to the other, I am giving my best guess).  I do not know of any other store where you can see so many different trains all in one place.  Literally has the trains on shelves up to the ceiling, and not just on the walls, but in every aisle.

Both the show and the store are a short drive off of the same highway, I476.  I believe in November, NST is open on Sundays as well, but most of the year (such as for the February show) he is only open on Saturday over the weekend.

If I had to guess, Joe Gryzboski's store up in Scranton has to be close to 2 hours away from the Allentown show.  Then again, if you are starting from as far away as you are, I guess you could consider that "in the neighborhood". :)

As to the show itself, it's a better show than most (if not all) Greenbergs, but I personally wouldn't drive from as far away as you are considering.  Then again I might be spoiled since I only live 2 hours form York and I do that every six months.  In addition to Joe G, Charles Ro also comes down from MA to do the show, so there are at least 2 "big" new equipment dealers there.

Oh, I almost forgot.  The show normally has at least one or 2 operating layouts, and I think they might still do train races(with prizes last time I was there) for the kiddies.

[Dave45681]

Hey you Pennsylvania guys,  isn't there a large layout at Carnegie in Pittsburgh??? And of course the cog trams that go up the mountains.

There was a large O gauge layout in the Carnegie Science Center when I visited in 2004 for the TCA Convention.  Nicely done layout!  There's also some other neat things to see at the science museum, such as a WWII era submarine that you can walk through.  (it's docked at the museum right on the river)

[Joe Hohmann]

thanks guys for the info. sorry to say that i want be able to make the show today as some things came about with the wife that we had to take care of. so sorry if i wasted any of you guys time that found info for me. but thanks a bunch will keep this info for future reference. but i will be making the trip in the near future.

No one should worry about "wasting time" with questions. Remember, there may be many others reading the forum who could benifit from the information. Joe