Visit to Greenberg's Edison NJ Show

[Anonymous]

I visited the Greenberg Show in Edison this morning and my take on the O-Gauge aspects of the show is somewhat different from what I’ve read on the other boards. So hopefully, I’m not going to bore you with the mention of the over abundance of HO, N & Z gauge stuff. Train pillows, hats, mugs, posters and all sorts of train paraphernalia.

First of all, there was a Computer show in the hall next door so parking spots were at a premium. I arrived at 10:20 and had to park far away from the hall.

The packed parking lots didn’t deter families with lots of kids to visit. And that's a good thing! The floor plan was terrible with very narrow aisles and a hap-hazzard floor plan which caused much shopper confusion as the hall was so packed early in the day that shopper traffic was one way winding up and down the aisles. Anyone going against the traffic would be squashed.

Many vendors piled their merchandise way up high on their tables which imparted a certain air of claustrophobia to some aisles. Some shows do not alloy any merchandise to be over four feet tall on any table, this is done for insurance concerns just incase a table collapses or the merchandise falls over and causes a panic. The lighting left much to be desired as some areas in the hall looked very dark. Dark lighting is not very shopper friendly.

There was lots of postwar stuff, maybe too much, all at very high prices. Current O gauge was in abundance, with about the same mix of MTH and Lionel. But it appeared as that many vendors used this show to blow out their dogs or slow movers. Lionel buildings were dumped by the carton loads at anywhere from $14 to $20/per building. Greenberg hype’s this show as a Train and Hobby Show, if this is true, why were some vendors selling women’s jewelry and finger nail stuff!

I didn’t notice any real bargains in new Locos or Engines. Most were being sold at or near list price. This was the first show where I did see some refurbished MTH Locos being sold, some with replaced boards. Big prices were being asked for MTH World’s Fair and Redbirds subway sets, as their asking prices were pegged $100 to $200 over MSRP. One vendor offered the WF and Redbirds add-on sets for $200 ea. (But he already took them to the Wayne, Allentown, and Dover shows and he hasn't sold them yet.)

As for other makers, Ma and Pa had a nice display and offering of Williams. And K-Line was at the same location they were at in previous years.


I spoke to some vendors I know and they said they were having a great show. Another guy wispered in my ear that the only one who did good at the show were the show promoters! Who can you believe? Most vendors are always optimists. The same guys who always make $$$thousands$$$ at every show. However, I'm sure vedors did very well at this show as, to the show promoter's credit, they did pull a huge crowd of qualified buyers. and I did see lots and lots of folks walking out of the hall with bags, boxes and packages.

But for me what made the show interesting was the operating O-gauge layouts sponsored by the Independent Hi-railers and the Raritan Valley Hi-Railers. However, my highlight of the show were the efforts of the Central Jersey DCS Demo Group. The Central Jersey DCS Demo Group is a group of volunteers who demonstrate the MTH DCS control system in the Central Jersey
area. Check out their web site for great show videos and more DCS information.
www.cjdcs.toytrains1.com/

I didn’t buy a thing. This unusual phenomena sometimes occurs when I bring along a lot of cash. When I’m cash poor I see it all and want it all. Another reason why I’m glad I didn’t buy anything is because I had to walk too far to get to my car. One guy driving to the show slowed down, rolled his window down and asked for my spot. I said, “sure, as long as you drive me to it”. He did and I returned the favor by dropping him off at the entrance.

BillFromWayne
www.modeltrainjournal.com