Another trip to the Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show, Jan 27-28 2018. This is the biggest show in New England, filling four buildings at the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds in West Springfield, MA. Had a great time at the show this year. Some highlights: The exhibits at the Mallary complex continue to grow. This year saw the Four County Society of Model Engineers from Maryland with a fantastic, large HO-scale layout. They said it isn't even the full set of modules they normally run! Four County Society of Model Engineers layout The ENE ETE folks had arranged a larger European-themed area, with a Marklin booth (though small compared to other manufacturers). Still, nice to see a variety of European trains. European Train Enthusiasts layout The Chester and Becket continues to grow, with the addition of a sawmill at the end of the layout. This is an unusual Fn3 gauge layout, and the level of modeling detail is astounding. Chester and Becket sawmill The Central New York Modelers of Distinction occupied the center of the Stroh building, though they mixed it up and set it up rotated 180 degrees from their usual presentation. Still an impressive layout. Central New York Modelers of Distinction NELUG had another fantastic display: NELUG Lego trains Many thanks to all the exhibitors who took the time to answer countless questions and show off their fine models. A full set of photos from the show is available on my Flickr album: >> 2018 Amherst Train Show << I took as many photos as I possibly could and didn't come close to getting everything of interest. One highlight for me is looking for small, tiny details that modelers include in their layouts. There are tons of them, hidden on every layout, that show the modeler's personal touch, an inside joke, or just to add that extra touch of realism. Hope everyone gets a chance to visit this amazing show. Looking forward to 2019! Mike
