Arrived early and place was already crowded. Won't even discuss the restroom problems. Started over by the club layout section and managed to get the heavyweight diner I wanted cheap. Made my way into the next section and found a vender there from last year and picked up some more MT couplers also cheap, along with three Easy Peasy lighting kits. Not much further along I found the LL E unit for a replacement mechanism. Having robbed one of my GN E-7s for a spare mechanism I will now be able to repower it and return it to the roster. Also cheap. Doing good so far and I have hardly dented my funds. Found a tool vender and found the plastic flexible see through N scale rule I wanted plus some more sanding belts. Kept on going to the next section and found the gentleman with the estate sale stuff I have seen at several other shows. Left his table with two Budd domes and a blunt end observation. And you guessed it again cheap. Not too far away I found an Atlas RS-3, yahoo, and again cheap. Found the Tichy Train booth and came away with another rotary plow. With any luck maybe I can mechanize this one. Visited my book vender and came up short there. Before I departed what was steadily becoming an over crowded place, oh did I mention the restroom problems, well they were even worse by then. On my way out I stopped by the vender with the foam and cardboard storage boxes and picked up two more. Then it was up the road to the LHS and contrary to reports I had no issue parking althought the lot was full. Found all my decal sets but one, some more MTs, and a corrigated diner and coach but lettered for Burlington. Found my water based silver that nobody around here seems to carry, and the latest Trains Magazine. Hit the road and was home with some fast food for myself and the Missus by 1:30. Hauled my loot upstairs to the workshop and then took the prerequiste senior citizen nap. In all a good day and only two items on the shopping list not filled and money still in the wallet. This evening I started hacking up the new corrigated coach in a 2nd try for a resonable approximation of a Q home built dome. Won't be able to do an exact match but I'll catch the flavor better. The old Arnold dome is in the back that I first tried to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Some of the info I have on these stated the seats ran lengthwise down the dome although the photos I found show a normal seating. Seating may have been changed at some point.
Never been to Timonium - ride was always daunting to me. Actually - "we in the deep South" Jersey that is, have lost deeply from several years ago now, of the large Train Show. Some ding-dong always decided to sell the Expo Centers - at least 3 of them - that I can remember, and now we have nothing except the 90 mile trek to Edison, (the last time I went the power was off - show trashed) - and one in Oaks - west phila area, that had a major traffic tie-up for miles, no parking except in mud . . . Its totally stupid to me to be in this area and not have anything at least once a year. There is a new location that may have some hope - Wilmington - at least thats only 30 min. Otherwise we are stuck with the few and far between tiny little local shows. On the other subject - that LHS (for you) is absolutely the best! I have been there, would stop when I did business drive trip to Baltimore a few times in the past. Now I do 95% of my Unitrack Business there, as well as other items, since the prices just cant be beat, and i like this part - prices are same whether in the shop or online! Ahhh - I just won my CB&Q Kato Diner on the evil-bay - that adds to the train nicely Tim
"Some of the info I have on these stated the seats ran lengthwise down the dome although the photos I found show a normal seating." Some of the info I have on these st...ugh the photos I found show a normal seating. http://trainweb.org/DOMEmain/picCBQ4709k.jpg http://trainweb.org/DOMEmain/picCBQ4714k.jpg http://trainweb.org/DOMEmain/picCBQ4714l.jpg http://trainweb.org/DOMEmain/picCBQ4714m.jpg
The first train show at Oaks was a Worlds Greatest Hobby show. That was when the facitlity had just become an Expo Center. It was packed and traffic and parking were a mess. I live fifteen minutes away from there. I was there with an NTRAK club and the wife was going to stop by. I called and told her not to bother since route 422 was a parking lot. Things have gotten better there, the expo center does a better job at handling traffic. I believe I read in the local paper pome changes have been made to access and egress. I have been to a train show there since the WGHS, access and parking was much better. You might want to consider trying it again in the future.
Not sure if we are talking about the same place since I am speaking about Timonium, MD and the State Fairgrounds. Limits of any of my travels have been pretty much to Chantilly VA, and just recently Fredricksburg, and then to Upper Marlboro in the past and Timonium. Probably won't venture forth again until this August in Chantilly.
I did pretty well for myself also (see [thread=139834]Best/Recent Train Show Finds - Lets Hear About Them[/thread]) and I agree that the place was packed and the restroom situation was a problem. My book guy wasn't there but it sounds like the NoVA boys had a pretty successful foray into MD. Didn't even make it to the LHS. What brand of coaches are you hacking up to make the Silver Dome? Andy Tetsu Uma
Concor Budd coach that is already in Silver and lettered for the Q. Don't know if it will be the Silver Dome or Silver Castle, or if I just use a modelers license and say they built a third one the Silver Falls. I'm not going to worry about the windows not being totally right band concentrate more on the roof features and dome interior. Taking the old Arnold dome and using silver decals for the structural ribs and the dome should be close to the original.
That should approximate the "home built" flat panel look and at least in my mind, be a reasonable analog for the original.
I have only been to the few shows in Jersey. I wasn't really impressed with the price. I find most of the materials through 2 on line vendors. The shipping out weighs the cost of gas, tolls and dealing with rude people.
Just a note that the dome cars were unpopular with D&RGW management. There were quite a number of insurance claims because of the step from the seating area to the aisle, mostly sprained ankles and the like...
