This last Saturday I made a short trip from my home in Muskogee, OK to Bixby, a community just south of Tulsa, for the annual spring show. (NOTE) for you rail historians, US64, the road between Muskogee and Bixby, closely follows most of the abandoned ROW of the old Midland Valley RR). I got to the local Civic Center, paid my admission fee, and went inside. Not much on display layouts, but quite a bit model RR stuff from G to Z. Being the Frisco modeler that I am (and in search for a few more Airslide hoppers), I was able to snag the following: Stewart Models VO1000 in Frisco black & yellow Robins Rails 60' boxcar (SLSF lettered, yellow paint Two Walthers Airslide hoppers (one ATSF, one Southern) plus a T-shirt and coffee mug emblazoned with Frisco 1522. No decent HO scale track to be found (I'm looking for code 70 turnouts for my new layout), and even though there were a few other items I wouldn't have minded having, my show budget was pretty much reached. So, off to find a Whataburger for lunch, and back home. That one brief hour at that one train show was a major salve to my modeling soul, and a signal that perhaps the craziness of the past two years (I work in the local VA, and have had to deal with beaucoup folks sick with COVID) may be in my rearview mirror. Plus, now I have a Baldwin switcher to grime up, convert to DCC, and put to work.
I haven't been to a train show in a long time either. Most advertising has plummeted as well as my income since '04. The little one at the local National Guard Armory was over two years ago.
I was just in one Saturday morning, in Laval, Quebec, about twenty minutes drive. First time in just over two years... It was great to get out of the house, to see other faces than just home, work and the grocery store. People I can talk to about trains without their faces going blank. There was one guy who came down from the Abitibi region by bus to see this show. That felt so good!
I made my first show, in over two years, on Mar 12. It was the Greenberg's Great Train & Toy Show. I have been to it a few times and although it isn't mobbed, it gets a fairly large turnout. Bought about a dozen items, including some modeling tools. Wish I could get too Amherst. I've wanted to go the last two years but covid, last year, and timing this year, has worked against me. Glenn
We had our 31st semi-annual NMRA--MCR--Div 8 Train Show and Sale, in Louisville, KY on March 19th 2022. Our Very well attended. Lots of great deals to be had, saw a bunch of old Friends, and made a couple new ones too. I think we added 4 or 5 NEW NMRA members also. We are NOT a Commercial Show, sure we make a buck or two on table rental, its our main fund raiser, but this Show is put on by MODEL RAILROADERS for Model Railroaders. NOBODY is asking retail prices for anything. My Sellers/Vendors are HAPPY, the Model Railroaders are HAPPY and everyone has a GREAT & GOOD time. And we are gonna have another Show, our 32nd year, Show on November 12th, 2022[shameless plug].
