WGH show is big but not much of a swap meet.

[Boyd]

I'm not trying to throw stones but their show is in St.Paul this weekend. Its been advertised a LOT on radio for the last 10+ days. I marked it on my calendar and was there 2 1/2 hours before I had to leave to work. Some vendors had used stuff but I was imagining an entire room full of us guys buying and selling stuff. I brought along my 2 Westbrook wooden cars looking for trucks to put under them so they can run 3 rail. I brought along a newer Lionel GP20 with a broken truck (oops it fell off of the bed) hoping to find a replacement truck. I was thinking I would see the friendly duo of Elliot and his girlfriend. I invested travel, time, $10 parking, $9 admission and all I got was a Lionel 6-17178 Sante Fe PS-2 low side hopper car for $38. If they advertise on here then go ahead and delete my post. I found their website friday night looking for directions. I clicked on their link for directions which put me onto the website for the River Centre. One the River Centre's website there was NO directions. Huh? Well mom told me how to get there.

[Anonymous]

My feeling is that the "World's Grwatest Hobby Shows" are, first and foremost, intended to be showcases for the hobby--places where interested individuals and familes can go to see firsthand what this diverse hobby is all about. They are not train meets, although some dealers also participate. In that respect, these shows are most like the National Tran Show put on each year in conjunction with the NMRA National Convention, and which is a great magnet for attracting new participants to the hobby.

Having shows like this is, I feel, absolutely vital to the long-term health of the hobby. Not everyone who attends is going to rush out and get involved in model railroading, but if even a few of them are inspired to get involved at some point--perhaps next Chrstmas, for example--that's a wole lot better start than no start at all.

Certainly the various organizers and sponsors should provide good directions to the venue, be it on-line or via their other ads. No question about that. All of a potential visitor's questions--where, when, how much, where to park, etc.--should be clearly evident in the various ads. There should be no assumptions made by the sponsors, and people should be enticed to attend and then led by the hand, in effect, to get there.

But I am glad to see that these shows are just that--shows--and not just another train meet with row after row of battered boxes and dusty trains. The public wants to see what these trains can do, and the WGH shows, along with some others, provide them with that special opportunity.

Thus far, the WGH shows appear to be doing very well in terms of the crowds they are attracting. The Houston show, as I recall, drew some 32,000 visitors. THAT is precisely what this hobby needs!

[Big_Boy_4005]

We were there Boyd, but we didn't get there til 3:00. It still seemed pretty busy til about 4:00 but then it died off quickly. Must have been nap time for the little ones. Having been in this hobby for as long as I have, I ran into a lot of familiar faces among the exhibitors, and only found a little new and exciting there.

Not being in HO or N, the vendors didn't really draw my attention, with a couple of exceptions. I ended up buying three MTH and one Lionel car form one dealer for $125, then Big Girl bought a couple of Jim Jordan prints for $40.

The manufacturer booths were only mildly interesting. I had a nice conversation with the Kadee rep, even though I'm not in the market for their products. Atlas is perhaps my favorite manufacturer, and Big Girl said it was the only time at the entire show that my eyes lit up. I had spotted their new O scale Gunderson cars. Very sharp!!!

I was disappointed with Lionel's booth, even though I had a nice conversation their rep. They only brought their Thomas line and the Polar Express with a few accessories. Very understated for their product line.

I did find a mom and pop company that had some new and interesting products, including some inkjet water decal paper that didn't require a sealer. I'm going to have to try that.

All in all, I don't go ga ga over this stuff anymore, and more than half of my 3 hours was spent in conversations with old friends, or manufacturer reps.