Unfortunately Trainfest 2020 in Milwaukee, WI has been cancelled. The news came out this evening 06-11-2020. The reasons were of course Covid-19, social distancing and the like. Also there is currently a temporary hospital setup in the Exposition Building at the Wisconsin State Fair grounds where Trainfest is held. Trainfest couldn't get a guarantee that the hospital would be done in time for Trainfest. Luckily the temporary hospital has not seen a patient. First time in almost 50 years Trainfest has been cancelled. There is talk of a virtual Trainfest. To check things out go to www.trainfest.com
Keith Schmidt
Keith Schmidt KC9LHK You don’t bring nothin with you here and you can’t nothin back, I ain’t never seen a hearse with a luggage rack. George Strait Check out Flickr Train Photo Page
Unfortunately I am not surprised by this news.
I most likely would have not made it this year anyways. It's just far enough that I would need a hotel/motel room (or stay at a friends place if he's around) so I normally do not attend anyways, but with the pandemic, I am not attending any gathering in the foreseeable future, no matter the location.
It is probably better that it is going to not be "in person" this year anyways. As my family constantly teases, "Health and safety maintained!" (Usually said when someone is doing something in a foolish unsafe way, and usually about something I am doing, but still true here.)
Safe, healthy, and alive are the important points. Trains and pleasure fall below that.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Forum users, please note that this thread falls under the posted rules for discussion of COVID-19 on this Forum. Discuss the Trainfest closure and the reasons for it all you want, but if you veer into discussing government shutdown policies, the virus itself, or any "We all need to stop living in fear!" nonsense, you will be shut down.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Understood, Steve.
It is sad.
The Missouri Pacific was supposed to be the featured railroad this year by the way. We hope they can reschedule but we will see.
Trainfest was facing a go/no go decision on its annual (very large) advertising commitment, and with the venue unable to state with certainty that it would be available to us, or even to give a date when it would be certain, we felt unable to risk frittering away a huge amount of money which, if it did not result in ticket sales, would threaten future Trainfests and the NMRA division that runs it.
Forget coronavirus for the moment. If you were thinking of putting on a train show with a major advertising budget large enough to buy a house, which charges a goodly sum to its exhibitors and vendors for their space, which asks layouts and clinicians by the dozens to commit to attend, and folks make travel and hotel arrangements in reliance on all this, and which in prior years has had to ask for hundreds of volunteer hours (volunteers who have to be recruited and coordinated) to help with all that goes on --- but the venue would not and could not commit to being available on your date, or cautioned that it might be forced to withdraw its availability, you would not think of going forward.
This is quite apart from the health challenges of a show which is always crowded and -- while it attracts lots of families with children -- is basically staffed and run by geezers in the at risk age group, one of whom is
Dave Nelson
Thanks. Yeah the same topic totally imploded over at TO.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
For a Convention Addict such as myself, 2020 is a very depressing year.
When I think of all the people I only see at conventions, and all the events I look forward to, I get very sad.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I hear you Kevin. I was surprised to read that the World's Greatest Hobby shows have simply canceled all of 2021, evidently on the basis that even once things are re-opened there will be restrictions on sizes of gatherings and WGH exists to create large crowds (as does Trainfest for that matter, and the NMRA's annual convention train show). Reopened won't necessarily mean back to normal in other words.