A couple of retailers and Amhurst have recently produced "Virtual Trainshows", featuring representatives of various manufacturers.
Are people watching these and is it a good experience for you?
Personally they are all too long. Even if they were fascinating, which they are not, I don't want to spend 3 hours watching youtube.
I detest the camera angle where the presenter is looking down at me, like I am in the 6th grade.
It's a train show for new manufactured products. It is not a show in the sense that you can find used bargains or out of stock products that you want.
If you don't know what I am talking about this is the latest one I saw. Not a slam on Trainworld. I understand that all businesses have taken a hit during the plague and they feel they need to do something.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I find them a little more interesting than watching paint dry.
Mike
ehh...
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
I have heard of these ''Virtual Trainshows'' but have never looked at one till now. This one seems to me to be like a ''Commercial". I guess you do what you have to do to generate business. I should look at other Virtual Train Shows to see how interesting they may be to me.
Maybe I'm missing the point here.
I enjoy the in person train shows because of the interaction, the displays, and of course, the various vendors selling things of that of are interest.
I honestly don't have the patience to sit through a presentation, and most of the time you can't beat the in-person train show prices for locos and rolling stock.
I will be waiting for the pandemic to be over to attend any train show.
"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." -Lin Yutang
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I watched a few of these virtual train shows. I do not care about them.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
I can only speak for the Amherst Virtual Train show since that is what I wanted to watch. They posted a listing of what was on their agenda. I watched it, not live, just a couple days later on YT. Since I had the list I went to those time periods on the videos and watched what I thought would be of interest.
Now I saw some people state they didn't want to sit in front of their computer/laptop/smartphone to watch for hours. Did they see the list of what was presented? I think in the current situation we're in, I'm all for promoting the hobby any way they can until we can get back to what we did prior to changing our ways of doing things in the past.
Thanks to all who made not only the Amherst Video possible, but to all of the manufacturers who are doing whatever they can to keep the hobby in front of us!
As a final note, I do miss the in person shows; not only for meeting my friends in the hobby and seeing new items (and buying things), but as a vendor at the shows. It's not the same, but we'll take whatever we can for the hobby.
I watched a couple of things on line from TrainFest, they seem to be struggling to get it all together.
I don't spend that much time sitting at my computer to watch all of that. I just don't do it.
I don't use a fancy phone, I have a basic flip phone, and when I watch on line content, it's on my desk top, in my office.
Virtual will NEVER replace walking around at a train show, not for me anyway!
Mike.
My You Tube
When I would go to a train show, it was either to run trains and help with my club layout, or to find some bargains on train stuff, or both. Finding out the latest products that I can pre-order for $$$ just doesn't interest me, but then again, I don't have a whole lot of money and I don't like buying new. The main attraction with the virtual Amherst show was ScaleTrains buying MTH. If there's one company I would pre-order and buy new from, it's ScaleTrains...
Harrison
Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.
Modeling the D&H in 1978.
Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"
My YouTube
The idea of a virtual train show is dead on arrival.
To make a video presentation that would get the desired result would require a massive effort of planning and production that is just not going to happen. You can't produce the ambiance and excitement of a real train show on a computer screen.
I have seen two shows, both organised by a magazine here in the UK. They have been good imho. At least being able to see other layouts which I normally would not have.
Obviously I would like to have been able to walk round and be able (possibly) to buy something I wanted, but that cannot happen yet.
I believe another is being planned and I shall watch it.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Deane Johnson The idea of a virtual train show is dead on arrival. To make a video presentation that would get the desired result would require a massive effort of planning and production that is just not going to happen. You can't produce the ambiance and excitement of a real train show on a computer screen.
I agree totally. I will make time to drive to a real train show, but to sit in front of a computer screen for potentially hours? I don't think that could work for me. Nice try train show guys; I know you are trying to salvage things, but I am waiting for a real show, hopefully this fall.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I have been watching the Trainworld shows if the manufacturer line up interests me (A lot don't) My tip would be wait till the next day so that you don't have to sit though the whole thing and fast forward it to the part you want to see.
Joe Staten Island West
I go to train shows for a few reasons. One is it's a nice trip out with my wife; she comes with me. I also go to treasure hunt trains or items that maybe can be found at shows and not on eBay, or shops. Lastly, I enjoy seeing the large layout displays and watch trains run.
I can't do the first one at a virtual train show. I don't see how I can browse and buy trains; if such a thing were possible at all, I'd potentially be in competition with hundreds or maybe thousands of viewers. No thanks. And as for viewing operating layouts, I'd rather enjoy that myself rather than be dependant on a camera man.
Basically virtual is a no go for me.
Random observations
First learning about new products at major train shows is for me a pretty minor reason for going to the show. Often I'm more interested in old products otherwise not obtainable -- the "aha!" moment. But new products are always what the magazines emphasize about Amhearst, Trainfest and the NMRA show. That seems to be why these virtual train shows have the same emphasis. (yawn)
Second, in some ways virtual clinics can be superior to live clinics because if they are well produced you can actually see what is being talked about. If you are sitting behind the third row at a live clinic seeing someone hold up an HO boxcar to point out the improved running boards they install is sort of a "huh?" moment.
Similarly unless you just enjoy seeing trains run -- (which I do enjoy) -- virtual layout tours, if well done, are often superior to live in person layout tours.
A minor point but in my experience the worst aspect to ANY train show I have been to is the concession stand food. And yet some of the most pleasant experiences have been sitting at a table (always hard to find) and just chatting with people who are also attending whether you know them or not.
When the pandemic lockdown began a friend who I knew from railroad historical society meets and model contests put together an email group that shares photos and discussions of what we are doing and once a week we have a Zoom with virtual clinics, layout tours or discussions. Very informal, nothing professional (but a few fairly famous names of modelers and authors are part of the group) but these virtual presentations have been excellent.
I wonder if they'll continue when things get back to normal
Speaking of which, in an hour from now I get my first vaccine!
Dave Nelson
I don't want to insult anyone or break any forum rules, but I'll post this.
I find the virtual train shows are similar to virtual church or virtual family get-togethers. I will watch, but I'd rather be there in person.
York1 John
I've watched some of the virtual NMRA presentations on YouTube, basically an hour or so of what would have been a presentation at a convention on someone's layout or railroad history or something. Those seem to translate to online versions very well.
The manufacturer ones as several people noted tend to not work so well because it's not segmented enough. At an actual train show, I can go to this booth or that booth to see what interests me, and skip ones that I'm not interested in. Having one big three hour block to slog through is a bit much - better to have each one separate.
Basically a very long ad so I went to the manufactures that might produce what I want and a few just out of curiosity. They are all getting to look like the same thing but one clinic at Amherst was great, one on building static scenes, step by step. When out for one of my 10 mile hikes I was able to find the special brushes at of all places Ross, cheap too.
I was out at the 1:32 mark. The intro did me in...
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
Seems like a "News and products" section in MRR's magazine but takes 2 hours to go through.
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Modeling the PRR & NYC in HO
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/@trainman440
Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440
York1 I don't want to insult anyone or break any forum rules, but I'll post this. I find the virtual train shows are similar to virtual church or virtual family get-togethers. I will watch, but I'd rather be there in person.
Amen brother!
danno54 York1 I don't want to insult anyone or break any forum rules, but I'll post this. I find the virtual train shows are similar to virtual church or virtual family get-togethers. I will watch, but I'd rather be there in person. Amen brother!
+1 to that.
Another forum pointed me to ESU segment. I didn't know Matt had a handicapped son and I'm glad the plague gave him more father son time, but I have only so much time to sit in front of the computer.
Maybe it should be broken down to individual videos. Maybe you are a Soundtrax fan or a TCS fan, you could line up a playlist of Soundtrax, Rapido, Scale Trains and Digitrax and skip the rest. Or fill in what players you like in the hobby.
York1I find the virtual train shows are similar to virtual church or virtual family get-togethers.
I wish I could have done virtural family get togethers with my ex in-laws.
My MIL was the type of person that could walk into a room and get everyone wound up and latrined off at one another.
BigDaddyI wish I could have done virtural family get togethers with my ex in-laws. My MIL was the type of person that could walk into a room and get everyone wound up and latrined off at one another.
That's funny! I've known some people like that.
I like the idea of the virtual show, still not for me. I like shows for bargins and NOS from discontinued models. Also talking to fellow modelers. I've only been to 2 shows so I've been itching for another!