World's Greatest Hobby on Tour: Pittsburgh show in review

[simon1966]

Tom, and Chip, thanks for the reports. 

It seems that as the WGH show matures the manufacturers are taking it more seriously.  This is a good thing IMO.  There are many places to buy hobby supplies from.  I am lucky and have a really good low priced LHS and then there is the web of course, so I find it very rare that I find anything that I have to have at a train-show.  Chip, I also find that scratch building supplies are not easy to find at a train-show.  I can't say that I blame the dealers. I am sure the profit is low compared to a pre-built structure and an R-2-R loco. With few looking for this type of material and with space at a premium I would leave this stuff behind as well.

Getting a chance to interact with the manufacturers and to see their new products up close is an enjoyable and valuable experience.  For me this was the most enjoyable part of the National Train Show and the real dissapointment with the WGH show held in St. Louis.  I am pleased to see that this seems to be changing.

Thanks again for the reports.

[Anonymous]

I thought it was pretty good too. I picked up an Athearn penn Central boxcar and a magnuson models crew cab pick-up which I had been looking for for the better part of five years. The display layouts were pretty good. My bro joked around with one of the guys whose HO train experienced a derailment no fatalites. I was particularly impressed with a freemo club's scratchbuilt steelmill module and a small cottage industry called Mirrored Model Buildings' modern HO scale skyscrapers. All in all it was a pretty good show.

[CAZEPHYR]

Evidently you forgot your glasses, or are unable to see anything in N-Scale!!!

 KATO USA WAS THERE WITH A SAMPLE OF THEIR NEW NW-2 SWITCHER THAT WILL BE OUT IN LESS THAN A MONTH!!!!!!!

cf7

cf7,

Thanks for reminding me about Kato.  They were just to the right of the Walthers booth.  Forgot to mention them...

Tom 

 

Thanks Tom for the report.  It sounded like a fairly good show.

 

CAZEPHYR

[tstage]

Evidently you forgot your glasses, or are unable to see anything in N-Scale!!!

 KATO USA WAS THERE WITH A SAMPLE OF THEIR NEW NW-2 SWITCHER THAT WILL BE OUT IN LESS THAN A MONTH!!!!!!!

cf7

cf7,

Thanks for reminding me about Kato.  They were just to the right of the Walthers booth.  Forgot to mention them...

Tom 

[Anonymous]

Evidently you forgot your glasses, or are unable to see anything in N-Scale!!!

 KATO USA WAS THERE WITH A SAMPLE OF THEIR NEW NW-2 SWITCHER THAT WILL BE OUT IN LESS THAN A MONTH!!!!!!!

cf7

[SpaceMouse]

As luck would have it, I had to come back to the city within a couple blocks of the Train Show. Since I never shower, I still had my stamp from the day before. I felt I could really visits the booths with my kid in tow--he was always pulling me a long to the next thing.

It was every bit as crowded at 1 hour before closing on the second and final day as it was an hour from the beginning. I was really looking to find some bulk roadbed, some board and baton styrene and a couple other scratch building supplies. But they didn't have any. I did go back to the details booth and walked away having spent the rest of my money on Musket Miniatures.

I thought I'd repeat my review from yesterday here.

As with most shows, I didn't find anything I came for, but still spent my money. There were very few booths that sold used or old stuff, so I only found two pieces of old-time rolling stock that both fit my layout and were not duplicates of my inventory. My shopping list I thought was pretty simple. Some cork roadbed, and some Evergreen plastic. Didn't see any.

We saw Mike. I think we can just call him Mikey.  MThrules will know what I mean.

I did get some very good news--worth the trip for me. MDC makes two road numbers for SP in the 4-4-0 series. I've never seen SP advertised. The guy says that there are plenty of the SP's available. I had thought, because I'd never seen them advertised, that they were not run. I saw them run at the show, and I like them. They were far superior to the Bachman and IHC that I had in the past. Also for those of you modeling the 1800's, the 2-6-0 is due out soon as you know, but the 2-8-0 will be right on it's heels.

Also, I was under the impression that MDC was not making any more kits. They are, it's just the stores are not ordering many. If you log onto the Althern site, you can see which kits are being produced.

For those who are looking for Dash-9s in NS, forget it. Kato is clueless.

Broadway had a booth set up to sell off their refurbished units at 40% off. Luckily for me, they didn't have any of the engines I wanted. The NW2 I wanted was only $107.  

 

[tstage]

Chutton01,

To be honest, I didn't really look at the layout that closely - mainly from about 15' away.  The dominant white car with red and blue lettering and design just didn't appeal to me.

There was one particular gentlemen who was working very fastidiously at putting each car on the individual tracks.  Perhaps he was wanting to be patriotic, I'm not really sure.  I didn't particularly notice a lot of flags on the cars and locomotives.  Just an overwhelming number of white cars with red and blue lettering.

Tom 

[chutton01]

a bizarre 6-8 concentric-looped track layout (with rolling stock and locomotives primarily in red, white, and blue) - each track moving contrary to the track on either side of it.

Hmm, where the locomotives and cars covered in patriotic decorations (ala the Bicenntential stuff that Tyco and Lifelike used to market 30 years ago)?  I ask simply because I saw a display at the December 2004 WGH show (Edison, NJ) that sounds the same, and maybe they just take this layout from show to show.

[FRITSCHSR]

From what I heard it cost $190.00 per booth and $30.00 per table needed, so ths I would assume would discourage any junk dealers.

[tstage]

Well, I attended the WGH on Tour train show yesterday in Pittsburgh.  Simon (simon1966) asked those of us who went to give our impressions of it.  So...here is my review.

Initially, I wasn't entirely sure if I was even going to be able to drive the 150 mi. to get to the show.  The trip was contingent on what happend with the aftermath of the lake effect snow warnings that were posted here on Friday.  Thankfully, the 8-12+" that we were supposed to get overnight in NE Ohio, in reality, only ended up being an 1" or so.  (At least where I live.)  Seeing that, I took full advantage of the weather window and left early Saturday morning for Monroeville, just east of Pittsburgh.

 
First impressions 

For those of you who said that you should expect A LOT of people and kids at the WGH show? WOW! - Were you RIGHT!   When I arrived a little after opening (~10:15 AM), the place was already buzzing with activity!  As time went on, there was just a constant, steady flow of adults and kids going in and out of the Monroeville ExpoMart.  I finally left around 3 PM and it was STILL crowded.

 
BIG kid and Small kid friendly environment 

Adults were $9 per head, but kids under 16 could get in for FREE.  There was a Thomas the Train (TtT) activity center on the north side of the ExpoMart, where they had a bunch of TtT track and cars set up for the kids, plus TtT "tents" for the kids to play in.  On the west side of the building they had a 7-1/2" rail train ride loop for both the adults and kids.  Lotsa happy smiles on the riders.  (The kids, too.)

 
Who showed up? 

ALL the major locomotive manufacturers were present at this year's WGH train show:

• Atlas
• Athearn/MDC
• Bachmann
• BLI/PCM/Factory Direct
  
• Bowser/Stewart
• Kato
  
• Lionel
• Marklin/Trix
• MTH
• Walthers
• (Did I leave anyone off?)

Each one of them had a booth and/or display and some type of simple layout running some of their product.  MTH was probably the largest and most impressive visually.  They had a multi-scale loop layout, where they ran their S-, O-, and G-scale product line on.

MTH also had their new K4s circling a separate layout, belching out white smoke.  The K4s - from a sheer visual standpoint of view - didn't look nor run quite as nicely as my Trix 2-8-2 Mike, but were nice looking locomotives just the same.

I also wasn't all that keen on the look of the DCS Commander command station:

It was a little too bulky-looking for me.  (The LCD was nice though.)  I thought the remote throttle was a little better looking.  Even so, the booth and displays were both quite impressive and grabbed your attention.

Speaking of MTH, Mike Wolfe was there at the MTH booth in person.  I saw the big MTH display and setup and looked around to see if Mike was there.  (I'd seen the picture of him in the January 2007 issue of MR magazine, so I sorta knew what he looked like.)  Well, I didn't see him at first.  It wasn't until a few people cleared out from around the large multi-train layout that I understood why.  It turns out that Mike is probably all of 5'-2" tall.  From his reputation, I sorta had in my mind someone bigger in size.  (Funny how your mind works that way.)

Athearn had a very nice display of their product - both current and pre-production units.  I did get to see their pre-released Model A's that they will be releasing in the not-too-distant future.  From what I saw, I thought that they were pretty decent looking.

Bachmann had a couple of layouts set up: A Thomas the Train and an HOn3(?).  I talked to the Trix and Bowser/Stewart reps.  The reps at the Walthers booth looked like they really didn't want to be there.

I'd have to say that the busiest areas were probably MTH, Lionel, and anyone of the booths there were selling O-scale.  They were packed everytime I walked by.  I don't really get into Lionel or 3-rail myself.  But there sure were plenty of folks crowded around the tables that were either selling it...or running it.

 
So...What else is there to see?

Besides the major locomotive players, there was a mixture of national and local shops and businesses represented.  Woodland Scenics was there giving demos and workshops.  The Strausburg and Pennsylvania RR musuems had a booth set up, as well as the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic RR.  However, I didn't see any of the DCC manufacturers there.

Train shops in and around the Pittsburg area - as well as the west portion of PA - were also present at the show and you could pick up just about everything train related that you wanted.  For the most part, prices were good and bargains could be found.  Hoever, I did see a styrene "chopper" that was about 10-15% above MSRP.  Like ANY show or swap meet that you may attend: You GOTTA know your prices BEFORE going.

The one thing that I noticed that was glaring - as compared to the other train shows that I've been to - was the lack of "junk".  There were a few vendors selling off old tyco and AHM cars.  But, for the most part, the majority of the items being sold were new and in box - or at least if good condition.  It made me wondering if there was a considerable booth fee that weed out most of the junk dealers.

This can be both a blessing and a curse.  While in one sense, every Joe Schmo isn't trying to sell you a rear-view mirror cab air freshener hangy thingy for your SD70, some of the older craftsman kits weren't as readily available.  Even so, there was a good variety for everyone looking to buy "something" for there layout or train room.

 
Were there any layouts? 

On the north side of the building - along with the Thomas the Train activity center - there was a number of club layouts/scale available to see in action.

• O - By far the largest in size and scale was the huge 3-track mainline O-scale modular layout.  (I'm guessing that it was maybe 24' x 60'?)  For the most part, the club did a good job of keeping the train speeds below Mach 1.
• S - Only one small shelf-size layout.  Not as well-attend nor as scenicked as the other layouts, but the guy behind the layout made up for it in enthusiasm.
• HO - There were 3 total: A point-to-point, L-shaped with a reversing loop down one of the three points; a small, ye olde days layout; and a bizarre 6-8 concentric-looped track layout (with rolling stock and locomotives primarily in red, white, and blue) - each track moving contrary to the track on either side of it.
• N - Two total.  I thought the N-scale layouts were the best modeled and held the most interest for viewers.  There were lots of things to see and it had some great ideas on it.
• Z - I've never seen a real Z-scale layout in action, but they had one here.  Pretty amazing!  I'm guessing the layout was probably 6 x 6' in size.  The one fella running the layout kept having to tell onlookers to keep their hands from touching the trai