Trainfest Milwaukee, 2015

The Kalmbach Publishing booth offers books, magazines, and DVDs from all of our railroad-related titles.

Trainfest 2015 in Milwaukee is now in the history books. This huge show is a magnet for families, model railroaders, fans of prototype railroading, and people who might be a bit nostalgic about yesteryear in general.

Model Railroader Video Plus producer (and former CTT staffer) Kent Johnson helps set up the booth.

The layout of the floor was a major departure from previous years. Manufacturers had been set up in a single area on the south side of the hall to allow a Friday night special event. This year that area was filled with operating layouts and a children’s activity area. The manufacturers were scattered out around the hall for an interesting change of scene.

A few hours later the display and kid's activity ares would be jammed with people!

Though many people visit the Kalmbach booth, the majority aren’t Classic Toy Trains readers. Rather, they often express often life-long ties to Model Railroader and Trains magazines, both of which were founded by Al Kalmbach in Milwaukee more than 75 years ago.

I recall at the first Trainfest I worked, an elderly gentleman approached me. He had come down from Minnesota for the event. He told me that he had been on the Speedrail train that was wrecked during the Labor Day 1950 NMRA convention in Milwaukee. The collision happened near National Ave. in Greenfield, when two trains hit head-on, killing a 8 people (two more died later) and injuring 46. 

Joe Russ wrote an excellent summary of the wreck here: http://my.execpc.com/~jruss/NMRAspeedrail.html

As he recounted the story, tears began to fill his eyes and he said that Al Kalmbach himself had come to the hospital to meet he and the other injured passengers.   He said that he was still a fan of model railroading and had become a Kalmbach customer for life. He added that he just wanted to thank the company for Al Kalmbach's actions in the wake of the disaster.

The story left me speechless, but it clearly indicated the bond that people had with this crazy hobby, and how it can change your life. I like to think that in its own way, Trainfest helps preserve that fraternity.

Founded in 1949, the Milwaukee LionelRailroader's Club is a mainstay of local shows.

The Milwaukee Lionel club displayed one large modular layout and two smaller layouts.

Here are some of the vendors and displays in the hall. The only reason someone was omitted was because my Kodak Junkatron digital camera failed in the exposure department! Enjoy!!

Prewar and modern style trains were showcased on one of the small layouts.

Nice detailing and the eternal Gateman were also displayed by the Milwaukee club.

The Midwest Division of the Train Collectors Association shows the flag at Trainfest.

Operators can build some long trains in the yards on the TCA layout.

Colorful Sunoco tankers receive oil at a station on the TCA layout.

Ron Schlicht displays a nicely finished S gauge layout at Trainfest.

The backdrop sets a nice scene for what might be a show attendee's first exposure to S gauge.

The S gauge layout is a neat mix of postwar Gilbert trains and accessories and modern scenery techniques.

The Chicago LGB collectors had a giant operating floor display at Trainfest.

LEGO train enthusiasts had a nice display of structures and trains that look compatible with an O gauge layout.

The LEGO operation included a Bangor & Aroostook streamliner!

The Lionel Railroad Club of Southeastern Wisconsin has a traditional layout with a height that would let kiddies see everything!

A striking feature of the layout was a wind farm.

The Standard Gauge association had a neat display of heavy metal trains!

Being in Milwaukee, the city's brewing tradition was saluted!

The Standard Gauge Association display featured a beautiful station canopy to protect embarking passengers.

The Atlas display included O gauge locomotives, inter model gear, the new steel coil cars, and Zephyr passenger cars.

Both Lionel and the Lionel Collectors Club of America had a prominent spot near the main entrance.

The MTH display features O and Ho layouts, and O, S, and HO products.

The Bachmann booth featured the full range of Bachmann model railroad products, including the Williams by Bachmann line.