sfrailfan wrote: well, although most of the bigger shows will have mod layouts and vendors, what else were you looking for. -no dancing girls! i'm glad you found a unique vendor once but part of this hobby is looking for stuff. like the stack of detail parts that I saw at the Springfield train show yesterday.... oooooooohhh yeah I'm about to post my convo with an Athearn exec. I won't post his name although, I did get it. -RUMORS DISPELLED! and if you don't find what you were looking for maybe you scratch build it!
well, although most of the bigger shows will have mod layouts and vendors, what else were you looking for. -no dancing girls! i'm glad you found a unique vendor once but part of this hobby is looking for stuff. like the stack of detail parts that I saw at the Springfield train show yesterday.... oooooooohhh yeah I'm about to post my convo with an Athearn exec. I won't post his name although, I did get it. -RUMORS DISPELLED!
and if you don't find what you were looking for maybe you scratch build it!
jag193 wrote: It's very interesting to see all of these comments. I have felt the same way and spent most of my time at train shows looking for the bargains among the old Central Valley Kits and out-of-production items. The do seem to get stale pretty quickly. There are exceptions ... the big national shows, especially. I realize that we can't get to many of them in our lifetime but they are amazing. Went to the most recent Narrow Gauge convention in Portland, ME, and it was fantastic. All of the manufacturers were there. I promised that I would be good and spend no more than $500. I wasn't very good ... closer to $1000.I've just switched from HO, after 20 years, to On30 and I have lots of stuff to get rid of. Since I have always been unimpressed with people selling leftovers from their home layouts, I have been selling off all of those out-of-production and craftsman type kits I accumulated but never got to on my own layout. I've also added the less expensive stuff if still in the original box and never touched by me.I think it's our current economy, that causes most of the shoppers to just "kick tires" rather than buy. Most of my 200 or so Branchline Kits, for example, go for about $10. I've got a couple of FSM kits that have sat through three shows in Sarasota at $50 a piece. Those of us thinning collections and getting rid of personal stock are still out there but there just don't seem to be the buyers in my neck of the woods. Oh well ... I'll be at the next Sarasota meeting in a couple of weeks trying again to get rid of my HO unbuilt kits, etc., trying to finance my new On30 layout. The shows are fun, if nothing else, spending a day or two talking "trains" with like-minded souls. What other chance do I have to spend $10 for two days of that fellowship? Jim
It's very interesting to see all of these comments. I have felt the same way and spent most of my time at train shows looking for the bargains among the old Central Valley Kits and out-of-production items. The do seem to get stale pretty quickly.
There are exceptions ... the big national shows, especially. I realize that we can't get to many of them in our lifetime but they are amazing. Went to the most recent Narrow Gauge convention in Portland, ME, and it was fantastic. All of the manufacturers were there. I promised that I would be good and spend no more than $500. I wasn't very good ... closer to $1000.
I've just switched from HO, after 20 years, to On30 and I have lots of stuff to get rid of. Since I have always been unimpressed with people selling leftovers from their home layouts, I have been selling off all of those out-of-production and craftsman type kits I accumulated but never got to on my own layout. I've also added the less expensive stuff if still in the original box and never touched by me.
I think it's our current economy, that causes most of the shoppers to just "kick tires" rather than buy. Most of my 200 or so Branchline Kits, for example, go for about $10. I've got a couple of FSM kits that have sat through three shows in Sarasota at $50 a piece. Those of us thinning collections and getting rid of personal stock are still out there but there just don't seem to be the buyers in my neck of the woods. Oh well ... I'll be at the next Sarasota meeting in a couple of weeks trying again to get rid of my HO unbuilt kits, etc., trying to finance my new On30 layout. The shows are fun, if nothing else, spending a day or two talking "trains" with like-minded souls. What other chance do I have to spend $10 for two days of that fellowship?
Jim
I used to go to the GATS shows in Las Vegas every October until they stopped. They were getting stale seeing the same vendors and items...more oddball stuff as the years went by (books, R.R. signs, lamps), but I never went away without a deal or two.
I rounded out my collection of back issue MR and MRC at those shows
Bob Berger, C.O.O. N-ovation & Northwestern R.R. My patio layout....SEE IT HERE
There's no place like ~/ ;)
joseph2 wrote:Eureka,combine a train show with a gun show.At the very least we would see something new.Wouldn't have to be in the same room but have two admissions for the price of one. I also enjoy going to Hara arena or NMRA divisional shows. For me the price of gas is the biggest issue. Joe
Sounds to me like the annual Toy Train Show at the State Fairgrounds in Nashville. One building has the Gun Show, the other has the Train Show. Both share the same parking lot. You do have to be careful not to bump into another guy's truck. It can be a bit of a shock to see guys walking around with their guns.
The train show vendors tend to be the same every year. With the price of Gas & stuff, I expect to pay a fair price for most items. It takes a sharp eye to pick up the items on my "want list". It's always fun to see where the vendors are from. ThenI can look them up when I go traveling.