how far???

[Anonymous]

Ok we all attend train shows. How far have you travelled to a specific show. Not on vacation but driven to just for show. How far would you goooooo?[:D]

[egmurphy]

There's one annual national convention/show (I use the term loosely) for model railroading down here in Mexico. There may be a couple of small local shows also, but I'm not sure there are. Nothing near me in any case. We went to the convention last year, and it was a 10 hour drive (each way). We plan on going to the one this year also, and it's being held about 8-9 hours from here.

Hey, you gotta make do with what you have available.

Regards

Ed

[grayfox1119]

I'm more fortunate. One of the top three MRR shows in the U.S. is held each year in Springfield, Mass. I live about 40 miles away from the site. However, if I had to drive a longer distance, I would drive about 250 miles for a yearly show, and if the only show was 500 miles away, that trip I would make maybe once every 3-5 years.

[Jetrock]

20 miles or so--from Sacramento to Roseville, and from Sacramento to Woodland. The annual "International Railfair" show in Roseville beats the pants of Sacramento GATS, and the extra gas used is more than compensated for by the cheaper admission and better selection. The Woodland club show/sale is free and features a lot of local club exhibits, so it's also worth the drive--and one can take back roads to parallel the old Sacramento Northern interurban line, which is fun in itself!

[Bikerdad]

2,300 miles.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Bikerdad

2,300 miles.

How can I possibly compete with that? Great Britain is only 900miles long from top to bottom[:D] I hear there's a good show in Hamburg, Germany .... [;)]

[Anonymous]

I've gone about 150 miles for a train show.

[canazar]

I took the whole famn damily down to Tucson for a show. 300 total round trip.. I drove almost 5 hours for 1.5 hours of shopping. Shame it was so small too.

Oh well, still fun..


John Kanicsar

[twhite]

well--like Jetrock, to Roseville (I didn't know about Woodland until just now), but unlike Jetrock, it's only about an eight mile drive from Carmichael. And the Roseville show is just about as good as it gets, at least from my point of view. Besides, the fairgrounds are right across from the UP (ex-SP) main north to Portland, so even if the show gets boring (HAH!) there's usually a train coming by every hour.
Tom

[dragenrider]

Measured in hours, I'd say four. I don't have any big train shows close so this month it's over to Memphis, next month down to Little Rock and up to Springfield, Missouri. Me and some friends car pool to save money. That gives us more to spend at the train show and eat out on! [dinner]

[Anonymous]

Bakersfield, CA - about 40 miles/45 minutes (the only show I've been to so far).
I'm thinking about attending the show in Long Beach later this month - about 80 miles/1.5 to 2 hours.

[trolleyboy]

My limit is an hour and a half for Toronto or london ON shows.We have 2or three other yearly shows within a 10 or 15 min driving range that I attend each year as well so I don't have to drive the megamillage. Rob

[SilverSpike]

About 35 miles, 70 round trip!

[NZRMac]

About 5 minutes!! We have our annual train show right here in town just down the road abit. LUCKY aye.

Ken

[Pruitt]

250 miles, to the Amherst show this year.

[orsonroy]

I regularly attend the Madison show (75 miles) and the Peoria show (175 miles). I think the farthest I've driven just for a swapmeet.show was to the 2001 NMRA convention in St Louis - 300 miles one way.

[simon1966]

I'm a bit down on train shows at the moment. I hauled about 60 miles to the Wentzville, MO, GATS show last year and did not enjoy the cramped vendor area with little or nothing priced well.

[Anonymous]

"0" I don't attend train shows. I will not pay for the opportunity to buy something and I also object to the Model Magazines giving free advertising to these shows, especially when the money goes into someone's pocket and not to a group that needs the cash.

Rick

[AggroJones]

I catch 2 different buses to get to GATS when it comes to Cal Expo. Thats about 10 miles. No single bus from my location can get me anywhere near there. So I gotta transfer.

Any show in Roseville is simply to far. I don't have a magic carpet and no buses travel that far northeast.

[BRVRR]

I have driven 125 miles one way to a major train show. Models and 1:1 scale. I intend a visit to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry this summer, via AMTRAK, with my grandson to see their new layout. If I can swing it, a visit to Steamtown in Pennsylvania is on the docket for the summer too. About 250 miles.

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys, I told my wife I wasn't the only one who would drive 2-3 hours to a good rail show. I go to as many as possible each year. Probably 5-6 a year.

[dmoore74]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jesionowski

"0" I don't attend train shows. I will not pay for the opportunity to buy something and I also object to the Model Magazines giving free advertising to these shows, especially when the money goes into someone's pocket and not to a group that needs the cash.

Rick

A lot depends on who is operating the show. The shows do not pay for themselves and the bigger the show the bigger the expense of operating it. Our recent show sponsored by the Amherst Railway Society attracted over 17,000 ticketed visitors. The people who run the show are volunteers and the society is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) not for profit, educational organization. A portion of the admission fee covers the operating cost of the show. Any excess goes for grants to other non-profit rail oriented groups to further their projects. Since 1991 the Amherst Railway Society has given nearly $300,000 in grants to advance rail related projects. Check the web site: www.AmherstRail.org for more details.
BTW the magazines may give you a 2 or 3 line listing for free but anything beyond that you do have to pay for.
The really big benefit of a show is getting to see lots of dealers as well as manufacturers in one place. Layouts can give you new ideas and clinics can introduce you to new techniques. For many people the show is also a social event where they can catch up with fellow model railroaders.

[davekelly]

How far? Living out here in the wilds of West Texas, shows are few and far between. Last fall, while deciding on whether to travel to Dallas for an unrelated reason, my fiance discovered that there was a show in Ft. Worth and thought it would be cool to attend (is she a keeper or what?). So a 300 mile each way trip. Was the show the biggest I've seen? Nope. Was it fun to attend and see the operating layouts, the bunches of friendly people doin' the train thing and see more stuff for sale than the LHS has room for? Yup yup yup.

[RoyalOaker]

I am fortunate that a local RR club sponsers a show about 15 minutes away from me twice a year. The past few shows I was at had about 450-500 tables and many operating layouts to enjoy.

[CBQ_Guy]

Oh, I think the farthest (furthest?) I've gone to a train function is probably up to the Chicago area which, at the time, was close to 100 miles from where I used to live. That was to attend the Great Midwest Train show held each month up in the DuPage County Fairground, or to a Burlington Historical Society meet in LaGrange or Aurora.

Most of the time I go about 60 miles or so to train shows in Peoria, Bloomington, and once in a great while to Galesburg . . . all in Illinois.

I've had offers of rides to go to Wisconsin to Milwaukee or Madison in the past, but I don't really like travelling much, and now with my rheumatoid arthritis, it's downright painful to sit in a vehicle that long.