Midwest Central Railroad Club Train Show (Illinois)

[Darth Santa Fe]

I ran across this show on-line while looking for any train shows in the Central Illinois area, and it sounds like it might be a good one to go to. https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/kkessler/www/mwc/mwc_show_information.htm Has anyone been to this show before? Is it a pretty good one? Are there a lot of HO scale sale tables?

[Darth Santa Fe]

Well, the show is coming up this weekend, so if no-one else has been there before, I guess I'll be the first to know what it's like.

Is anyone else going to be there? I'm planning on going Saturday.

[Cox 47]

Its a nice show I have been there 5 or 6 years...Lots dealers and layouts and it doesn't cost anything to get in!...Cox 47

[inch53]

Me n the wife were there last year, not much shopping around for her, but the there were some good deals on HO. Wish we could make up there this year, but it's not happening.

inch

[bartoli]

It's not a bad show.  Usually has quite a few display layouts...

Has a mix of stuff in all scales.  The last few times I've been there there was a fair amount of Lionel and G gauge stuff along with HO and N.

Admission price is right!

[Pdragon]

   If you're within a fifty mile radius, I'd say it's worth the trip. I live in the adjoining city, Champaign, so it no trouble. The show takes up most of the 'open' space. There are usually two to three HO setups as well as other scales. As there are no LHS's that I would regard as true 'railroad hobbies shops' in this area (walls of tiny bags filled with detailing stuff, shelves of engines and rolling stock, wooden floors, staffed with people who are knowledgeable of railroads both real and model and don't look at you like you have three heads when you ask about Northeastern railroads and models while you're standing here in the Midwest, etc... excuse me; I'm salivating), it's a pretty good chance to shop. Hope to see you there! 

[Darth Santa Fe]

Thanks guys for giving the good feedback on the show. Now that I know all that, I won't have to worry about being disappointed. I'll be the guy looking for things like a Hobbytown E chassis, a Rivarossi Dockside, maybe a Spectrum Shay, a Tyco Chattanooga, possibly some old brass by Alco...

Hope to see some of you guys there, and actually know it.

[mlehman]

Darth,

You might find some of those at the Lincoln Square Show, but probably not all in the same year. But good luck and it is worth the trip if you're an hour or so away. I'd say two hours, but with the price of gas these days, I suppose that would depend on more than just your model budget.

I always attend this show, but I'll be in Idaho at a conference this year. Do look for the Illinois Terminal Division, NMRA table and say hi.