Being there’s a lot of postings going on about trains shows and our likes and dislikes with them as far as pricing and crowds go etc. I thought I would throw my two cents worth into the mix. I went up to the Allentown train show this past weekend and I would rate it as an Ok experience but not waste my time ever going back again. My reason, well the entry fee was fair $6.00 the parking was not an issue at least for me any way, no super sardine can crowds to speak of but the thing that bugged me was there seemed to be a never ending sea of orange and blue boxes with the words Lionel Trains as far as the eye could see. Now don’t get me wrong not detracting from the O and S scale crown as they have some pretty darned neat stuff but I’m an HO guy and not at all interested in what they have for sale. So when I/you guys go to a train show Do you want to see everything or mainly just what you model. For me I much prefer to go to a scale select show if you will. I want to see what I model and not waste my time wading through table after table of toys and novelty items. Heck one year we were at a Greenburg show up here in Edison, NJ and some joker flying a model helicopter almost beaned one of the guys in our group in the head.Well to the point of my long winded diatribe while at the Allentown show I was handed a flyer buy a person at the Funaro & Camerlengo table showing that Howard Zane is promoting a new or should I say another train show in Ellicott City Maryland on Nov. 27 & 28th Thanksgiving weekend at the Turf Valley Resort which according to Map Quest is some 35 miles south of Timonium from the gist of what I read was that this show was going to be more geared towards the toy train crown and have a little bit of everything. One of the folks at the table mentioned if I interested tables would be going for $35, who knows might be worth it to clean out all of my stuff in one shot, I think I’m going to put it to the club this week and maybe we’ll put a few tables together, lord knows we have enough stuff we’ll never use. Now from what some of the older guys in the club have told me and I can’t say this for a fact or not but the Timonium show used to be for the most part a scale train show and had no toys or Tin Plate stuff some of you may know if this is fact or not.On thing that does really impress me is that even in this climate of economic uncertainty he’s willing to stick his neck out and promote yet another train show. I personally think this is great a good sign for the hobby and all of us with in a reasonable driving distance to check out one more train show. So what do you guys think should train shows be geared more towards one specific scales or should they encompass the entire hobby and what about the “toy” vendors the stuff that has absolutely nothing do to with model railroading do you want to see them at your train shows, I know I don’t. Hey what the heck can’t think of a better way to walk off all that Turkey.N besides no self-respecting train guy would rather watch football then go to a train show.
Thanks
I'm including a link to TVR's website man you have to check this place out, worth going to even if I did have to have the wife along in tow.