I'm planning on going and really looking forward to it. Due to other commitments, I have not been able to attend for about a dozen years. I should be working at the B&MRRHS table.
Modeling the B&M Railroad during the transition era in Lowell, MA
Another addition to the show even if it's not a model.
For 2017, the Boothbay Railway Village will be bringing a live steam engine to the Railroad Hobby Show. The locomotive was built by the H K Porter Company in Pittsburgh in 1925 for the Raritan Copper Company in New Jersey. H K Porter specialized in industrial locomotives, and the Boothbay locomotive was one of eleven owned by Raritan Copper. The 2-foot gauge engine will be set up outdoors at the Railroad Hobby Show, operating on approximately 100 feet of track under its own steam power. Boothbay Railway Village operates a fully certified boiler shop and completed restoration of the H K Porter locomotive in 2014.
I think we know enough not to trust long range weather forecasts, but for now they're calling for moderate temperatures and no snow. Let's hope they're at least close!
Jim
Global warming for the Amhearst show! Dang, I wish it was a bit warmer when I visited - it was BITTER when I went on a few occasions.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
From now to at least the 29th, WC predicts forty to fifty with maybe rain the second day of the show. Sat 40 degrees and partly sunny. Sunday 40% chance of rain and 39 F.
BUT, this is New England.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Bundy74 Don't forget to swing through Palmer and check out The Steaming Tender and Palmer Hobbies.
Don't forget to swing through Palmer and check out The Steaming Tender and Palmer Hobbies.
Palmer Hobbies will be open special hours during the show. Friday-10:00 to 6:30, Saturday-10:00 to 6:00 and Sunday-1:00 to 7:00. They are at 1428 Main St. in Palmer. 413-284-0070
Got ticket today.
Typical N.E. W.C. forecast. Sat 60% chance snow and 32 F. Sunday, snow showers and 31 F. Ten to twenty mph winds. Dress for it.
One week to go and counting. Check your shopping lists and check out the vendor locations. Remember comfortable shoes.
riogrande5761I wish it was a bit warmer when I visited - it was BITTER when I went on a few occasions.
I remember setting up our booth and the BLC was frigid because the freight doors were open to let vehicles inside to unload. One time there had been snow earlier in the day, and a lot of vehicles had snow and ice on them, particularly in the wheel wells, which fell off on the floor. Made a mess.
Same when packing up; we knew it was time to hurry up and get out then the red Operation Lifesaver tractor came in the building to remove their 20' container display.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
G PaineI remember setting up our booth and the BLC was frigid because the freight doors were open to let vehicles inside to unload. One time there had been snow earlier in the day, and a lot of vehicles had snow and ice on .
Wish I could go.I have a friend in Windsor Locks, just 40 miles away but I live in the UK and can't find the fare. Pity. It would probably save me the fair in postage that wouldn't need paying. My friend isn't a model railroader but is a railroad nut but I can't get him to go:-(
David
Long Haired DavidA.K.A. David Penningtonmain man on the Sunset and North Eastern R.R.http://www.gmrblog.co.ukfrom the UK
Weather looking good. Partly cloudy Thirty eight to forty F and ten to fifteen mph winds. If you drive and get there early enough, Memo's right across the street from the former entrance. It will be crowded.
Here is the Boothbay Railway Village press release about the Porter locomotive at Springfield and the restoration work that has been done in our shop
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Boothbay-Railway-Village-is-Making-History-in-Springfield--MA-this-week--.html?soid=1116012907483&aid=ltgLRMEBWv4
After all the buildup in this thread, you'd figure somebody would have updated day of. Well, until someone trustworthy does, I will report my experience today - it was much the same of a sameness.Yep, the Boothbay Railway locomotive was steaming outside on a short section of (narrow gauge) between BLC and Young Building, although I didn't get to see it move, and yep the Mt Washington Cog Railway engine 'Peppersass' was in the south end of the Mallary Complex (on the yellow trailer which hauled it to the venue I suppose) and yep the 1/87 Vehicle Club was there in force (it looked like they had more tables than before, but that may be just faulty memory) and yep I brought a few items that I could use (mostly tools, but also yet another roco DB open wagon - not sure why except I like 'em) and yep I messed up, forgot the time, and got to the retro-diner food concession in the Young Building - boy that line was long (as usual) but luckily people were eating fast and there was room upstairs - this time I took some images of the crowd.Actually, I took a lot of images of the event (like I have done in previous years) but realized that I had already taken images of lots of the interesting stuff on the layouts and modules exhibited in years past (the HO Free-Mo layout seemed longer than last year - maybe one day it will eventuall line the Mallary building - use duckunders to let people in and out). Didn't seem to be much new to me at least*. Also, for some reason it seemed less crowded than last year, again probably my confirmation bias. I think I'll give the show a pass next year, lest it really get stale to me. At least this year I got to scenic and keep that darn Woodland Scenics "corner hillside" diorama, although the glue they gave me was wonky.OK, I also thought the G-scale operating container unloader was pretty cool, but around then there was an announcement that somebody who was the "Grandfather of Model Railroading" would be available for photos by some booth at 11:00. The Grandfather? o_O Wha...? Godfather maybe, but...this guy 120 years old or something? I didn't go.*Cavet - I think it's on the Amherst Belt layout in the BLC, but when you see the HO module with the ruined buildings and missle silo that's based on the Fallout 4 game, set in post-apocalyptic Massachusetts in about 2287, 210 years or so after the final nuclear phase of the resource war between the US and China in 2077. OK, that module was a nice touch.
Back from the show. Good bus ride and a fun time.
A lot of folks there, will be interested to see when someone posts on here just how many were there.
Yes, there was the same stuff at the same booths, same layouts, but since I can't see all the stuff because there's so much to see, saw a lot I didn't see last year. I found some used offerings that I bought along with a few new detail type things. Didn't find some things that I might have been willing to part with some of my cash for.
Lunch lines were long, I too forgot, went to the wrong place at the wrong time, but got to talk with a nice family also waiting to be served. I do think they take advantage of the situation, $3 for a bottle of water is a bit much, but....
Jim was busy trying to get his credit card reader to work, so didn't get a chance to more than say Hi! One layouts radio controlls were messing up, causing major panic among the operators, but that goes along with the old theory, as soon as some one comes to see your layout, something goes wrong.
Did have some nice chats with some of the dealers, some I have talked to before, there or elsewhere, also with some new folks. Would have liked to have rewarded them for their time by buying things, but $$$ and layout space are limited.
Found something I had bought a one booth for $10 less at another, a hazard of such a large show and not being able to look at all offerings before purchasing.
Enjoy the layouts, as even though they are the same or similar to last year, who can remember all the detail from previous viewings?
At this time I plan to hop on the bus again next if someone can take over the job. Thanks Tom, have enjoyed the annual rides you have orchestrated.
Have fun,
Richard
chutton01Yep, the Boothbay Railway locomotive was steaming outside on a short section of (narrow gauge) between BLC and Young Building
I had posted this earlier on WPF, along with a couple of links to Facebook. One of our volunteers sent it to me. Boothbay Railway Village had a lot of interest in the old Porter; we had about 100 feet of 2 foot gauge panel track to run it on.
Since Mr. Paine has included images of the Boothbay Loco, I guess I should include my images of the other star of the expo, the Peppersass.From the front, perched on it's trailer:
And from the back:And for the completeness of it, the Boothbay Railway loco from the Front (no impressive steaming in this shot I'm afraid):And from the back:And now I must make a major correction to my original summary of the expo: Upon reviewing the images, I realize the Amherst Beltlines layout's "Fallout 4" module mentioned the oceans had dried up (and represented this by a Texaco tanker model beached on a dried up sea bed). Since the oceans still exist in Fallout (indeed several missions in Fallout 4 involve Boston Harbor among other water ways), clearly the builders added elements of the recent Mad Max films.Typical model railroaders, selectively compressing and free-lancing the post-apocalyptic world...
I have s question i want to go to this show next year but it seems as though it is spread all over. How accessible is it do I need to rent a scooter to get around? I can only walk short distances)
Joe Staten Island West
All 4 buildings are next to each other, but there is a lot of ground to cover. My dad and I took 3 1/2 hours for the whole show, and we have no issues walking.
Also, most of it is concrete floors, the crowds (on Saturday anyway) are very full, and the aisles can get packed. I would recommend renting a scooter if you usually need it. (And get one with a good horn on it)
Modeling whatever I can make out of that stash of kits that takes up half my apartment's spare bedroom.
Has anyone heard what the paid attendance was this year? Our guys at the show thought it might be a record.
Joe,
As mentioned above, the buildings are quite close to each other and covered (tent type) walkways go between them in case of bad weather. There is a lot of walking just to walk the aisles in the buildings. My friend had a rolling walker with a seat, gave him a place to sit down when he felt the need.
They do list a special needs section on their web site, you could check and see what they have available.
Another thing to check is the list of charter busses coming to the show. I take one from Vermont and we park within 200' of the main door. There are busses from several places, Cape Cod, Boston, Long Island and NYC as well as ours. I presume each has their own adjenda as to sign up etc. Our bus arrives at 10:15 and leaves at 4:30, you can walk through all the buildings, but can't stop to see everything in that amount of time. This year I made a list of the booths I wanted to check out, then sorted it in booth number order. Saved a lot of wondering and I had time to look at booths I was passing along the way between planned stops. The walk from the parking lot can be very long if you get there late. If you have a handicapped pass, I thing there is a lot much closer than the regular one.
Hope you can make it next year, it's quite an experience. I've been the last several years and plan to go again. Even though there may be the same things as last year, you can't look at it all in one year, so I have always found new things to look at.
Good luck,
Not me but from the stuff I have seen on you tube I would LOVE to go
On another forum the rumor was 19,000 over 2 days, not sure how accurate that is or how it stacks up in previous years. To me the crowd seemed a bit less packed than last year, but that may just be confirmation bias on my part.There were certainly a number of men (I only saw males using them) using walkers of various types at the expo (I always gave them right of way, no reason not to), but I don't seem to recall anyone on a mobility scooter. If you have a bit of mobility problem, note that there really aren't all that many seats (benches really) in the halls, usually there are one or two benches by the entrances and the restrooms, and ISTR some picnic benches by the concessions in Mallary, but don't count on finding a seat in the middle of a building.
11,000+ on Saturday, 7000+ on Sunday. Dont remember exact number but it was more than 19000.
chutton01There were certainly a number of men (I only saw males using them) using walkers of various types at the expo (I always gave them right of way, no reason not to), but I don't seem to recall anyone on a mobility scooter.
There were several, from children through senior citizens.
joe323 I have s question i want to go to this show next year but it seems as though it is spread all over. How accessible is it do I need to rent a scooter to get around? I can only walk short distances)
Every September there is huge New England show and a company rents scooters at the main entrance
Don't think this would be economically possible for a small show.
I did email the Amherst Railway Society to think about this possibility with maybe an online rental to have one available by email. Similar to reserving a car online
Maybe the society can work something out with the Big E. Technology is evolving.
The walkways are covered but enough snow between walkways could be an issue for the Big E to keep clear.
I have been going to the show for many years and know what the weather is like.
BMMECNYC 11,000+ on Saturday, 7000+ on Sunday. Dont remember exact number but it was more than 19000.
I was told that there were 19,541 through the gates, plus about 3750 show crew and vendors, for a total of 23,291 +/-.
I had a table there and sold out all the items I intended to sell the first day, and disappointed those who stopped by the second day.
I saw a number of folks using scooters at the show, as well as some wheel chairs, plenty of walkers too. In the "special needs" section of their site they do mention renting wheel chairs and scooters, but contact them first.
One great thing about the scooters and this show is that the aisles are wide so a scooter does not become a rolling road block like at some other shows. Had a great weekend up there. After 20 straight years attending still a great show that I look forward to every year. ------ Ken
maxman BMMECNYC 11,000+ on Saturday, 7000+ on Sunday. Dont remember exact number but it was more than 19000. I was told that there were 19,541 through the gates, plus about 3750 show crew and vendors, for a total of 23,291 +/-. I had a table there and sold out all the items I intended to sell the first day, and disappointed those who stopped by the second day. He who hesitates is lost !!! Great loads there Loadman !! ---- Ken