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I’m thinking about attending this show for the first time - can anyone tell me a bit about the previous shows? Is it worth the trip? Thanks.
People travel as far as the UK yearly, to attend this show.
While I don’t know how far you have to travel to the show, I think it is worth the trip. Myself I went to this show for the last 7 or 8 years and will go again this year again. For me it is a 7 hours drive one way and sometime crossing Vermont in winter is risky with slippery roads and bad weather. We leave home on Friday and return on Monday morning.
One of the biggest show in Eastern USA the crowd on Sunday noon can be overwhelming but it gets bearable later on in the afternoon. Sunday normally has less attendance.
Some deals can be found but they tend to be fewer than years pasts, you have to look closely for them. Fortunately I am getting to know whose vendors have deals and go to their boots first thing on Saturday morning. Most manufacturers are presents, a huge number of layout in all scales are to be seen and of course many dealers offering new and used items and the usual junk.
Here is a link : http://www.railroadhobbyshow.com/index.asp
Well…it is essentially the biggest show there is, with a wide diversity of items available in every scale, new products on display and many manufacturers, large and small, in attendence. There’s a great deal to see, including many operating layouts in all scales. Most of the folks, including the layout operators/club reps are freindly and helpful regarding questions. There are usually a number of modeling clinics offered but be sure to get to them early and get a seat down front or it could be difficult to see everything. These are among the pros.
Cons include occasions when the display halls can be excessively overcrowded making it difficult to getting around and have a good look at all the dealer’s tables (watch out too for the families with strollers!). Depending on your arrival time, parking (which is charged for) can leave you with quite a walk in what is often very cold (I’ve seen it below zero) and inclement weather, to say nothing about travelling to an from the site at this time of year. And…in my experience, while you can find just about any currently in production item available somewhere in the halls, it’s not a great place to find real bargins - although you will probably hear this judged to be just the opposite by someone who just happened to find something special he’d been looking for.
Certainly, the Amherst show is worth attending at least once just to evaulate it yourself and maybe even just for the unique experience of seeing 10,000-20,000 hobbyists all in one place!
CNJ831
I travel only 2 hours but it is well worth it. I think it is the best in the northeast with Syracuse a close second.
I belong to the Amherst Railway Society and have been going for at least 20 years. It use to be one building. Now four buildings. Very close to the West Springfield railroad yard and right across the CT river is the Springfield Train station. Lots of train watching.
Go to the Link provided and you can see the building layouts. Print them and take them with you. There will be updated list of vendor names and locations which can help a lot. The pages usually show up sometime around the first week of January.
The is an ATM with usual long lines. Plenty of food. In the Better Living Center there is even a Dunkin Donuts setup.
Some people say the Springfield rr show and confuse some. It is in West Springfield, MA
No more free parking because of security. Free parking went out with 9/11. Probably not justified but that is life. Big parking lot so dress warmly if it is a cold day.
Rich
All-
Thanks for the great responses. Im in NE NJ which makes the trip approximately 150 miles each way. Since general consesus seems to be very positive, I think I’ll make the trip…
I went a couple of years back. It’s about a 2-hour drive for me, easy in good weather. On the other hand, if it’s snow or freezing rain, well, I had my 20-minute commute stretched to 4 hours one day last year, so be very aware that New England weather plays havoc with the roads.
To put it mildly, this is a great show. I don’t go looking for big-ticket items, but I like to browse the small-item vendors. How about a rack with a complete selection of Tichy Train windows for scratchbuilding? Lots of J.L. Innovative parts, including every gas pump they make, and all the oil barrels, too. Greenway Products was there, with a big selection of their beer reefers.
You could spend all day just looking at all the layouts, too. If you go, you won’t be disappointed.
It’s likely that Springfield is the largest train show in the world, and will be held on January 24th and 25th, 2009.
http://www.railroadhobbyshow.com
Here’s a link to the current floor plan to give folks an idea of it’s size:
http://www.railroadhobbyshow.com/pdf/44.pdf
Note that there are four buildings to look through.
I’ve been going to this show since it was in one building (the Better Living Center), but after it went to 2-days. This would make it between 1991 and 1995, so for 13 to 17 years or so. I’ve never had a bad show. Even if I don’t get what I want, I still have a lot of fun.
It helps that my club rents out a couple tables to display and advertise our club. This gives us a place to sit and rest, to put our coats and purchases down, to store refreshments, etc. I go out there for both days, all day, and I still don’t see everything. I also get to talk to a lot of friends that I only see at Springfield.
Saturday mornings are incredibly crowded, so be prepared for walls of humanity. But Saturday mornings are also the times of the best selection, so if you want to hard-to-find objects at good prices, you have to deal with the crowding.
Sundays are much more relaxed. Probably half the numbe of people are there. Sat. usually is 13,000 attendees, while Sunday is around 7,000. However, a lot of items went out the door on Saturday…
To me, Springfield is not just a train show, it’s an “Event”, and not to be missed.
Where else can you talk to Atlas, Athearn, Walthers, Bowser, Overland, Kadee, Lionel, MTH, Lenz, Digitrax, MRC, Bachmann, Broadway Limited, City Classics, Tichy, Jay-Bee, and&nb
Paul, try to keep this accurate. It is West Springfield, not Springfield. Springfield is on the east side of the Connecticut River and West Springfield is on West side of the CT River. Two completely different cities. In the past I have known people who came in on Rt 90 and merged onto Rt 291 looking around Springfield for the train show. They eventually found someone who told them to go into West Springfield.
Every year there are people who say Springfield and confuse others. Many never check the web site for show directions.
Map. Again, the left side is West Springfield, the right side Springfield.
Rich
Great show. 2 suggestions: (1) Get your tickets by mail in advance. The ticket office is outside and it can get cold standing in that slow line. (2) Bring your own lunch as the concession stand is very crowded, expensive, etc.
I’ve gone about 10 times in the past 15 years or so and have never been disappointed. The commute for me in southern NH is about 2 hours and well worth it. I don’t come home with a ton of stuff, but part of the experience is the browsing and talking to the vendors. Sometimes you find a great deal, sometime you don’t.
About 5 years ago, I came home with 3 Athearn blue box GP9’s all custom painted in the B&M blue bird scheme, all for $10. One required quite a bit of cleaning to get it running, the other two ran almost perfectly the first time I put them on the track. All three are still in service, now on a fellow club member’s layout since my switch to N scale.
As stated before, be sure you check out the site for all the details including directions, and purchasing tickets ahead of time. When I went two years ago, I was sitting outside in the cold with my step son waiting to buy tickets for 20 or so minutes in just a sweat shirt. This was my poor thinking I’d be walking around inside most of the time and not wanting to carry a coat! I’ll think twice this year.
Other suggestions - bring a canvas bag, preferably with shoulder straps. The show is a good place to get lots of literature and catalogs. I sometimes prefer to study a catalog and then confirm something on the web.
Also, if you think you might want to buy something, study it in advance so that you know exactly what’s available. The show is also a great place to discover small vendors you might never find any other place. Get their business cards, phone numbers and websites.
When I first started visiting this show, I was totally bewildered even though I’m an experienced model railroader . It takes several visits to find where everything is, whether it is worth visiting and how to navigate. There is a surprising amount of full scale gear here too. The general layout of the show is quite similar year to year although specific vendors and exhibits move around a lot. You will find all levels here from tinplate to scratch craftsman, live steam and “ride upon” gauges.
Finally, if you see something you want and it looks like a fair price, buy it. It’s quite difficult to “comparison shop” here for the best deal. You may find the same item you bought a little cheaper later. Get over it.
Ditto all that advice about buying tickets by mail, dress warmly, the long walks, etc. I found it better to approach the show from the west (I think it’s rte.147) because the right turn into the show is easier. Last year, they moved the huge parking lot further east, faking you out to thinking that you went past the show.
If you are skillful, know what you want and know the layout of the show, you can get through it in a few hours. Otherwise, plan most of the day so come early. Some terrific full scale railroading is just west of here as the B&A climbs the Berkshires up Washington Hill. The dispatching comes from the CSX yard right across the street. Not as much traffic on weekends though.
Larry
7dec08
Rich,
Are you serious? I just spent time praising your show as the greatest train show on Earth, and you’re gonna bust me for omitting “West” when I call it “Springfield”? [%-)]
Hey, I think I know where Springfield is. I even know where West Springfield is. I’m even aware they are different cities/towns. I’ve been going to your show for over 15 years, both as an attendee and as a dealer. You don’t have to show me a map. Heck, I’ve even been at one of your Amherst Railway Society meetings (the recent one with Brian Solomon), and I was at Bob Buck’s Show Chairman retirement party on the fairgrounds. The last thing I would do is try to steer people wrong.
But let’s get back to the way folks talk. People here in Eastern Massachusetts and on the internet call your show “Springfield”. I’m sorry if you don’t like it, and I’m also sorry that there are some folks who won’t read a map (really, who goes to another city they know nothing about to specifically attend a function and they don’t even know where to go? Should these people even be driving a car in the first place? How do they dress themselves in the morning? [D)]). But I’m not going to insert the word “West” every time I talk about your show. 99% of people know what is being talked about.
But just in case anyone was perhaps unclear on my reference to “Springfield”, please allow me to rephrase my last point so as to satisfy the desire for pin-point accuracy:
"In short, yes, The Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show located on The Eastern States Exposition Grounds at 1305 Memorial Avenue in the Town of West Springfield, Massachusetts, Zip Code 01089 in the United States of America in North America in the Western He
I have attended the past few years with the group from the Boothbay Railway Village, Boothbay Maine. The show is HUGE; while I do not have as much time to wander about because I am helping with our booth, I have yet to have time to explore all 4 buildings. Our group has been coming for many years to promote the museum and to sell donated train stuff to help fund the HO layout we are building. Look for our booth in the Better Living Center, section 15 (usually near Digitrax) Look for a Day Out With Thomas banner.
A couple more suggestions:
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There are a number of clinics offered that usually are excellent. Sign up early, limited seating and high demand
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Download a map and list of exhibitors before you come, that way you can locate the booths you are most interested in. Last show had more than 500 commercial exhibitors, plus more than 100 layouts, and booths from museums, train related non-profits, railfan groups, restoration groups etc.
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If you need a hotel, get your reservations now; if you wait you may have to stay outside of the Springfield area as all in-town hotels will be booked solid.
Check the Amherst website mentioned above for this information
Just an added suggestion if you might be attending with a group. Check the Special Services section on the show website. Groups that arrive with chartered buses get special close in parking and don’t have to wait in ticket lines. There are presently groups from Vermont, Cape Cod, Long Island and Boston planning to attend. If you have enough people it helps avoid the driving/parking hassles and gives you a chance to relax before and after the show.
The show is now in the process of setting up. Weekend weather looks good if a little cool. Who’s planning to attend?
I ended up doing the drive today from NJ. Would be interested in hearing what other peoples thoughts were before I share mine…
Same big show and range of offerings. Lots of stuff to see and the layouts operating are always fun. Spent most of the day in the Danbury Railway Museum area running the little layout and selling surplus from our HO collection. Crowd might have been slightly smaller and sales might be off a bit though it is really too early to tell but overall an excellent experience and lots of fun. The new Osgood Bradley car from Rapido looks promising and I loved the reworked NH EP-4 from New Haven Terminal. J.R.
I have been going to this show every year, it is by far the best in the Northeast. I cannot speak for other shows beyond the Northeast as I have never attended one to do a comparison.
Sadly, this year I will not be attending, and this was a very hard decision for me. Things are tight this year, so it’s economics 101 : guns or butter, or to put it another way, hobby or bills.