I attended my first NMRA convention last week in Atlanta and all I can say is that I’m sorry I haven’t attended one before now. The sheer number and variety of clinics was very impressive - practically continuous from 7:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. Add in prototype tours, layout tours, general interest tours, OPSIG events, silent auction and the modeling contest and the result is a monumental event with something for everyone. My wife (who is very interested in buildings and scenery) went with me and enjoyed the event as much as I did.
I learned a great deal in the clinics and met some great fellow model railroaders. If you have never attended a convention I highly recommend that you do so. And if the convention itself not enough, the entire week is capped by the National Train Show - a model railroader’s version of heaven! It’s a local train show on steroids with many of the major manufacturers in attendance and lots of private hobby shops represented along with many operating layouts.
It was a great week and I can hardly wait until next year.
I haven’t been to an NMRA national myself, although a longtime member. Indianapolis is coming up soon, so I’m pretty sure to make that one…might even have the layout open, given we’re just two hours away here.
One doesn’t have to wait until next year to get an experience very much like the NMRA national. The 33rd National Narrow Gauge Convention is coming up at the end of August in Pasadena. I’ve been to a number of those and am told it’s a lot like the NMRA national, only narrower.[;)]
Missed the clinics, went to the show and rejoined NMRA. Great to speak with some of those who have provided help over the years from the mfgs. Wish I had gone to the clinics. I didn’t have time to see it all in the day I was there. Maybe I spent too much time at each booth–LOL.
Very encouraging to see such a large crowd with a wide variety of ages.
I can’t compare it to others but did find it strange that nothing new/big was announced. I’ve been to and exhibited at many trade shows over the years.
Also, the $12/person entrance fee plus paying full sales tax was hard to take.
New products are announced all through the year now, not just in advance of year end holidays. And there are many more shows now than in the 70’s and 80’s.
Whether announcements are at one show or another is no longer a good measure of anything.
There used to be some big product announcements at the NTS in past years. Product announcements in general have been rather slow, and slim in the past few years. I see Athearn did announce their HO SDP45. I think there are a number of reasons:
General slowness in the hobby with the stagnant economy.
Manufacturers have scaled back what they are announcing due to slow sales & poor pre-orders.
We seem to see much smaller runs of models now. Case in point is the new Walthers SW1 that is around the corner - only 4 railroads with 2 numbers each. And this model has suffered the usual ‘Chinese’ delays(it is currently ‘scheduled’ for July 28th).
I was talking to an R/C guy and he mentioned that a number of new models have been delayed or cut from production over the past years as well. Other than my Fox Valley transfer cabooses and Walthers SW1’s, I am just about caught up with new models!
I had really high hopes of attending this year since it’s just a three hour drive. Funny how when one gets close by, along comes a combination of kid’s college and cutback on hours at work = the convention didn’t make it into the budget this year. Heavy sigh.