I won’t be making this year’s show either…Oce again my recent plans has turn sour and went belly up.
We missed seeing you, Larry. [:(]
Tom
Had a nice time at the Berea show today. Got there a little before 10 AM and left after 2:30 PM.
I did my usual walk-through of the main buildings before beginning again and purchasing stuff. My only exception was a P&LE t-shirt from the guy at Mohawk Design. The three other items I picked up today were a:
- Funaro & Camerlengo High walkway ACF Type 7 8000-gallon tank car kit (Texaco)
- Funaro & Camerlengo covered hopper kit (NYC)
- Tichy gas pump kit - These just came out and are only a week old. The globes can be illuminated with a grain 'o rice bulb.
I also had a very nice time meeting up with Al, Dan, Steve, Frank, Paul, and one other fella around noon. Attendance seemed lighter than in years past.
Tom
OK, Guys . . . Here’s Today’s Puzzle . . . Ready? . . . Why do we see AMISHMEN fondling ELECTRIC trains??? Clues: They’re not cheating, and they don’t convert them to burn kerosene. You’ve got 24 hours . . . Lemme know . . . Paul D
Paul,
Don’t they power the layout with either large car batteries or emergency generators?
Tom
A few observations on going to the show yesterday:
The crowd seemed a bit thinner on Saturday morning than last year. It was certainly easier to get around. As a result, I spent more time than I usually do, looking deeper into the dealers’ offerings.
I noticed that they seemed to be down a few dealers this year. The missing dealer that stood out most to me was the guy who sells Lionel parts-- I had a list with me of things I needed to get for a buddy restoring a ZW transformer. That was the nearest thing to a real disappointment I had all day, though.
If the dealer from Sturgis, Michigan had been able to take credit cards, I would’ve definitely taken her up on the Trix Mikado she had for $275. I also passed up a Walthers tongue-in-cheek-series impact measurement car that was assembled for $20, though I was tempted to get it to use at a couple of operating sessions…
Most of what I spent was at the Funaro & Camerlengo and Tichy booths. They seem to get most of my money there every year. Now I just need to get serious about actually building all of those cars I’ve got stored.
I’ve finally gotten used to the idea that parking at the fairgrounds isn’t as much a game of getting as near to the entrance as you can, but of finding a parking space and route in where you won’t end up shin-deep in mud getting to the entrance. This year was a bit better than last year in that respect.
Overall, the show was very much worth the trip from Michigan. Its chief appeal to me is that most of the dealers are different from those I usually see near home. This year I found more stuff that interested me than I could justify buying, since I’m facing a rather expensive winter with Walthers’ new C&O passenger cars coming out.
Very good, Tom! You must’ve wondered about this before. I was struck by the irony of it right away, so I spoke with the fellow at the Depot Trains table. I think he’s the owner. He said many of the Amish there are customers of his, and he even went out to Middlefield to see a layout. He said they have solar panels on their barn roof feeding car batteries. Oh yes! they only model steam . . . no diesels. That’d be a violation of the code. Good meeting you. If you want to keep contact send me a note. pmdeastlov@gmail.com Paul D
Hello It was great seeing all of you again this year, spent far less than usual, which was fine too. We left not long after seeing all of you. The retired gentleman I introduced you to took us a on a kind of behind the scenes tour of the Cleveland rail facilities. With his knowledge and experience it was a well spent afternoon. Until next year. Steve
Hello I had a good time at the show. The crowd did seem light and there was some open space. But still a good show. It was nice to see Tom,Dan,Steve again and meet Al and Paul. I did come home with a spectrum 2-10-0 Russian Decapod( Western Maryland-fireball ) witch I did not need but I really like the look of the 2-10-0. Have a nice day Frank
I enjoyed the Barea show this year. Not quite as crowded as in years past. I didn’t spend much this year, just a few dollars for a NYC book.
It was good to talk with Tom, Dan Steve, Frank and Paul and a couple of more guys from the forum. Nice to put a face and personality with handles and nick-names from the forum.
Have a good day and I’ll see you all next year.
Al,
That’s one of the highlights about train shows for me - i.e. meeting up with other forum members and putting names to faces. I now remember the show that you and I first met at. It was the Cleveland World’s Greatest Hobby (WGH) show at the I-X Center back in 2009. I spent nearly the entire day there just walking around looking at layouts and displays and talking with manufacturers.
Tom
I have kept my record intact, I have lived in the Cleveland area for 16 years and have not attended one show yet. I don’t need to spend money to park in the mud and walk in the mud so I can not find the models I want.
Rick J[2c]
Rick,
You don’t have to spend ANY money to park in the mud at Berea - It’s FREE! [(-D] You only have to pay for getting into the train show. It’s your choice. You never know what you’ll find unless you go.
Tom
Anyone going to the I-X Center this weekend? Anything there that was missing from Berea? Paul D
Hello I am not going to that one. If you go Al’s train & hobby had $2 off getting in the door. I was there last week and he still had some. The shop is in Bedford 708 broadway. Its a nice shop. He (AL) will have a stand there he said its a all hobby show trains, r/c stuff,dolls ect. Hope this helps Frank
Thanks, Frank - From the mailer, it sounded a bit “all hobbies”, when only one interests me. I was into Al’s a few years ago and spoke with him. Sounded knowledgable when we chatted a bit. That’s where I’d go to pick up something like track etc. You live up that way? I just retired from a short stint @ Home Depot in Maple. Paul D
Hey Paul I live in Twinsburg so Al’s is just 5 min away. I also go out to Falls hobby 10-15 min away they were on Portage trail but they moved I think they are off of rt 59 by Gramroad? Have not been there for some time. He had a bunch of strip wood and some scratch building stuff and cabinet full of used trains it look like he just got back from a show. Check out this thread you might recognise some stuff.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/160367.aspx
Have a nice day Frank
Thanks for that link, Frank. Yeah, I sure do recognize the local shots. I’ve bought furniture at that shop on State Rd in the Falls, and of course the popcorn shop in Chagrin, and the Bedford & T’burg pics. Some great stuff on there. Thanks much! Paul D