Model train stores/businesses who sell model trains for a living. A couple of big names like TrainWorld and Trainz show up (they are letting you pick up your items there if you order from them to save on shipping) as well as some smaller stores like Star Hobby that I frequent.
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The member halls are individuals selling their trains to other members that require membership to enter. That is where the real deals are obtained.
The Boot Hill Model RR club held a show in Garden City, KS in March. The show meets the metrics in terms of small in terms of venue size and attendance. We hoped to have 400 folks attend over a Saturday/Sunday. There was a large HO Free Mo layout, a couple of N scale layouts, another HO layout, a On30 layout, a Lionel layout, Spring Creek Model Railroad hobby shop, and other vendors. I have found some really good bargains; last year I picked up two new Athearn CF7s for $50 each.
The club used to hold an October show in Dodge City, but there have been venue problems. I am working to find a solution to that, because it would be much easier working a show in my backyard than 45 miles away.
In some ways I like the smaller shows better- In other ways the larger shows. We have three in the general area that could be considered larger shows and two smaller shows (used to be three but the Lynchburg one seems to be defunct) Both of the smaller shows seem to be a magnet for deals.
The Mebane show does have a larger tinplate footprint but there are great deals to be found. One had loose cars 3 for $10 and one of the dealers had a table that all boxed car kits were $2
You can not beat that- in the $2 cars was this gem- the only narrow gauge thing in the whole show. A pair of Taurus ore cars in HOn3. By the end of the show from what I understand he was giving things away.
Likewise the Greensboro show also has fantastic deals especially at the club tables on stuff they had donated and did not want to take back. I have bought a Hobbytown E-7 there for $2 before. This year they had everything on the club table for a buck. That included two Tyco locomotive kits and a NWSL motorizing kit for the Keystone shay (coincidentily I had bought one of those for $8 at the Mebane show the year before) The only things I didn’t buy at the club table were the book and the CB&Q boxcar
One that is really unique that is mid range is the Spencer, NC Shops Train Show. (coming up May 18th and 19th) It is smaller than the largest show in Raleigh but larger than Greensboro and Mebane and what better venue than a railroad backshop!- they run a row of two tables the entire length. Plus you have a railroad museum to look through- all for the price you normally pay to get into just a train show ($8) if you pay another $8 you get a train ride too- cant beat tha
Train show in Grand Rapids, Michigan this Saturday 5/4. About 200 sales tables and a number of layouts.
We have a relocated show this weekend. Not much info about it, but since it’s only a few miles away (like 2) the travel time is minimal so I’ll be going. All the other ones are at least a half-hour away. The sponsor seems to be a local club.
reminder. this weekend
Our small local show was today. I didn’t know it, but the show was almost entirely O-scale, both the display layout and almost all the dealer tables. Of course, there were Hot Wheels tables and the weirdest thing I saw was HO track, new in an Atlas blister pack, but it was brass.
Went to the Grand Rapids train show today. There weren’t as many large layout displays as usual, on account many of them were at an NMRA conference.
Went to the Lansing, MI train show back in November. It is reportedly the largest show in Michigan with 500 tables. Thought I would post it now that the forums are back up to try to revive the thread.
I go to the local train show once per year. It is hosted and organized by the local railroad museum in Sarasota, Florida. It is absolutely a small show, and it is shrinking every year.
I have never bought anything while there, Finding O scale that is not Lionel is difficult in this area.
Spring Creek Model Trains in Deshler, Nebraska, has a nice small show usually in July. It’s small enough so a person can find things and talk to people without fighting through crowds.
An added bonus is the store stays open a short distance from the train show at the fair grounds. The store is one of the best.
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