Inspired by another thread, let me offer some advice for anyone wishing to display their layout at a train show. It’s a wonderful experience, and a great way to meet fellow modelers with similar interests, often from the local area. It’s also a way to show off your hard work, and to help inspire others to the same goal.
I will assume your layout is reasonably portable, and you have some sort of vehicular conveyance capable of transporting it.
Tip #1: Help!
Have a friend or family member available for set-up and tear-down. Now, you may not need someone to help you during the entire show, but chances are (if you’re like me) you’ll need a bathroom break or some coffee at some point. Having someone you trust available to watch the layout and who can answer questions for short 5-10 minute periods is helpful. If your friend or family member can’t make it during the show, you can often find another exhibitor in the show (I’m usually pretty chummy with the NTrak guys) who can help out during your breaks.
Tip #2: Early set-up
Getting there early allows you to shake down the layout and test it with time to spare. Usually the sales tables are open to exhibitors early, so one the layout works the way you want it, you often have first dibs on the tables. You may even get exhibitor discounts! When I showed in Florida, I got special deals from the LHS’ table because I would refer people there for N scale stuff.
Tip #3: Tool kit
I bring a lot of “stuff” just in case, such as soldering equipment, glue, tape, extra wire, modeling tools (Xacto knife, files, needle-nose pliers, etc.). I had a dead spot pop up at a show in Florida with a previous layout, and I was able to solder the joint right there and have it up and running again in no time. You may not need them if you bring them, but if you don’t, you will!
Copious thanks for the tips, Dave. Many of them apply with equal (or greater) validity to folks who might invite hordes of visitors to a fixed-location layout (layout tour, or individual/club open house.)
One comment on conducting CCWB operations. The mundanes, and even a lot of long-time model rails, want to see things moving. If possible, have a passenger train running just about continuously while your local spots those milk cars at the creamery. Having prototypically probable animated accessories (not hokey toy junk) also helps.
Pushbuttons on the fascia to animate scenic vignettes can make the layout interactive without impacting train operation:
“Find the welder” - a figure with a bright-white LED that comes on when the button is pushed. Can be inside a building with open doors or adequate windows.
“Fire!” - push the button, alarm goes off, firehall doors roll back, engine lights (including cab-top light bar) come on…
Another trick I have seen is a checklist of things to find - everything from baggage at the passenger station to bats in the church belfry! Fill 'em all in and get an autographed copy of a layout photo (plain-paper printed on computer) rigged as a certificate of achievement.
Above all, professional appearance and conduct are a must.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with showmanship in mind)
Good point. Part of the 15% of the work remaining for my layout at the last show was installing an operating signal system. At the show they were hardwired to display “clear” or “approach.”
Many people were a little disappointed that they didn’t change aspect as the trains went by.
Thanks to an optical system by Logic Rail Technologies, the signals now do change as the trains trundle by.
My plan for ops would be to do it periodically throughout the show. I’d keep whichever train was next in the sequence (like local M9 or the westbound St Louisan) in the loop for awhile drilling circles while I worked from the other main. My lack of switch leads is a killer!
The other “cute” animtions are not so much my style. In this case my show layout is also my home layout (and my only layout) so it has to appeal to me too!
For one show we didn’t get nearly as much done as we had desired. IT was the first show after they started the “Dream it, Plan it, Build it” Campaign, so I picked up on that theme and made signs to hang all over. We had more positive comments than any other show. One comment specifically stood out, “This is the most insipring layout at the show. All the others are finished and think I could never do that an make mine look like that. Then I see this one showing me how and the intermediate steps and I feel that I can make mine look like all these others.”
Dave,As far as switching cars and contrary to the urban myth about switching cars during a show being taboo I have notice the bigger crowds gather at active yards or follow the local…Theres something about switching that draws the crowd…I have also heard chuckles on trains running at Mach 5 or in the same direction on a modular layout.
I go to 6 shows a year with my club and we do everything you do Dave. The shows we go to always put out lunch for us so we never need to bring anything. I find the speed of the train your running is important. I like to run my GO Transit passenger train a little quick but my freight trains are run SLOW. It gives people a chance to look at the loads and cars your pulling. To me anyways nothing looks more impressive then running 3 loco’s pulling 50 or more cars slowly around my club layout. Kids and adults are always saying, “Look how long it is”. I personally don’t like switching cars at shows but we have a few members that do, and they are always tieing up the mainlines, lol. We usually run 2 different trains in opposite directions, our layout has two mainlines but I’ve seen us run up to 4 once in awhile.