Model Railroading > NMRA Show

I was kind of hoping someone would post all of the new items from this show, not just the Athearn things or did I miss it some where?

Andre

> I was kind of hoping someone would post all of the
> new items from this show, not just the Athearn
> things or did I miss it some where?

Jeff Shultz has through coverage in his MRH blog. Friday and Saturday is train show coverage. He has many more photos yet to be posted. Yes, Athearn was not the only company with new product!

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/blog/jeffshultz

We at WrightTRAK didnt have any new cars to release at this show. I will say that traffic at this show was flat out terrible. Several vendors reported the same thing. We will no longer participate in national NMRA meets due to the high costs associated with these meets.
We will be at the new RPM meet being held in at Kennesaw, GA the weekend of Sept. 19-20. After that one you can catch us at Lisle the weekend of October 9th-11th.

Posted from Android

I noticed that Walther's showed pre-production samples of the Budd cars for The Wabash Blue Bird. The Budd Baggage Buffet, Large window coach and the diner.
Charlie
MP 53 on the BNSF Topeka Sub

Thanks, that was exactly what I was looking for.

Andre

SALGUY Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We at WrightTRAK didnt have any new cars to
> release at this show. I will say that traffic at
> this show was flat out terrible. Several vendors
> reported the same thing. We will no longer
> participate in national NMRA meets due to the high
> costs associated with these meets.


I would agree. I don't know why the NMRA has this problem with traffic flow. I've been to several and that's the way it's been. That's why I go to TrainFest in Milwaukee every year. The WISE Division of the NMRA puts on a great show IMHO. It's one of the few shows that I know that you can grab a beer (if you're over 21) and look around. LOTS of great layouts plus all the great manufactures are there.

I can relate to this. I gave serious thought to attending. But then I started calculating the cost, both in time and money.

Time would be 1/2 to most of a day. Monetary cost would be close to $60. Figure $20 for gas, at least $10 for parking, $14 for admission (very excessive in my opinion) and probably $15 to eat some questionable food at the convention center.
I wouldn't buy any model trains at the show because I have all that I want that is currently available.

Or I can sit at home and wait a few hours for all the new products to be posted online. There is so much product coming out these days and delivery is always an unknown. A few hours wait to save $60 and time is worth it to me.

I did think it might be neat to talk to the manufacturers and suggest what I might like to see made, but then dismissed the thought as pure fantasy.

Baltimore

SALGUY Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We at WrightTRAK didnt have any new cars to
> release at this show. I will say that traffic at
> this show was flat out terrible. Several vendors
> reported the same thing. We will no longer
> participate in national NMRA meets due to the high
> costs associated with these meets.
> We will be at the new RPM meet being held in at
> Kennesaw, GA the weekend of Sept. 19-20. After
> that one you can catch us at Lisle the weekend of
> October 9th-11th.
>
> Posted from Android

SALGUY Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We at WrightTRAK didnt have any new cars to
> release at this show. I will say that traffic at
> this show was flat out terrible. Several vendors
> reported the same thing. We will no longer
> participate in national NMRA meets due to the high
> costs associated with these meets.
> We will be at the new RPM meet being held in at
> Kennesaw, GA the weekend of Sept. 19-20. After
> that one you can catch us at Lisle the weekend of
> October 9th-11th.
>
> Posted from Android

Did WrightTRAK ever get those MP (ex-KO&G) cabooses on the market?

Thomas Austin
Centralia, IL
Joppa Sub Layout Site

"I will say that traffic at this show was flat out terrible. Several vendors reported the same thing"

Is this an NMRA thing or is the hobby flat lining?

Dean Purcell
Bracebridge, ON

> That's why I go to
> TrainFest in Milwaukee every year. The WISE
> Division of the NMRA puts on a great show IMHO.
> It's one of the few shows that I know that you can
> grab a beer (if you're over 21) and look around.
> LOTS of great layouts plus all the great
> manufactures are there.

I like this!

9643_South Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "I will say that traffic at this show was flat out
> terrible. Several vendors reported the same
> thing"
>
> Is this an NMRA thing or is the hobby flat lining?


From the pictures in Narrow Gauge Gazette of there national show they have low attendance. As for the fellow who doesn't like the $14 admission wonder how he thinks they try to break even putting one on. I would think that they like other events like that rely on local people to do quite a bit of the work otherwise it couldn't be done with paid people. Very few have ever worked an event of any type let alone being on the financial end of it to see what it costs. Been there done that for several years on different venues. From what I have seen all aspects of hobbys like I knew it growing up are down. Model airplanes, trains, even cars are about the same as young people turn to video games.

> Model airplanes, trains, even
> cars are about the same as young people turn to
> video games.

Young people aren't abandoning the hobby. They're abandoning the NMRA which doesn't do a very good job of catering to their interests.

I went to the national show when it was in Hartford a few years ago and it seemed just as sparsely attended. This despite the fact that (possibly) the largest and best attended show in the country is held every January just 30 minutes north in W. Springfield.

- Chris
www.milepost15.com
https://www.facebook.com/milepost15?

I have only been to 2 National Train Shows - Valley Forge, PA in 1993 and Sacramento, CA in 2011. The Valley Forge show was mindblowing - it was absolutely huge - almost too much to take in over 3 days between all the layouts and manufacturers. The East Penn Traction Club's O-scale modular layout remains a happy memory for me and continues to inspire my interest in traction modeling. I would love to see photos from the layouts shown at that show!

With that memory, I remember being super excited for the Sacramento show - and getting through the display hall in about an hour. There were some memorable layouts - the HO Free-MO layout stands out as well as the layout from a Canadian club that visited. I also really enjoyed getting a close look at the layout City Classics uses to display their buildings. Overall it was a good show - but really different (and smaller) than Valley Forge in 1993.

Model railroading is an expensive hobby if you want to purchase products currently in production. Compare the cost of a mid-range locomotive and a mid-range laptop or tablet - and think about how much you can do with that computer vs. the model locomotive. Having some mechanical and craft skills are also necessary if one wants to complete a layout that has any kind of scenery. With these skills not being taught widely in our schools, and disposable incomes being tight (and debt levels high) - model railroading just isn't that accessible. With the "baby boomer" generation retiring we are seeing a bevy of new products that many in this generation have always wanted - and now have the income to spend. As demographics change, I think the industry will change too.

I think that the growth of the RPM movement has taken a lot of the wind out of the NMRA sails. These RPM meets are held all over the country and are generally much cheaper to attend than a NMRA National events. I hold one at Marion Union Station in Marion, Ohio. For 20 bucks you get 3 days of activities with LIKE MINDED individuals. Hotel rates are much more affordable in a city like Marion versus Cleveland, Ohio. The bigger RPMs have some manufacturer presence as well.
That is my opinion and your mileage may be much different.

Posted from Android

Funny to read this about traffic being down. For shows here in Australia, we are paying similar costs at the gate with far less to look at. The displays are mostly self funded built club or private layouts. The importers are there to sell and they often have good deals. Apart from the random statement of paying to go into a show to shop, there is relatively good reception.

My one and only visit to the National Train Show was Minneapolis in 1999 and I have to say I had a great time. If I could, I would attend.

Rick

baltimore Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I can relate to this. I gave serious thought to
> attending. But then I started calculating the
> cost, both in time and money.
>
> Time would be 1/2 to most of a day. Monetary cost
> would be close to $60. Figure $20 for gas, at
> least $10 for parking, $14 for admission (very
> excessive in my opinion) and probably $15 to eat
> some questionable food at the convention center.
> I wouldn't buy any model trains at the show
> because I have all that I want that is currently
> available.
>
> Or I can sit at home and wait a few hours for all
> the new products to be posted online. There is so
> much product coming out these days and delivery is
> always an unknown. A few hours wait to save $60
> and time is worth it to me.
>
> I did think it might be neat to talk to the
> manufacturers and suggest what I might like to see
> made, but then dismissed the thought as pure
> fantasy.


I went to the Detroit show some years ago and found it interesting and yeah, I bought some stuff.

But I ended up at the same point when I decided yesterday not to drive 100+ miles each way to Cleveland this time. Most of a day consumed, $50 for gas (and possibly tolls, depending on which way I went), unknown cost for parking unless I wanted to park-and-ride the Red Line from the airport (which I considered) and then $14 to get in. The final straw was when it clouded up near the lakefront at mid-morning and I realized I wouldn't even have a good time foaming my way over to Cleveland, though as it turned out the afternoon return might have been OK.

I generally won't travel more than about an hour out of my way for a train show, and while this one obviously had a lot more going for it than a regular regional swap meet, it still got shoved when my thinking got pushed.

A lot of common ground that i see in these posts center around costs. Why does the NMRA and other organizations, insist on having their conventions in the center of major cities. This significantly drives up costs for those attending. Double occupancy at the convention hotel was right around 200 bucks a night. Add in parking costs in the down town area as well as the cost of the convention i would think one could easily spend a couple of grand for the weeks activities. This would include transportation, food, entertainment, the works. No damn wonder these shows are getting out of the reach of many.
Hey NMRA, if you want this format to continue YOU MUST MOVE these events to areas located away from the center of major cities. There are suburbs of each major city that have fine facilities for a much more reasonable cost. I suggest you seek them out and use them.

Posted from Android

Amongst the non-NMRA crowd here in the Cleveland area there was a ton of talk about that. Plenty of venues in the area surrounding Cleveland that could have fit the bill with significantly cheaper cost.

When brought up in passing to various folks in the NMRA, it fell on deaf ears.

I agree with the other folks, wrong time of the year and the wrong place to be doing this kind of thing.

SALGUY Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey NMRA, if you want this format to continue YOU
> MUST MOVE these events to areas located away from
> the center of major cities. There are suburbs of
> each major city that have fine facilities for a
> much more reasonable cost. I suggest you seek
> them out and use them.
>
> Posted from Android

BelltuckyFoamductor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Amongst the non-NMRA crowd here in the Cleveland
> area there was a ton of talk about that. Plenty of
> venues in the area surrounding Cleveland that
> could have fit the bill with significantly cheaper
> cost.
>
> When brought up in passing to various folks in the
> NMRA, it fell on deaf ears.
>
> I agree with the other folks, wrong time of the
> year and the wrong place to be doing this kind of
> thing.
>
> SALGUY Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Hey NMRA, if you want this format to continue
> YOU
> > MUST MOVE these events to areas located away
> from
> > the center of major cities. There are suburbs
> of
> > each major city that have fine facilities for a
> > much more reasonable cost. I suggest you seek
> > them out and use them.
> >
> > Posted from Android

The NMRA convention last year was in the Hotlanta burbs, Marietta(actually Smyrna or for those with high class taste, Vinings), GA. I was not able to attend the actual show but was able to walk the floor early when I helped a friend set up his booth. Seems the attendance report was better than what is being discussed about this years.

Jay

Jay

The last show I attended was St Louis and before that was Kansas City. I've passed on all other shows due to the costs involved. It has gotten very expensive to attend. Even the local semi-annual shows in the KC Metro area have gone up over the past years with the number of vendors decreasing.
Charlie
MP 53 on the BNSF Topeka Sub