Model Railroading > My experience at Springfiled

...in a nutshell....

Athearn had not arrived yesterday as of 11 AM.....nor had a big portion of the crowd. I arrived at 9:30 and was able to park close-in - a joy given it was heavy, wet snow....and the lack of a pressing crowd and the strollers that accompany some people, made shopping a joy and allowed me room to explore under tables, which led to a few good bargains.

I "discovered" the X58's at the Tangent booth and bought a pair in PC...plus one PRR...I'd not heard at that point that they were moving to do this model - it is the same one I suggested to ExactRail....so it is a good thing no one listened to THAT idea :)

Per usual, hobby-related electronics of all sorts were way over-priced.

The Rapido folks were their usual fun selves, and the ex-NH PC passenger cars (the stainless steel ones) where a joy to discover.... I'd ridden them for years into Boston from Franklin....much of the time with no heat or A/C and doors that did not close all the way....but they rode nicely and were comfortable to sit in with nice, big, sometimes-reclining intercity seats...when the temperature was in the 60's outside....their FPA-4' sample models had been held up in transit and not made it as of COB yesterday but the pictures look really good.....the new Budd car was another 3D-scan project..so it is going to be pretty accurate....they had some CAD drawing/views of it....

Walthers and Atlas did not hold much of interest, though I did find a pair of undecorated Atlas Canadian newsprint cars at another booth. They left with me....

In the "bargains to be had" department, I scored a number of Athearn RTR green PC50' Superior plug door box cars in boxes, from a fellow who had a bunch of them at less than list prices....these often go for quite a bit over list at auctions....and I found 8 of them bound together in a large rubber band, for $10.00 each....they left with me too:) It pays to move boxes around under tables....

I also found a pair of unopened/unused Atlas no-number Master series PC GP40's at a table at $54.00 each....same thing...into the bag they went.

Lots of vendors had Walthers Cornerstone buildings for sale in large numbers...

I did not take pictures.....I'm not that good a photographer and assumed others would.

It was easy to get around the show if you came in during the snow as I did, and for me that was the highlight of the show, save for the Dry Hill layout, which as modular go is among the best I've ever seen. I scored some good items....which made the trip worth it and spend well under $500.00 total on the trip.

Back home now......awaiting the "blizzard" the media is hyping (largely to sell advertising to clients assuring that the "threat" would rivet people to their seats watching TV news...). My local supermarket was overrun with people today....even in the "Blizzard of 78", I never lost power and was out and about the next day. It is fun to watch people who live in a "snowy" state hoarding food, gasoline and other things, as if the stores will be closed for weeks....lol. Hopefully today's beautiful weather increased attendance at Springfield....when I left at about 3:30, the lot was about half as full as usual for Saturday. The parking attendants said it became busier after 2 PM when the snow let up a bit.

Bob



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/15 18:54 by navarch1.

Thanks for the info, it looks like I made a good decision by not spending a bunch of $ to fly in, rent a car, etc. I'd like to see what all the hype is about one year, but spending around $1000 to attend a train show is a bit much. Maybe next year.


navarch1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ...in a nutshell....
>
> Athearn had not arrived yesterday as of 11
> AM.....not had a bit portion of the crowd. I
> arrived at 9:30 and was able to park close-in - a
> joy given it was heavy, wet snow....and the lack
> of a pressing crfowd and the strollers that
> accompany some people, made shopping a joy and
> allowed me room to explore under tables, which led
> to a few good bargains.
>
> I "discovered" the X58's at the Tangent booth and
> bought a pair in PC...plus one PRR...I'd not heard
> at that point that they were moving to do this
> model - it is the same one I suggested to
> ExactRail....so it is a good thing no one listened
> to THAT idea :)
>
> Per usual, hobby-related electronics of all sorts
> were way over-priced.
>
> The Rapido folks were their usual fun selves, and
> the ex-NH PC passenger cars (the stainless steel
> ones) where a joy to discover.... I'd ridden them
> for years into Boston from Franklin....much of the
> time with no heat or A/C and doors that did not
> close all the way....but they rode nicely and were
> comfortable to sit in with nice, big,
> sometimes-reclining intercity seats...when the
> temperature was in the 60's outside....their
> FPA-4' sample models had been held up in transit
> and not made it as of COB yesterday but the
> pictures look really good.....the new Budd car was
> another 3D-scan project..so it is going to be
> pretty accurate....they had some CAD drawing/views
> of it....
>
> Walthers and Atlas did not hold much of interest,
> though I did find a pair of undecorated Atlas
> Canadian newsprint cars at another booth. They
> left with me....
>
> In the "bargains to be had" department, I scored a
> number of Athearn RTR green PC50' Superior plug
> door box cars in boxes, from a fellow who had a
> bunch of them at less than list prices....these
> often go for quite a bit over list at
> auctions....and I found 8 of them bound together
> in a large rubber band, for $10.00 each....they
> left with me too:) It pays to move boxes around
> under tables....
>
> I also found a pair of unopened/unused Atlas
> no-number Master series PC GP40's at a table at
> $54.00 each....same thing...into the bag they
> went.
>
> Lots of vendors had Walthers Cornerstone buildings
> for sale in large numbers...
>
> I did not take pictures.....I'm not that good a
> photographer and assumed others would.
>
> It was easy to get around the show if you came in
> during the snow as I did, and for me that was the
> highlight of the show, save for the Dry Hill
> layout, which as modular go is among the best I've
> ever seen. I scored some good items....which made
> the trip worth it and spend well under $500.00
> total on the trip.
>
> Back home now......awaiting the "blizzard" the
> media is hyping (largely to sell advertising to
> clients assuring that the "threat" would rivet
> people to their seats watching TV news...). My
> local supermarket was overrun with people
> today....even in the "Blizzard of 78", I never
> lost power and was out and about the next day. It
> is fun to watch people who live in a "snowy" state
> hoarding food, gasoline and other things, as if
> the stores will be closed for weeks....lol.
> Hopefully today's beautiful weather increased
> attendance at Springfield....when I left at about
> 3:30, the lot was about half as full as usual for
> Saturday. The parking attendants said it became
> busier after 2 PM when the snow let up a bit.
>
> Bob

Bob, thanks for the info. I've been searching for YouTube videos. I haven't seen any from the railfans, they are very good videos.
Now I know why......did you get to see the MTH display ? Im wondering if they had the new HO UP ES44AC?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/15 14:33 by electromac.

electromac Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bob, thanks for the info. I've been searching for
> YouTube videos. I haven't seen any from the
> railfans, they are very good videos.
> Now I know why......did you get to see the MTH
> display ? Im wondering if they had the new HO UP
> ES44AC?


They had the demo unit....and I think the UP unit was there...but I only stopped there briefly...so cannot be sure.

Bob

Thanks again Bob......

Was the Lionel Union Pacific Big Boy there with its God awful "crew sounds" and "depleting coal load"?


Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com

Was at the show helping the Loadman with his table. With the snow the crowds were reversed this year with Saturday being the light attendance day and Sunday the busy one. I picked up a pair of the Tangent X-58's beautiful cars. Intend to get more in the enar future. also picked up the new TCS WOW diesel decoder with keep alive. Will be interesting to hear it in a non show sound environment. We normally stay all day sunday and leave Monday morning but this year we left at 3 before attendance was announced after the show closes due to the snow coming and a 275 mile homeward trip west but my guess is close to the 20,000 normal. This was my 18th show in a row and they are still enjoyable . Looking forward to next year. ---- Ken

I was also there at a vendor table and we noticed the trend as others had. The days were flipped this year with the snow, though the "hardcore" group were out irregardless Saturday upon show opening. We still did very well as a table so that was a nice surprise for us with the weather.

With the days flipped it was also great to be able to run around on Saturday for once and buy. Came out of Springfield with some good deals on freight cars which is what I was looking for. I resisted Charlie Ro's heritage units at about $30 below what others normally charge for them in HO as I need more power like a hole in the head right now haha.

All in all a good show, some interesting things at some of the manufacturer tables as well. Some of the Bowser patch jobs on the Alco's looked pretty neat, unfortunately not my era of modeling.

Uggh from this vendor's perspective. We were down close to 35 percent compared to an average Saturday, made up only part of it on Sunday.

Attendance figures were announced after the show closed, something around 14,000 for the two days, as I recall. 20,000 is about average, I seem to recall some in the 22,000 range.

That said, most of us "vendors" are also "buyers" and it was a delight to be able to wander a bit and actually see what was available without elbowing people aside. It's still the best show that I've ever attended or worked.

As for the weather, six inches of snow is not an apocalypse, but I was appalled by the lack of basic plow services in West Springfield Saturday morning. We drove down about 0730 and Riverdale St (US Route 5, for those unfamiliar, the main drag paralleling the Connecticut River) had not been plowed recently, if at all. We passed a line of 5 northbound Mass DOT trucks as we headed south. All had their blades UP, not plowing or sanding at all. A local at the show told us that plow services were now outsourced, and that the DOT trucks probably only plow I-91 and the Mass Pike (I90).

Can anybody confirm this? This level of accountability and service will be a disaster tomorrow if the forecasts come true. This next one could be the real deal.

They should move this show to North Carolina. Then folks could turn it into a winter vacation.

Went once, it was fun but too many people and not enough space.

Bruce

brfriedm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They should move this show to North Carolina. Then
> folks could turn it into a winter vacation.
>
> Went once, it was fun but too many people and not
> enough space.
>
> Bruce

While I realize that today's kids are the future of the hobby, I did not miss all the people pushing strollers and clogging the aisles. It was also easier to get close to things and really look at them, as opposed to skimming everything from 5 feet away. I second the post above about the state of snow removal/reduction on state roads. Not very well done at all.....even walking out to my car afterward, there were lots of snow-bounded puddles and it amazed me how many AH's there were who had no issue about driving past walkers at a good clip and spraying us with slush. But, it was still great fun....I hope that some year, we get a "winter thaw" around the time of the show.

To everyone who thanked me for the brief report, you are most welcome :)

Bob

I attended the show on Saturday. Made my way thru the snow with two friends. We arrived around 9:30 to a very empty parking lot and parked four rows away from the Mallory complex. For example, last year, we arrived at the same time, but were way out at the other end on the far side of the entrance/exit road! The show was pretty slow, but the crowds started showing up after noon when the weather quieted down. I did get some great deals, and something I really wanted but was not expecting to find...a Rapido VIA F40PH-2D!


march_hare Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> As for the weather, six inches of snow is not an
> apocalypse, but I was appalled by the lack of
> basic plow services in West Springfield Saturday
> morning. We drove down about 0730 and Riverdale
> St (US Route 5, for those unfamiliar, the main
> drag paralleling the Connecticut River) had not
> been plowed recently, if at all. We passed a line
> of 5 northbound Mass DOT trucks as we headed
> south. All had their blades UP, not plowing or
> sanding at all. A local at the show told us that
> plow services were now outsourced, and that the
> DOT trucks probably only plow I-91 and the Mass
> Pike (I90).
>
> Can anybody confirm this? This level of
> accountability and service will be a disaster
> tomorrow if the forecasts come true. This next
> one could be the real deal.


Not outsourced, but yes you are correct. Cities and towns are responsible for numbered routes unless it is designated as a state highway. In the case of the state highways, it will be a mix of MassDOT trucks(mostly pickups acting as crew chiefs) and contractors, although the big MassDOT trucks tend to stay on interstates and divided highways like Rte 2. As far as the Mass Pike (I-90), that is all MassDOT equipment and crews still in place from before the Turnpike authority was merged with MassHighway and the MBTA. The three of them together form MassDOT.

I did see a convoy of plows heading north on 5 around 9AM all with their blades down.

Unable to comment after today's "storm" that turned into a bust for some of us expecting two feet. ..We got one. Took far less time to clear and got to work from home today.
That aside, worked the show both days. Saturday the weather was not bad at all, but some people driving clearly forgot how. A good number of crashes, due to stupidity. Wet snow can be slick, snow tires, and thoughtful driving make a huge difference, and today should kick them back to reality.

Managed to get a few pics:
http://www.pbase.com/tom_murray/ars_show_2015

Note Athearn's new CNW chop-job, HEP geeps and Rapido's new Railcrew goodies which seem to have been under-reported.

Okay, Saturday the attendance was way down, the diehards were still there and shopping. Saw my usuals and some new people, but all were typically happy they braved the elements.
Sunday we had families and some parents introducing their kids to the hobby. It's something that I enjoy seeing as I've reached my fourth decade and I remember it well.

All in all, another year sacked away. Some new layouts and a few good finds, all worth it.




ST214 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I attended the show on Saturday. Made my way thru
> the snow with two friends. We arrived around 9:30
> to a very empty parking lot and parked four rows
> away from the Mallory complex. For example, last
> year, we arrived at the same time, but were way
> out at the other end on the far side of the
> entrance/exit road! The show was pretty slow, but
> the crowds started showing up after noon when the
> weather quieted down. I did get some great deals,
> and something I really wanted but was not
> expecting to find...a Rapido VIA F40PH-2D!
>
> Not outsourced, but yes you are correct. Cities
> and towns are responsible for numbered routes
> unless it is designated as a state highway. In the
> case of the state highways, it will be a mix of
> MassDOT trucks(mostly pickups acting as crew
> chiefs) and contractors, although the big MassDOT
> trucks tend to stay on interstates and divided
> highways like Rte 2. As far as the Mass Pike
> (I-90), that is all MassDOT equipment and crews
> still in place from before the Turnpike authority
> was merged with MassHighway and the MBTA. The
> three of them together form MassDOT.
>
> I did see a convoy of plows heading north on 5
> around 9AM all with their blades down.

I was there and took a few photos. They're here: http://www.milepost15.com/2015/01/29/amherst-railway-society-railroad-hobby-show-2015/

- Chris
http://www.milepost15.com
http://www.facebook.com/milepost15/