Amherst Show January 30 & 31

The Amherst Railway Society's Annual Railroad Hobby Show will be here soon. The vendor list and floor plan are available at http://www.railroadhobbyshow.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; It will be nearly 8 acres of floor space in 4 buildings. Who will be there?

I wouldn't miss it for the world! It takes two days to see it all, and there's always something for sale there that you never knew existed. Plus - it's a nice break from the mid-winter "blahs". Let's hope that the nice weather holds out for the trip up there and back!

dcm74 wrote:The Amherst Railway Society's Annual Railroad Hobby Show will be here soon. The vendor list and floor plan are available at http://www.railroadhobbyshow.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; It will be nearly 8 acres of floor space in 4 buildings. Who will be there?

I've got my shin guards. Visit me at the White River Productions booth (in the Young Bldg.) to stock up on great railroad books and your favorite magazines. Buy a subscription to Railfan & Railroad and keep me off the streets.

-otto-

Bob's Photos wasn't there last year and he was really missed. Myself and many others are glad that Bob will be exhibiting his vast for sale photos at the Regency inn this year. It was always great to find a lot of rare stuff. If you don't know, the Regency Inn is across the street from the show and at 21 Baldwin Ave.. According to information I saw, he'll be exhibiting throughout show hours (free as far as I know) and on Friday through Sunday with hours extending beyond the show. Definitely worth a side trip!

It's less than a week to showtime. Hope everyone has saved all their pennies and has comfortable shoes. Be sure to check the website for the updated vendor info so you can plan your shopping and viewing.

Gonna pass on the Amherst Show this year, my age no longer favors all the extensive walking and crowd fighting (especially with the very favorable warm weather predicted for this weekend) it would require. I did formerly attend these shows and found them quite enjoyable, particularly for the presence of the many laser kit manufacturers and certainly recommend attending to anyone relatively new to the hobby. Few bargain perhaps, given today's internet prices, but you do get to see an awful lot of items firsthand.

Although the Amherst Show it today probably regarded as by far the greatest train show this side of Chicago by easterners I must relate that it would be judged as totally 2nd or 3rd rate to the greatest train shows I ever saw. These were the first few years of the absolutely incredible examples put on by Howard Zane at the fairgrounds in Timmonium, MD a score of years ago. These were initially just O, S, HO and N scale only, yet probably as large in floor space as Amherst. The content of tables holding HO (maybe 80%) were like looking over every item ever offer in the pages of MR and RMC from the 1950's forward to the then current date...virtually all at bargain prices, too! Admittedly, this phase lasted only a few years. Then the show allowed in all manner to toy trains and the dealers in historic/vintage items dwindled to nil and Mr. Zane sold off the show. Still, for me these early shows kinda removed the luster from all the later ones I've attended.

CNJ999

Saturday's ticketed attendance was 11,887. Not an all time record but a very busy day. Weather was ideal and should be the same for Sunday,

Sunday's ticketed attendance was 7800.

I went Sunday with girlfriend and her thirteen year old grandson. Great day. Really thought it would be crowded.
Four hours and turning 75 soon. Been going since, one day, one building. Electronic technology for model railroading is really evolving.

Got this from a Society rep in another forum.

We had a little below average attendance.
The weather was good, maybe too good because Sunday numbers were down from average.
Here are the numbers:
Saturday 11887
Sunday 7800
Total gate 19687
4000 exhibitors and volunteers etc. (from the number of badges printed each year – this is an average)


Rich
Total population = 23,687