Springfield Train Show 2018

This year's Springfield Train Show was their 50th Anniversary, and for the most part it was an excellent show. I have been attending since the mid-2000s (when I moved to Albany, NY) and have really enjoyed myself. The local chapter of the NMRA has rented a bus for the past five years, and it is a great relief to have a quiet place to sit and eat lunch during the show, a secure place to store bulky stuff throughout the day, and a safe ride home at night afterwords when you are tired. My wife told me last year that I rushed through the show and didn't stop to take it all in, so this time I just wandered around at my leisure and went wherever I saw something interesting.

My wife has come with me the past couple of years, and she has an interest in N scale trains in general (and Western Pacific and regional NYS railroads in particular). Her tastes are a bit diverse, but we found several N scale cars to add to her collection. I really like the C.P. Rail Mandarin Orange boxcar. Also, because of my initials I like "B&M" boxcars and this black Milk boxcar was unusual enough to buy. My wife's affinity for the WP comes from their attractive "Feather logo", so whenever we see a car in that scheme we usually bring it home with us. She has quite a collection of trains, by the way.

As for me, I took a different approach at this show and actively avoided looking for any rolling stock except tank cars and long lumber flatcars. I didn't miss the time spent reading the ends of Athearn and MDC box labels, and it allowed me to focus on other things. Tank cars kits with seams along the side are difficult to assemble cleanly, so I am stuck with RTR cars. I saw one that looked like it might fit my era and it was attractive. Also, the seller had a discounted Reading boxcar and I will repaint the top dark green which the D&H did when they acquired some. Finally, a different vendor has an Allagash Railway wood chip car. As noted elsewhere on this blog, I am a huge fan of Mike Confalone's model railroad so I just had to purchase it. It was being sold by Dave Barlow, the guy who custom builds Mike's rolling stock, so it was "authentic."

There were a couple of unusual items that I wanted to get. The first was a book about the Amtrak Turboliner trains, Trail of the Turbo: The Amtrak Turboliner Story. I had seen the book for sale at last year's show but forgot to buy it before leaving. It looked like an interesting book, and I love the trains themselves, so when I got to the show this year it was the first place I went. It is a story with a very sad ending, with much of the equipment rusting away and scrapped. On a high note, though, I got to ride in the cab of one when I was a child in the mid-1980s. The conductor brought me up to the front of the train and I haven't forgotten that experience. The other item was a custom cab for a Bachmann On30 Forney steamer which closely resembles the one on WW&F #9, which we rode behind last May.

Also, I have been working on handlaying some G scale track for my MMR certification and I ran out of brass rail midway through constructing the crossing. So, I kept my eyes out for some cheap, used, LGB straight track. I found one vendor with a box full at a fair price but I thought I could do better so I passed. By the end of the day though I had not seen any used, dirty, track so I went back and he had one piece left. Apparently, he had brought an odd amount and a buyer had needed an even number so he had sold everything but this one last piece. It had been waiting for me to return! I also found an Atlas HO scale nickle silver manual turntable for $2, which I will also need for my MMR certification. This was my steal of the show. I just have to find a motor kit now.

My wife also bought me a really nice Boston and Maine tee shirt, in a rich, dark blue, with the "B" and "M" logo intertwined. Thanks honey!

There were a couple of display layout ideas I saw that really looked smart, so I took some pictures. My favorite layout of the show was by the Four County Society of Model Engineers (their website), which is based out of Maryland. Not only was the level of craftsmanship extremely high, but they properly lit their layout uniformly with a flood of cheap incandescent light fixtures. It was effective, and really made the details on the layout pop out. It is something I might consider for my own layout after I get the drop ceiling installed. They said they bought the lights in bulk from Walmart, and there were between 2-3 lights for every 6 feet of layout.

The last two pictures are from a modular group from Canada, and while I generally don't think N scale layouts are all that convincing this set of modules showed a winter scene that was really well done. Nothing seems forced in the pictures, and the building really overwhelms the track and the trains. The snow isn't sparkly white but instead is a cold, dull white. It makes you really want to bundle up and put on a pear of gloves. The snow plow is a detail I haven't seen before, and the buried tracks showing different levels of plowing and maintenance reflect real life conditions. I don't know how the owner keeps it clean, but it looks brand new.

The complimentary scene featured a long bridge over an icy river. The backdrop joint is the only thing that detracts from this scene. The ice flow in the river is super realistic, with portions of it translucent and other parts solid ice and snow.

Speaking of scenery, I was in the Scenic Express booth when in stopped Dave Frary, a very well known and respected scenery expert. When he was listening, I was listening. I jokingly said to him "Are you here to pick up some tips" and his response was "She knows more about this stuff than I ever will." As good an endorsement to Scenic Express as I have ever heard.

All in all, it was a successful show though I spent a bit more than I anticipated. Of even greater news is that Funaro and Camerlengo told me this year that they would be releasing their updated DL&W "Boonton" coach kits in the middle of the year. I have a letter from them dated 2002 saying it would be out "in a few months" and have been asking them about these kits ever since. Should this come true, I will buy at least three as the Arcade & Attica Railroad uses them (as well as rare Boonton combines) on their excursion trains.