Springfield Train Show 2019

Springfield 2019 is in the books. Somehow the day went like a blur, and all I have to show for it are some goodies I picked up along the way and a sore body. I swear that after walking around for 7 hours I just want to go home and rest, but later on I realize I wasted the last hour. I need to condition better for this show.

Though I came with a list of things I "wanted," I have learned over the years that when I "need" something I jump online or run to the local hobby store and buy it. I can't wait until January for it to come around. So, this is mostly an impulse-buy show.

As my research into the D&H has evolved, I have discovered a greater desire to learn more about the Boston and Maine Railroad. Not only was their equipment also attractive in blue, but their locomotive run-through agreements under Guilford ownership has allowed me to explore and expand my roster a bit. Plus, my wife and I love the McGinnis "Bluebird" scheme (which sadly was pretty much replaced with a solid blue scheme by the early 1980s). When I visited the Boston and Maine Historical Society's table and saw two color books I wanted for $25 each, I jumped at them. Even my wife urged me to get both!

However, my eclectic tastes came out in other ways too. I love British trains and was hoping to purchase some OO (1:76) scale trains which I could run on my HO (1:87) layout (they share the same track gauge, but are different proportions). I looked high and low but only saw a couple of vendors selling old, beat up stuff. If it was there, I missed it. But, I found the book Classic British Steam Locomotives for $2 and a book on The Isle of Man Steam Railways for $12. I bought it for the cover showing the engine #12 "Hutchinson," the only IoM engine to get painted in blue (and sadly later repainted in red). It is my favorite IoM engine.

As a history buff, I love studying the evolution of model railroading. I collect old magazines from the 1940s through 1960s and get a kick out of reading how to build benchwork with eggbeater hand drills, lay track using wooden milled roadbed, wiring with batteries, and scratchbuilding cars and structures with cardboard and wood shapes. The track plans are usually utter simplicity or crammed full of track with reverse loops and cut offs. We would likely never build anything in the book using these methods again, but that was the way it was 50 years ago. I found this gem for $5 and though it appears to be a collection of reprinted articles from other sources it was a fascinating read. The large control panel on the cover demonstrates the way we used to view layouts: from one vantage point (sometimes inside the layout) and frequently from a high angle because the layouts were much lower than eye level. Though the layouts had lots of spur tracks, you would need to constantly leave the control point to access them. That would get old real fast.

From the SR&RL Historical Society's table came this DVD on the South African "Blue Train." In the early 1980s, PBS ran a series of travel shows titled Great Railway Journeys of the World and my father taped them. I watched them dozens of times as a kid, and my favorite was the trip from Cape Town to Victoria Falls with host Michael Wood. In the beginning of the episode, Michael commented "The Blue Train is never late" and to this day sometimes my dad and I repeat that quote to one another when the train comes up in conversation. I still have those episodes converted to DVD, but the age of the tape has resulted in a great loss of sound quality. If anyone has better copies, I would love to have a set. I remember also that the windows of the train were tinted with real gold to keep the harsh African sun out. Boy, things have changed. Amtrak is lucky just to keep the windows clean! Anyway, I saw this DVD and had to buy it. It looks like it is set in more contemporary times but I still can't wait to show it to my dad. He will likely get a kick out of it too.


Finally, I had a change of heart at this show. In the past, my rule has always been that I wouldn't pay more than $10 for a freight car. I am quite content with Athearn and Roundhouse/MDC kits and 75% of my fleet is made up of them. But I need tank cars, and tank car kits suck. Hiding the joints and seams along the sides is near impossible, and I have had bad luck with Athearn and Walthers kits. So, I made a new rule of not paying more than $20 for tank cars that are ready-to-run. My wife helped me pick out three models that fit my era and budget. I really want some white-black-white tank cars, but we will keep looking.

Not only am I happy about what I bought, but I got to reconnect with a lot of old friends. Some, from my RIT Model Railroad Club days, I hadn't seen in 15+ years. Some come every year and this is are only time to talk to each other. I was able to ask Rapido about whether they had plans for any mainline British steam engines in the future ("maybe"), and Walthers confirmed that a D&H passenger train was not in the future.

I didn't find a single HO scale "I Love NY" boxcar and that was annoying, as I hoped to get one. I also was unable to track down a Bachmann On30 inside-frame Forney engine and I suspect that they are now only available on Ebay.

But, it was a good time all around. I only wish I didn't have to wait another year for it to be January again. My workbench was pretty clean at the end of last weekend's blizzard and a lot of projects had progressed. Now, with it is a mess again as parts I needed and ordered arrived this week. I can't wait to get back to work!