MRR Train Expo Puyallup Wa.

[Trackside]

I just got a postcard in the mail about the "Great Train Expo" at the Puyallup Fairgrounds on November 18-19th from 10am to 4pm.

Adults $7,
Kids under 12 are Free.

http://gte.ciadvt.com/showinfo/200611PUY.html

Did any of you go last year, and was it any good? I went to one in Monroe last spring and it was pretty lame IMO.

[jbaakko]

Its the "modern" version of GATS, I don't like 'em in my mind, cause they allways seems to have the cheepy layouts.

[modelbob]

If you're going for the displays, then you probably won't be impressed. If you're going to find stuff for sale, then you'll probably enjoy the show.

Don't forget that the Boeing Swap Meet is this weekend, always a really big show, with lots of stuff for sale.

[Trackside]

Bob - Where's the swap meet at, and I'm guessing that you don't have to be an employee, or a family member of an employee. Right?

[modelbob]

27th Annual Model Railroad and
Railroadiana SWAP MEET
Saturday, November 11, 2006
9:30 AM to 4:00 PM,
Kent Commons in Kent, WA

Open to the general public, a small fee ($5 or so?) is charged for admission.

[Hawkeye251]

I used to go to this show (the Puyallup one, not the Boeing Swap meet, thought I may have gone to that as well at some point) a long time ago, about 8 or 9 years back and I always thought it was pretty cool, but it had different management then, plus I was just a kid who thought anything with a few wheels that ran on track was cool.

It sounds like it's gone the way of the shows out here on the East coast. More swapping and selling of stuff I don't need than interesting layouts. Oh well, the shows draw pretty decent sized crowds and hopefully get a few more people interested in MRing, which is fine by me.

The Tacoma History Museum used to have a pretty good show, and I remember one at the Pacific Science Center that I was also very impressed by. But perhaps those shows aren't happening anymore.

[modelbob]

Both of these shows are definitely more for buying and selling.

We used to have a model railroad show at the local malls, they would bring in some huge modular layouts for the weekend, and bring huge crowds to the mall. The clubs are still around, but they don't seem to have the big spaces ot set up any more. The last really large show I saw was at the NMRA's national train show here in Seattle a couple of years ago.

The malls don't do the shows any more, since they discovered they can fill the aisles up with cell phone and jewelry booths. The Puyallup fair remodeled the hobby hall, (again to provide more commercial space) and so the layout space available there is much less than it used to be.

Probably the best remaining show around Seattle is at the Washington State history museum in Tacoma. Some nice layouts there, and the permanent layout is fantastic. Still they don't have much room for a really big HO layout.

Somebody needs to rent a basketball court someplace and bring in the big modular layouts for a show...