Participating at Train Shows

[PaulB]

I recently manned my club's exhibition layout at a local model train show. This was the first tiem I had been an exhibitor. As I was part of a club team, there wasn't too much hard work. The other club members had done it all before. I ran my GE45 tonner and the slag train. As it is an unusual prototype around my neck of the woods, it drew a satisfactory amount of interest.

The experience has motivated me to get my N&W J class project finished, as 611 and the tour train would make a fine train for future exhibitions.


Who else has participated in a model train show as an exhibitor and what experiences or advice can you share?

[bnsf971]

Never turn your back on the trains, they'll attack without warning...
Little fingers can create big trouble.
Short trains are happy trains.
The public likes fast trains, not prototypical speed. Not saying to run bullet trains, but a scale 70 mph, instead of the normal 20.

[Rico]

Love the slag train!
Another note is that shorter cars make a train look longer and better on the curves.
I am usually the dispatcher/road master at our shows, aka God to some.
It can be quite challenging at times with a single track main and several trains meeting at one time!

[D&J RailRoad]

I was a member of a modular club several years ago. We would setup the Digitrax controlled layout at quite a few shows each year. One of the things that the kids really enjoyed is when we would let them push the button for the horn or bell.

[Espeefan]

I was a member of a modular club sometime back. It was typically lots of fun. Set up and tear down was lots of work. A good trailer for the layout equipped with well designed transport racks for the modules and equipment storage, a rock solid joining method for modules, and bullet proof trackwork & electrical harness are essential. The facilitiy can make or break your experience, meaning good access and supportive staff are "must haves". I've also worked shows as a vendor. A little different, and lots of work but it can be fun, as long as the attending public is willing to part with their hard earned dinero!

[Cjcrescent]

Alan;

We just got our times for the upcoming show at McWane, Nov 10, 2012 to Jan 10 2013. Two months worth. Gonna be a bear to staff.

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by bnsf971

Never turn your back on the trains, they'll attack without warning...
Little fingers can create big trouble.
Short trains are happy trains.
The public likes fast trains, not prototypical speed. Not saying to run bullet trains, but a scale 70 mph, instead of the normal 20.

I'll second that!

[Railphotog]

Our local modular club has been operating our HO scale layout for 27 years now. I participated in the first 25 years, and have retired my two pairs of modules but I still work on the annual shows we host.

We've taken our layout on the road too, with setups 79 times, including our annual local shows. Some members set up O scale Lionel trains, and we've had an N scale modular layout in operation for about 8 years now.

Always bring plenty of tools to layout setups, as there are often glitches that show up. Layouts look a lot better with cloth skirting on the outer edges, it helps make them more professional looking and hides the clutter. Our skirting is held on with Velro strips.

We were DC only until a few years ago, mostly running trains in opposite directions on the two main lines. We've just switched to DCC, and this year's annual show in November will be our second one using DCC. We set up all of the modules in a rented space during the transition to DCC, and checked each module pairs to make sure they would work OK with the new power system. With DCC members interested in switching and making up trains can now do so. I was never personally interested in train operations, spent most of my time behind the modules interacting with the visiting public.

Good luck!

[Espeefan]

Originally Posted by Cjcrescent

Alan;

We just got our times for the upcoming show at McWane, Nov 10, 2012 to Jan 10 2013. Two months worth. Gonna be a bear to staff.

Man, that's a long time. Hard to keep the membership enthused about anything that lasts that long. I believe if I was in the driver's seat, I'd be negotiating with McWayne, something along opening Thanksgiving weekend and closing a few days after January 1st. That's a long time too, but at least not two months. Good luck with that!

[Iron Horseman]

Originally Posted by bnsf971

Never turn your back on the trains, they'll attack without warning...
Little fingers can create big trouble.
Short trains are happy trains.
The public likes fast trains, not prototypical speed. Not saying to run bullet trains, but a scale 70 mph, instead of the normal 20.

Ditto. Having be an exhibitor for the past 15 years or so, I'll add ->

The faster trains the public likes find more problems with the trackwork. Take an extra long time getting the jinks out of the jumper tracks between modules.

Do not plan on using your wireless throttles. There are so many other exhibitors using them they get confused and cause problems.

Take a tool box with every little special tool (especially the Dremel) that might be needed for fixing a loco, car, or piece of track quickly.

Take a box of extra parts (Kadee couplers, wire, 2-56 screws, wheel sets, trucks, etc.). Seems like something always breaks.