Category Archives: Train Show

2022 Chicago O Scale Show – New Models

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Just returned from the 2022 Chicago O Scale Show. I always think this show can’t get any better and it always does. Another great show!

There were some new models from various manufacturers at this show, as well as a host of used models. Here are some of the new models I saw at the show.

Atlas O Scale
Bob Lavezzi had a display model of a new release for Atlas O Scale. It’s an 89′ Auto Rack. While too late for my modeling period of 1952, it is a fine looking model and great to see Atlas O releasing a fine looking new model in O Scale.

Southern Car & Foundry
Jon Cagle from Southern Car & Foundry has released a new model of an ARA Standard Car with a Howe Truss. This model is similar to their previous release of the Sand Springs car but this is the composite version of that car. Jim Zwernemann did a wonderful job on the master work on this car. SC&F sold out of the kits he brought of this car on Saturday.

In addition SC&F had additional models of the previously released 1932 ARA Standard Boxcars available at the show.

Rails Unlimited
Ted Schnepf had a new release of a UP 50 foot composite boxcar.

Twin Star Cars
Ross Dando had the last two kits for his beautiful Rock Island flat car for sale at the show. He did say that that kit would not be re-run in the future, So I hope those that wanted one bought one while it was available.

Ross has also picked up Bill Yancey’s line called Modern Era O Scale resin kits. Ross had details and new kits in the lane. The modern era O Scalers I’m sure are very happy to see that line continue.

Steve Grabowski
Steve had a sample of his PRR 2D-F8 truck at the show. He will be producing a limited run of plastic kits of this very common PRR truck in both Proto48 and O Scale. But you have to pre-order the trucks as the kits are going to be produced based on the orders and will not be a stocked item.

A “Paper” Show

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I took a ride with my brother Bob today. We went to a train show in Clark, NJ held in the Mother Seton High School. He always calls the show just simply “Mother Seton.”

The show is what we used to call a “paper show.” Meaning there would be lots of photographs, books and also railroad documents but not much in the way of models on the tables. The supply of railroad produced material was in very short supply at this show. Definatly not what I remember from back in the day.

Mother Seton was one of the first shows I remember traveling to back in the 80’s. I haven’t been to one in about eight or ten years. The trading halls were in two large rooms in the High School. The opening photo shows the first of the two rooms.

Suprisingly, there was some O scale on the tables. I did see some Intermountain kits on one table and even two pieces of O scale brass on another table. There was a little three rail on one or two tables, but most of what few models that were on the tables were HO or N scale.

One of the Highlights of the show was talking to John Green of Bethlehem Car Works. John is an HO manufacturer that just released a 3d printed Lehigh Valley switcher kit. It is designed to fit over a Bachman 44 toner drive. Of coarse I was trying to talk him into outputting that switcher in O Scale.

Just as our time at the show was winding down, my brother wanted to make the rounds to a four or five people to say good by. The first of which was a book dealer that lives in the same town as him, down here in South Jersey. One thing lead to another and somehow we each picked up a Car Builders Cyclopedia from his table. Mine was a very nice 1940 edition and Bob picked up one from the 1930’s. My 1940 was in better condition than any of the others I have and it was half the price I’ve paid before.

It was a good show, but one of the nicest parts of the day was the one hour drive each way up and back. I was able to have a nice conversation with my brother. Something you don’t always get enough time to do.

My new 1940 Car Builders Cyclopedia opened to the page with drawings of the Creco double doors like were shown in my brother’s sketch of the RDG XARa boxcar.

2021 Strasburg O Scale Show – August

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The Strasburg O Scale Train Show was today. In past years, the August show was often the lightest attended of the three shows that John Dunn and Rich Yoder host each year. Not so this year. It was well attended and buying and selling was at a good pace throughout the show.

They had on display a model that will be auctioned off at the next Strasburg Show, on October 16th 2021. The proceeds will benefit the Strasburg Fire Company where the show is hosted. We should all remember that they have had a rough year with the pandemic canceling the different shows and events that they normally host throughout the year.

This will be a great opportunity to buy a very nice model and help a great organization. The model is built from a kit offered by Wit and Wisdom Models, Dave Vaughn’s company and built by Martin Brechbiel.

On the model front, there were a number of Reading models on the tables, I saw two Weaver Crusader sets with the locomotive on different tables. I also saw the SGL G-3 Pacific and set of five cars. Another dealer had the two car add-on set on their table, while a different vendor had the “Wall Street” add-on car.

As usual I shared a table with my friend Michael Rahilly. Here is a photo of Michael and his daughter Lauren.

One of the things I often hear at train shows is that people attend them now more to catch up with old friends then to buy a bunch of trains. I heard this from more than one attendee today. I was glad to have some time to catch up with a few of the guys that were in the local club back during my time there.

Michael MacEwan, who didn’t have a table at this show, but was hanging out at our table with Michael. As always the conversation always circled back to talking about PRR B6sb’s.

Another former club member was Dave Richter sitting at the end of his tables.

Here at the end of the show was Dave Vaughn talking with Rick Trinkle who was in from Colorado.

One last old fried was also on two different tables at the show. This was a book my brother and I put out back in the late 1980’s. It was a reprint of a Reading Company photo book on the Reading and CNJ 55 Ton Welded Steel hopper Cars.

Renninger’s Model Train Meet

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I attended the Renningers Model Train Meet in Kutztown, PA. This is an all scales train meet with free admission and free parking. The show is held partly outdoors and partly under cover in to long barns with open sides. Thankfully, it was a beautiful day. I wonder what this would have been like in bad weather.

The show was well attended and unlike many O Scale Shows, there was a nice mix of young and old modelers at the show. So yes, there are young people interested in model trains. They just don’t always go to O Scale Shows.

There was a mix of scales represented, lots of 3-rail, S Scale and a smaller amount of HO scale. For the few 2-rail O Scale modelers in the crowd that I had the chance to talk to, there was not much to offer.

A number of vendors had railroad hardware on their tables, a lot of lanterns, some railroad signs. Including one vendor with a Reading oval whistle sign, that was very tempting. But that was not why I was there.

I was there to meet a gentleman I spoke with back at the Strasburg Show who was delivering a long out of production kit to me. It is a Locomotive Workshop kit for a CNJ Baldwin Double Ender (CNJ Baldwin DRX-6-4-2000).

I first saw one of these kits on a table at the O Scale National in Stamford, CT. about twenty years ago. I passed on purchassing the kit back then, and I have not seen one for sale on a table since. If you have ever experienced a Locomotive Workshop kit before, they really can be just a pile of parts that do not always fit together.

My original thought was that I wanted to build the CNJ Babyfaced Freight units and this kit would give my the two noses that I would need for the project. Now, I’m thinking the kit is for a unique locomotive. I might want to built the kit as a passenger unit also. Either way at this point, I want to assemble a nose casting and make resin copies of it for either or both projects.

Since I was in Kutztown, I had to visit the ex-Reading station downtown. With the weather being so nice, I took the opportunity to be out photographing some of the local buildings with one of my view cameras.

Before heading back home for the day, I drove up to Kempton, PA to see some of their ex-Reading passenger equipment. I had some questions about the steps and end details on the cars. Turns out they had a pair of the coaches and a combine sitting out near the station on the Wanamaker Kempton & Southern.