Thoughts on Train Shows

Last October, our Associated Railroaders of Kingston (ARK) group hosted our fourth Rail Fair train show over six years (top photo). For two years - 2020 and 2021 - there was no show due to the pandemic.

My thoughts on train shows? It's all about the letter 'V':

• Venue
• Vendors
• Volunteers

I opened the floor to discussion. Thoughts of others:

• [ad]Vertising, Viewing Visitors, Visibility

And there were copious compelling comments contributed:

The rising cost of renting a hall and paying for insurance have made it much harder to host a train show than it used to be. I saw a lot of enthusiastic kids at the Kingston show. There aren't many other ways for kids to get exposed to the hobby other than train shows, and I am not one of the doomers who thinks the hobby should be for older folks only. So, I hope train shows keep finding ways to survive, because they fill a need that nothing else does. - Andrew Jeanes

Kingston Rail Fair 2023 was a small show but it was an excellent mix of layouts, vendors, and memorabilia. The fan demographic was certainly predominantly “senior” but those are the people the “newbies” need to talk to for hobby advice and just stories. I’m certainly glad to have attended. - Merrick Redden 

The Kingston show is still a good show. I live east of Toronto, and the shows out this way have shrunk over the years. I think many of the vendors have aged out and haven't been replaced, understandably. I really enjoy the shows and occasionally travel to attend them. The shows west of Toronto are much bigger and I find more stuff for sale that interests me, meaning old and oldish kits and oddball stuff, which makes sense, as more population means more stuff. These shows seem to have more individuals or club members selling as opposed to dealers or basement-based retailers. My pre-pandemic favourites  were St. Catharines and Hamilton/Ancaster and I plan to go to at least one of them this season. Regardless, the shows are still a nice way to get out of the house and spend a couple hours looking at model trains - Joel S.

Craftsmen! Some shows are glorified flea markets however I go to see/watch/speak to the many very talented craftsmen working on items during the show. I'd pay just to see them. - Doug Bailey

The Ancaster show and sale is another outlier that keeps growing with excellent variety of vendors and private sellers. I’d love to see more 3D printing examples and resources at shows. - Christopher Greenlaw 

Supertrain  in Calgary was forced by the pandemic to be off for three years, and we were blown away by the attendance when the show restarted. We’ll find out if it was a bounce next year. Calgary Model Railway Society aims to make enough to pay the bills, pay something to the exhibitors, and fund the society’s other events through the year. Last year’s show was definitely a financial success. - Jon Calon

I think they are taking a big hit due to the aging demographic of model railroaders. Most kids these days, all of there entertainment is digitally-based. They don’t play with the same toys we did as kids that ultimately led us into this hobby. I still try and walk thru train shows but life happens & right now I’m on a modeling sabbatical, - Chris Carlson

Digital does open up more avenues for kids and young adults entering the hobby. Now they can watch tonnes of train videos on Youtube of trains on-demand without ever having to wait trackside, view thousands of photos of every era without having to go to the drug or book store to buy magazines or train photo books. They can watch product reviews and layout videos on YouTube without ever having to visit a layout or train show in person. But probably the easiest way into the hobby is thanks to the digital era: they can buy models on their phone, without ever having to visit a train show or find a hobby shop nearby. And they can usually find what they specifically want (CP SD40’s, CN C44-9’s, etc), as opposed to taking or leaving whatever they may find in person sitting on a shelf or table. - Dan Dell'Unto

Where I live, there are a number of large train shows, a bunch of smaller shows, plus an annual prototype modelling meet. The smaller shows have been proliferating, and the larger shows have held steady or maybe lost a bit of attendance compared to pre-pandemic levels, but certainly far from a fear of closing. I think the key to survival for both the hobby and for train shows is to find ways to engage the younger audience. With DCC from a phone app, to using Raspberry Pi and Arduino devices to control the layout, to turning model railroading into a game by introducing prototypical operation, I think there's a lot of ways to get people hooked on the World's Greatest Hobby. - Don Head

I'm no longer sure direct exposure to trains are exactly the right vector. Many people found hobbies in the last few decades through technological means. Woodworking, painting, clothing, etc... and trains too. When I look online, I see a lot of young folks picking up this hobby because they saw it online and it triggered something. Mediums change, passion remains. I don't believe in that "dying hobby"... Maybe purchasing broken Tyco car in a Rubbermaid tub is dying, but if it was the entire hobby we wouldn't see manufacturer rivalling to create countless new models of high quality. Nobody invests in a dying horse. When I was young, all my friends had HO trainsets... none picked up that hobby, except me. But I've met many people that discovered it later in life. - Matthieu Lachance

We found in Edmonton that nixing the swap tables helped the show by attracting more vendors, as they weren't being undercut by the swap tables. There is a separate swap meet twice a year. - Brian Griffin

I've never understood the swap meet concept. I suppose some vendors swap stuff with other vendors or customers. I know there is haggling and dickering, because I've engaged in those practices. Hey, everybody wants to feel like they're getting a bargain. During the pandemic, I even hosted my own virtual train show, looking at pictures of items for sale, imagining walking past the tables of the early grain cars because they're asking 25 bucks each. But, then two mixed-up tables of Athearn and cheaper cars appeared at only 5 bucks a pop...hmmm, through the eyes of a self-confessed train show bottom-feeder, maybe a virtual sale!

First and foremost, the 'type' of show will dictate the audience, the response, and success. Most shows are a mix of club layouts, vendor tables, and perhaps manufacturer booths. Some are purely 'swap meets' or more precisely, selling one's stuff to others. Very, very few are Prototype Modelling meets dedicated to one region or railway. 

ARK Rail Fair co-ordinator (above, with his layout at Picton train show) Paul Hunter and I had a chat about the show, its success and its future. Rail Fair always runs with a wait list of vendors. The show venue is suitable for our show format, though divided into two 'rooms' we have overcome the challenge of attendees missing the other room. Hall rental costs will increase, though profits returned to the club and attendance numbers are stable. 

So what is the purpose of a show? Well, judging by the name, to...show...stuff!! That pertains to vendors, clubs, manufacturers, individuals. Is the purpose of the show to recruit people to the hobby? Indirectly. Is the purpose of the show to sell stuff by instilling a deep need in modellers to buy stuff? Maybe. I think its highest purpose is a social setting. Period. Lots of attendees buy nothing, just taking in the whole scene. Without a show, that opportunity is just not there.

With many hobbies and interests dying off (I saw a three year-old in a No Frills shopping cart playing a game on Mom's phone, so not at home setting up a 4x8 of plywood!) steady attendance is increasing attendance, at least in relative terms. Making a profit, by adjusting table cost or hall rental options (one-day, two-day, Sunday) is increasing profit, again in relative terms. A volunteer cadre to help with set-up, take-down, front desk and vendor services is the key.

I could likely start a successful separate blog all about train shows. The number of shows is not decreasing, it seems to be some sort of ferroequinological equilibrium. One cadre dies off, another one starts a new show. Two thoughts that come to mind as I approach any train show:

• I will be happy at any train show at which I can pay my five bucks to get in and find 'that find'. 

• I will again promise myself that I will not buy anything, and I will come home with my two reusable shopping bags filled!

Running extra...

Here's hoping you had an enjoyable Christmas Day, a small slice of which here was watching the King's Speech. Ukraine moved Christmas to December 25. Slava Ukraini! Now it's time, this December 26, to box everything up. 

Coming soon in Rapido Trains Inc. boxes are red TTC subway cars. And in the new year just a few days away, it'll be Rapido's 20th anniversary year. A company history that reads like a rags-to-bellbottoms story, one of their first projects was the wobbly Turbo, which Jason described as operating like a "pregnant hippo on crutches"! They've gone from one staff member in 2004 to four in 2009, now 30, so they're keeping up a good Tempo and releasing models on streetcar headways! (Did I say streetcar??)

No matter if you're celebrating the anniversary of your model train company, your 23rd trip to the refrigerator for leftovers, or the fifth birthday of your pet frog Ferg, on behalf of all the staff of Trackside Treasure and me (well, that's just me!) here's wishing you all the best for 2024. May you have the year that you wish it to be.

Happy New Year!

--Eric