So, they're going for 1.5" track centers instead of the 1.25" of conventional Atlas N sectional track.
Good evening. Can anyone define the special run cars that were made available at the convention. Other than the pez car. Jerry
I don't have the list in front of me, but the offerings included: * Athearn two-pack of milk reefers decorated for New Haven Milk * Deluxe two-pack of Road-Railers 4-color processing for dairy companies * Z scale MTL two pack, NH 40'Box SD and 50'Box PD, red-orange schemes * MTL 48' trailer, 4-color processing, Connecticut in BN trailers scheme * MTL 3-pack, 40' Box SD, B&M experimental schemes * MTL 4-pack, 40' and 50' Box SD, NH experimental schemes * Athearn container truck lettered for Fred Hoxie's printing company * MTL charity 3-pack of Puerto Rico "state" car, ESM Tomorrows Childrens car and NH black checkerboard car The author's car was the NH black checkerboard car with a new road number. Some of the items are listed on the NSC website.
Back from CT myself.....and what a great time! John Sings report is right on, and I did talk to Intermountain about the Cab-Forward for some time. The drawing John shows are the drawings they are going to use to tool the new model. The piping is awesome, and well done. They were going to use metal, but decided on plastic for the flexing while handling. The price will be about $250 without sound, $350 with sound. I think this is going to be a winner. The F45/FP45's from Athearn looked great, and have cab interiors which look very cool! The pre-weathered cars are also very nicely done. Atlas's new track looks awesome! The ballast is very realistic, modeled from Arizona Rock and Mineral ballast. Tie spacing was well done. It is Code 65 so the pizza cutter runners won't have any issues. IMHO this looks better then Kato track. They had a test loop running and it worked flawlessly. The Alco models on display were very nicely done, as is usual from Atlas. The swap-o-rama was alot of fun, and I managed to score about 60 Sunrise Enterprise detail part no longer made. The Banquet was alot of fun, and the food was great. I only went on the one train ride with the boat ride and sub base tour and it was great. The N Trak displays were beautiful. Clubs from Baltimore, Dayton, and CT were present and put on a great show running alot of very nice trains. All in all, me and the family had a GREAT time. This is a show I plan to attend every year, and not just because of the trains.....but because of the people I meet in this hobby. This year, I had the privilege of meeting many Trainboard members, including Mike Sabia and John Sing. There was many old friends there, like Craig Martyn and Cory and Paul from Atlas, guys from the Baltimore club I had met last year, the list goes on and on. The friendships will last a lifetime, and it was like leaving a family reunion when it was time to head home. I am really looking forward to next years show. I encourage everyone who can to attend. This is going to be bigger then Chantilly. They are expecting close to 700 moduals. This is going to be a great show, a great time, and I can't wait to see my friends again!
NSC Post 1 Hi, all, here is a short N Scale Collector's 2007 Convention Report from me. - - - - Part 1: On the Road there Here are some pictures on the short drive in from the Springfield/Hartford Airport, in a you-are-there format: Driving south on I-91_and_Hartford_skyline: Entrance to convention hotel, the Farm Springs Marriott in Farmington, CT, near Hartford: The Farm Springs Marriott:
NSC Post 2 Part 2: Room Sales I I got there late on Saturday afternoon, so was not able to see any of the clinics, Model Contest, N Trak layout, or tours. However, as always, the Room Sales are spectacular, for the purpose of seeing N scale that we rarely would ever see anywhere else. For example, Here are some pictures of a N scale custom painter that many of us met for the first time (where's he been?!), and we're happy we did, his name is Hien Nguyen of Fremont, California: Hien can be contacted at: tin1197@yahoo.com
NSC Post 3 Part 3: Room Sales II - Superb Custom Painting from Charles Hopkins More examples of the unique N scale things you would see in Room Sales.... This superb, incredible custom painting of Charles Hopkins: More info about Charles' work can be gotten by contacting Chuck Ciccacio at Feather River Trains.
NSC Post 4 Part 4: Convention Banquet Every N Scale Collector's convention has a unique personality, determined by the mix of people that year and the location venue. I had a great time, even though I was just there for the Saturday Banquet and the Sunday morning Manufacturer's Breakfast. The value of N Scale Collector's Convention is different than a regular Train Show - rather, the convention is a unique, extended opportunity to meet and spend time together with and make friends with N scale personalities from all over the USA. There are many great people to get to know. Here's a few photos of this aspect of the N Scale Collector's Convention. I got most of the names, and as I get the rest of the names I'll update the photos. The guy on the far left is on TrainBoard with userid: 'SecretWeapon':
I think the real value of the NSC / NTrak Conventions is the people you get to meet, even if for only a few minutes: The Banquet, of course, hands out the Banquet Car, which become instant Micro-Trains collector's items, as the quantity made is limited to just the number of attendees. This year's attendee list at the NSC Convention is approximately 320 or so: I enjoyed meeting you all, and I look forward to Louisville 2008, which appears to be a very big one convention, probably on the same scale or larger than the Chantilly 2004 edition. Louisville hopefully will break Chantilly 2004's record for largest N scale layout ever, and Chantilly had 500 NTrack modules. If you can, make time on your schedule in June of 2008 and plan to participate, you'll be glad you did. Anyway, that's my short report from N Scale Collector's Convention 2007 in Hartford. Hope you enjoyed the show and felt like you were able to visit the convention as well.
Hey Jerry & John, It was wonderful meeting you guys face-face & I enjoyed our conversations. I totally agree with your advise to everyone,try & make it to Louisville. Life is to short & can change in a NY minute. Making, having & strenghtening friendships,along with this obses..... err,hobbyteeth makes it all worth it. We all know there's more to life than trains(some of us anyway) & it nice to be able to talk about anything with friends. Having good friends can make even the worst situations tolerable. I know I'm thankful for All my friends,new & old.:shade: P.S. Damn those steriods made me LARGEmg:
Awesome footage, John! That D&RGW SD45 looks fantastic! As does the sar F45 kit done up in Kodachrome!!
Thanks for posting John. I see from the photos that some of the Texas boys were there. (George H. Kim S. and Mike B.)
That's cool stuff for sure! Now I have to go to Louisville in '08, not but 80mi. from my grandmother's home!
Thanks to all who shared here. Good things happening for N Scale...you can't beat that. The custom paint jobs are awesome. When I try that the details disappear under a coat of smooth paint...the sleek locomotive. Grin! Again, thanks to all for the comprehensive report. Keep the good news coming. Rick Howland
