But, sometimes... I have limited time this weekend. I can either 1: go during the morning tomorrow with club members who are just there to look at vendors and complain about prices 2: go in the afternoon with my 13 month old who will get bored and annoyed in the stroller. 3: go on Sunday, skip out on time with my wife, but be ensured of seeing any good seminars. And of course, I assumed that if I went on the wghshow.com website, I would see a seminar schedule so I could plan accordingly. HA, of course not, why would a model railroad show be anything but a two bit operation! Even one run by the manufacturers. Thankfully, just as I was writing this rant, I was informed that a friend of my wife with a young son is going Sunday and I will be her interpreter as she looks at what she might buy him. So problem solved, but still.
Of the various "traveling" shows that come through Portland, WGH is far and away better than the others. The last GTE show I went to here in December was just depressing. I felt the organizers basically just collected the money and did no publicity or anything. It's tricky going to a train show with kids younger than say about five as their bathroom, food, and nap needs tend to drive everything. It gets easier as they get older.
I was in luck when it was in Green Bay, WI. My brother also wanted to go and look at the same things I was interest in at the time. Layouts and material for building layouts/dioramas. But as stated the prices are the same as the local shops. We still enjoyed it.
I took my son to his first show when he was a year old. Of course it was easy as he just fell asleep in the stroller, then. But when he was almost 2 I took him to the Boeing swap meet and needless to say, he was a handful.
I went to one here in Denver, and it was so much more an overtly vendor driven event, that it was kind of boring. Also, they had all kinds of play mats and thomas setups which are fine if you're a kid. But the adult to kid ration was much different than a model train show. Not to knock kids, I was one and I had one, but other peoples kids are other peoples kids. I stay away from those shows.
Not a problem Geeky, we only get GTE around here and if you believe the rumors, it won't be back to Denver!
I went today - my wife and I took our young nephew and two nieces to the WGH show at Cal Expo. It wasn't bad, but yes, there are better shows out there. Better this year than in recent years, in my opinion. I missed out on some things having the kids though I still enjoyed it. I was particularly happy there was a vendor there with Atlas code 55 turnouts below MSRP even so I took advantage of that. Otherwise it was an overpriced mess, as the last few shows have been. Park over by Petco/Kohl's and walk in, don't pay for parking, yikes.
It all comes down to what you're expecting from the WGH show. Deals? Talking to manufacturer's reps? Looking at the newest products coming out? Layouts? Bear in mind that WGH was largely meant as a vehicle to win new converts/recruits to the hobby. If you're not already a model railroader, but are thinking of becoming one, or just like toy/model trains, this thing is sensory overload. If you're already a connoisseur, then you're gonna be hard to please. I attended my first WGH show in 2010 (Long Beach, CA). I met up with a friend of mine there and we saw some mutual friends, had a chat with Craig from BLMA, saw some layouts. I only bought an Athearn auto max car just because it was there. The price wasn't amazing, but I wanted to buy something. For me as an N-scaler, there's little old/classic N scale that interests me. Anything N scale made before 1990 is worthless to me. So anything that's on sale there would have to be from a traveling hobby shop selling new items. Other than that, I had a good time at the show.
So, I went yesterday. Was there about 2 hours. I did not attend any seminars, because: 1: The timing with my son was just off and he spent the entire time being crabby. 2: I couldn't find a list of seminars anyway 3: I've already seen Michael Broggie's Walt Disney seminar. It's a good one, but... In addition, Choo Choo Bob was cool, but too loud for a 13 month old. Also, I wish we had realized where the Thomas tables were to begin with. If my wife had known, she's have taken my son there first and we'd have all had a better time. Not that any of us was upset, but it could have been better. Also, Bachman (I think) had a Thomas table set up at the front of the show. My son was in there playing when some lady and her son walked up and tried to push him away. The mom did too, not just the son. My wife almost went crazy, but the Bachman guy was on the ball and actually told the lady to get out of his booth. So that made me very happy. I got some decent deals. One tool vendor had 25% everything and had some non-tool supplies. Got some noch static grass tufts and a 20 pack of KD #5s for $32 total. Then I saw a vendor that was selling assorted BB/MDC/Roundhouse/Accurail assembled kits with KDs for $7 a car, 3 for 20. This is an excellent deal. Picket up 3 at that price, plus an MDC bulkhead flat for $12. A less good deal, but I grab these every time I see them. We also grabbed some Wooden Thomas stuff at a decent price from the Choo Choo Bob sales area and I got a few more pins to add to my collection. There were some good layouts there as well. Some of the San Fran area layouts came. Much much better than GTE last year. Plus, the local ON30 club had a very big display. I have a couple friends in that club. I wouldn't say we got $30 worth of fun out of it, but that was more our fault than the show's. (My wife also gets crabby when we're indoors on a beautiful day. They should come back in the summer when it's 100 degrees out and nobody wants to be outside. As was said above. These shows are intended primarily for those new to the hobby, for kids and as showcases. That's the entire point of World's greatest hobby. It's not a swap meet nor an NMRA event. Those kids running around the Thomas tables are what this show is about. And it was packed.
I think I had a lot of fun at the WGH in Portland last year because I was part of one of the layouts. I am not sure I would have bothered going otherwise. The two biggest things I get out of these WGH and GTE shows I would say are: 1) ability to meet new people and catch up with other folks I know in the hobby that I don't get to see very often, and 2) look for interesting used books at decent prices. I don't expect to get much of a deal on new stuff, though I do find pleasant surprises at times, though usually not lining up with times when I have more to spend.
I get a chuckle out of the guys that have N scale stuff from the late 70s-early 80s for $70-$80 each. Or the tables that is advertised 40% OFF DISCOUNT!!!!! When in reality the price has been jacked up 50% OVER MSRP!!!! Seems as though there is always at least one of those type of tables at every GTE/WGH show I have been to.
Oh, yes, I know that type. I also like the signs that say "show special!!!" as if this is some sort of new thing, but the sign is so old it's dog-eared, the paper is yellowing, etc.
Those types of sales techniques do a lot toward keeping the more seasoned modelers away- Or telling fellow hobbyists to not bother going...
There's a WGH show coming up in Charlotte, NC in mid-January 2018 and I'm trying to decide if it's worth the $10.95 discounted ticket and $20.00 in gas to attend. I'm kinda thinking that the money would be better spent on supplies for my new N railroad. Most train shows in the Carolinas are $6 or $7 with free parking, so I'm not seeing much value in attending.
When it was in Raleigh, a few years ago, it was a very expensive deal. In addition to the entrance fee -people with advance tickets were let in last. Parking started at 10.00. You could not leave and return, so lunch was greatly overpriced - least expensive was a 8.00 hot dog, even though just outside the convention center there were lots of food outlets. I enjoyed the Disney presentation, but don't think I'll go to another WGH show. They at the time, stated they would not come back to NC for a minimum of five years. I think it's been about three. The Nuese River show is a much better show at a lower two day entrance fee and free parking at the fairgrounds. Inside food vendor is not bad, but there are lots of choices in the fairgrounds, where the weekend flea market is held. Yes, you can leave and come back as often as you want for both days. Not a member of the club, just a fan of the show.
Thanks for the guidance Carolina Northern. I see that there's a club show in Easley, SC in early February ($7 and Free Parking) and another club show near Asheville in early March ($6 and Free Parking). I think I'll do one of these instead. I rarely see items that I want, but I enjoy looking.
I even enjoy going to the TCA shows. Hardly ever ANY N, but I do like looking at the old trains. I've heard good things about the New Bern show, but have never been.
If you could possibly afford to pay a couple of hundred dollars for airfare from CLT to BDL, plus overnight accommodations, you'd definitely get a bigger bang for the buck by spending the weekend at this show: http://www.railroadhobbyshow.com/
