Michigan's Must Visit Model RR Show

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GreatLakesRailfan
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Re: Michigan's Must Visit Model RR Show

Unread post by GreatLakesRailfan »

So I keep reading about some Grandville place on this board. I think it's somewhere on the west side of the state, maybe near Jenison, but I'm from the east side of the state and western Michigan geography really isn't my forte. :P


Ok, seriously, if you're seriously looking for a show that's different than what you're used to, try the Lansing show. Not only is it closer than the Detroit area, you'll see a lot of the dealers that go to the Detroit shows, plus some of your regular dealers, and there are a lot of non-dealers that show up too.

If you like what you see at the Lansing show, and your dad is willing to let you stretch your legs a little, try one of the bigger shows in the Detroit area. The Avondale show was just a couple weeks ago, and is an annual show. It's on the north side and getting to it might be a little tricky from the west side of the state. Gratiot Valley's show is a couple months sooner, first weekend of November(?). Seems like there's another show this weekend too, but you'll pay an arm and a leg just to get in the door and most of the prices will be at least retail. I think there are a few decent shows in the Fort Wayne area that might be worth the trip as well.

If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, there's a monthly show in Wheaton, Illinois, at the DuPage County fairgrounds. It's been a few years since I had the opportunity to go, but the last time I was there, the Chicago area was still suffering from the recession, but the selection was still pretty decent. I can't imagine the selection would be anything but better. Plus, you pretty much have to go through Chicago to get there, and if you take Amtrak to Chicago, you can Metra to the show. It's a win-win.

If you're feeling really confident, go to one of the big regional shows, like the Amherst show in West Springfield, Massachusetts last weekend. Yes, you have to wait a year for it to roll around again, but it's hands down the best show I've ever been to, despite the 15 hours or so it took to drive out there (and the 15 hours or so coming back Sunday night afterward for a 6am class Monday morning...). Between the deals and the layouts and everything else, two days isn't nearly enough time to take it all in. Plus, you'd be in western Massachusetts and there's all kinds of really cool (railroad) stuff to see.

There's a lot out there to see, outside of your local shows. If there's something you're looking for that you can't find locally, sometimes going to a show outside your local area can really pay off. For instance, there's a project I'm looking for parts for, but haven't been able to find at a reasonable price locally. I've had decent luck at the show in Kokomo, Indiana in the past, and if thinks work out, I'll be trying my luck there next weekend. Plus, going to Kokomo means crossing several busy east-west mainlines, and gives me reason to check out at least two different area short lines and some other stuff, if time permits.
~ Charles W.

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Re: Michigan's Must Visit Model RR Show

Unread post by TrainWatcher »

The Detroit area shows are decreasing RAPIDLY. Same sellers, high prices, and NO, repeat NO newer stock for anything short of MSRP. If you want to buy bluebox or something that really needs help, by all means you'll be in heaven.

While I usually visit the Redford show in Farmington and it's had it's ups and downs, and the show in AA put on by the AA Model Railroad Club is quite good (although heard they had a sucky turn out last year for vendors). Monroe, I hear that can be a wash and I hear it can be good. I don't go to the "big" society shows on the north side of town like Gratiot Valley or the ones at Gibraltar Trade Center in Mt. Clemens. Great Train Expo/World's Greatest Hobby show in Novi every year or every other is an ok show, a lot of out of state dealers and TONS of new stock at somewhat reasonable prices and dealers will haggle. Other than that, it's really a crap shoot.

Lansing, I went for the first time last year, and was BLOWN away. It'll definitely be a show I attend again this year. Great sellers and overall great atmosphere and enough room to move around and also hover a bit.

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Re: Michigan's Must Visit Model RR Show

Unread post by Typhoon »

Spend the day and go to the best in the midwest.

http://www.greatmidwesttrainshow.com/

While the internet has taken all train shows done a peg, this one is still good.

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MQT1223
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Re: Michigan's Must Visit Model RR Show

Unread post by MQT1223 »

Typhoon wrote:Spend the day and go to the best in the midwest.

http://www.greatmidwesttrainshow.com/

While the internet has taken all train shows done a peg, this one is still good.
Maybe one day, but with my budget not for a while. Good to know though. :)

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Re: Michigan's Must Visit Model RR Show

Unread post by fmilhaupt »

There are a lot of things that have changed the nature of train shows around Michigan over the past 20 years.
  • A large number of the established dealers from years past have pulled out of the business due to age, having other interests or having passed on.
    (The team running the Rails on Wheels show in 2013 was mystified that one regular vendor from Ohio didn't show up, until they saw his obituary).
  • The "basement bomber" dealers of new stuff have been being forced out by the distributors, with higher monthly ordering requirements, some distributors actually enforcing their requirement that the a dealer have a storefront, and distributors cutting the discount rate on purchases.
  • The shift to the pre-order model for manufacturing product. This reduces overruns and the amount of stuff that is blown out at a deep discount.
  • The number of clubs interested in holding shows is lower. Going back a ways, the Allen Park Model Railroad Club that used to hold one of the shows at the Dearborn Civic Center is no more, and of the newer clubs I'm aware of on the SE side of the state, none of them seem to be interested in holding a show. The hassle factor in starting up a new show is quite high compared to the payoff.
  • Locations are becoming increasingly expensive, and have added costs associated with parking and insurance that in many cases weren't there before.
  • The cubic yards of dollars now being spent buying over the internet, where you are not limited to buying from just those people who come to one room on a single day.
The better-run established shows are still hanging on, though.

The only new-ish "big" show of late, Avondale, is able to draw on a group larger, and on average younger, to work on it than a typical model railroad club.
-Fritz Milhaupt

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Re: Michigan's Must Visit Model RR Show

Unread post by fmilhaupt »

GreatLakesRailfan wrote:There's a lot out there to see, outside of your local shows. If there's something you're looking for that you can't find locally, sometimes going to a show outside your local area can really pay off. For instance, there's a project I'm looking for parts for, but haven't been able to find at a reasonable price locally. I've had decent luck at the show in Kokomo, Indiana in the past, and if thinks work out, I'll be trying my luck there next weekend. Plus, going to Kokomo means crossing several busy east-west mainlines, and gives me reason to check out at least two different area short lines and some other stuff, if time permits.
I agree- if you're bored with the shows in Michigan, get out to shows outside of Michigan.

The Great Berea Train Show, the first weekend in October each year, is one of the easier trips. They hold it in four buildings at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, near I-71 and I-80, SW of Cleveland. Lots of dealers who don't come to Michigan, or don't come to Michigan as much any more.

The Dayton Train Show at Hara Arena, on the NW side of Dayton, Ohio, is a two-day show on the first weekend of November, and is a good trip from Michigan. The times I've gone, it has proportionally had a larger number of individuals selling.

If you're up for a road trip, the second weekend in November is Trainfest, at the Wisconsin Exposition Center in West Allis (Milwaukee). It's another two-day show, and is ENORMOUS. This one draws manufacturer displays as well as the usual sales tables and layouts. The years a bunch of us go, we leave on Friday, visit hobby shops and Fry's in the Chicago area, then go to the show and return home Saturday. If you head out on Thursday and stop at Park Lane Hobby in Dyer, IN, you can pick up discounted Trainfest tickets.

And then there's the Amherst Railroad Society Show in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Four large buildings at the Eastern States Exhibition Center. Many manufacturer displays, lots of sales tables, many layouts. Pretty much anything that you can imagine in model railroading is for sale or on display there. This one takes some planning and is more easily ruined by weather than the other trips. I lucked out this year, having clear driving over on Friday, fluffy snow on Saturday that kept attendance down, the making it back to Michigan on Sunday before then weather got crummy across northern Ohio.

The different dealers and different merchandise is the big draw for me at these shows. Often, you'll encounter someone who is a small manufacturer who has neat products you've never known of before. They may be gone in a year or two, but if they have something that you want now...
-Fritz Milhaupt

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MQT1223
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Re: Michigan's Must Visit Model RR Show

Unread post by MQT1223 »

fmilhaupt wrote:
GreatLakesRailfan wrote:There's a lot out there to see, outside of your local shows. If there's something you're looking for that you can't find locally, sometimes going to a show outside your local area can really pay off. For instance, there's a project I'm looking for parts for, but haven't been able to find at a reasonable price locally. I've had decent luck at the show in Kokomo, Indiana in the past, and if thinks work out, I'll be trying my luck there next weekend. Plus, going to Kokomo means crossing several busy east-west mainlines, and gives me reason to check out at least two different area short lines and some other stuff, if time permits.
I agree- if you're bored with the shows in Michigan, get out to shows outside of Michigan.

The Great Berea Train Show, the first weekend in October each year, is one of the easier trips. They hold it in four buildings at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, near I-71 and I-80, SW of Cleveland. Lots of dealers who don't come to Michigan, or don't come to Michigan as much any more.

The Dayton Train Show at Hara Arena, on the NW side of Dayton, Ohio, is a two-day show on the first weekend of November, and is a good trip from Michigan. The times I've gone, it has proportionally had a larger number of individuals selling.

If you're up for a road trip, the second weekend in November is Trainfest, at the Wisconsin Exposition Center in West Allis (Milwaukee). It's another two-day show, and is ENORMOUS. This one draws manufacturer displays as well as the usual sales tables and layouts. The years a bunch of us go, we leave on Friday, visit hobby shops and Fry's in the Chicago area, then go to the show and return home Saturday. If you head out on Thursday and stop at Park Lane Hobby in Dyer, IN, you can pick up discounted Trainfest tickets.

And then there's the Amherst Railroad Society Show in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Four large buildings at the Eastern States Exhibition Center. Many manufacturer displays, lots of sales tables, many layouts. Pretty much anything that you can imagine in model railroading is for sale or on display there. This one takes some planning and is more easily ruined by weather than the other trips. I lucked out this year, having clear driving over on Friday, fluffy snow on Saturday that kept attendance down, the making it back to Michigan on Sunday before then weather got crummy across northern Ohio.

The different dealers and different merchandise is the big draw for me at these shows. Often, you'll encounter someone who is a small manufacturer who has neat products you've never known of before. They may be gone in a year or two, but if they have something that you want now...
I think Minneapolis has a big train show as well. Grand Rails 2012 was the biggest show that I have been to because it was conveniently local for me, but that was all the name brands showing off their latest products as well as some traveling layouts. I got some footage of the traveling layouts on my Youtube page if you dig back far enough in the "archives". I didn't see any of the dealers like Hobby Recycling and so forth because it wasn't that kind of show. I'm sure Grand Rails doesn't compare to shows like Amherst in terms of size.

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Re: Michigan's Must Visit Model RR Show

Unread post by MQT1223 »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h-7wxBEfak

(Grand Rails 2012)

Hopefully that finally solves this issue. The video is one of my older ones so its not the best.
Last edited by MQT1223 on Sun Feb 08, 2015 1:45 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Michigan's Must Visit Model RR Show

Unread post by fmilhaupt »

MQT1223 wrote: I think Minneapolis has a big train show as well. Grand Rails 2012 was the biggest show that I have been to because it was conveniently local for me, but that was all the name brands showing off their latest products as well as some traveling layouts. I got some footage of the traveling layouts on my Youtube page if you dig back far enough in the "archives". I didn't see any of the dealers like Hobby Recycling and so forth because it wasn't that kind of show. I'm sure Grand Rails doesn't compare to shows like Amherst in terms of size.
Another reason that you won't see smaller dealers like Hobby Recycling at an event like the National Train Show (such as Grand Rails 2012) is that the cost of selling there is so much higher than a local show.

For example, at this year's National Train Show in Portland, a 10x10 booth space is $450, if paid before mid-June, $510 afterward. Then, you'll want tables. That costs $78-95 per table on top of the booth fee. Want a chair or stool? They're $114 apiece. That works out to a lot more than the $20-$30 per table charged by most shows in Michigan. It's pricing more in line with industry trade shows. You get charged for everything, and are very limited as to what you are allowed to provide yourself. The layouts don't get charged for their space, but the cost of the space they use has been figured into the booth charge for the paying exhibitors/vendors.

Most of the higher cost is tied to using a large, visible, centrally-located exhibition hall. That's why you don't see local clubs hosting their shows at places like Cobo Hall or the Novi Suburban Wixom Expo Showcase Collection Center. There has been a lot of discussion (both inside and out of the NMRA) about whether the cost of using such large venues for the National Train Show is worth it. So far, the folks who stage the show think that it is.
-Fritz Milhaupt

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MagnumForce
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Re: Michigan's Must Visit Model RR Show

Unread post by MagnumForce »

For years and years and years, Toledo had the best show in Michigan. Then Steve quit holding them at the rec center.

See what I did there?

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Re: Michigan's Must Visit Model RR Show

Unread post by sandpatch1 »

And I am still awaiting a reply from anybody with the Ann Arbor show if they have tables available... So if you go and you wonder where the sellers are,, they are waiting for the club to sell a table.
jd

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