Showtime: 2025 The Big E

The Young Building Diorama on display at the " A Walk Through History" museum.

Today I had a chance to go see a piece of my former Tribute to Springfield layout which is currently on display at the "Eastern States Exposition: A Walk through History" museum during this year's The Big E.

Back in May at the 2025 Northeast Large Scale Show, the Amherst Railway Society gifted the Young Building diorama to the Eastern States Exposition. The society had a plexiglass case constructed to fit over the diorama and the folks at the ESE created a sign explaining the backstory to the layout. The media team from the ESE also wrote a nice story about the layout on their website here.

Gifting the diorama to the Eastern States Exposition at the Northeast Large Scale Show. Left to right: Gene Cassidy, CEO Eastern States Exposition, John Sacerdote, Show Director Railroad Hobby Show, and me.

For those who are attending The Big E this year, September 12 - 28, 2025, the "A Walk Through History" museum is typically open from 10 am to 9 pm each day and is located in the Hampden County Building on the northwest portion of the grounds near Storrowton Village and the Avenue of States.

This is an amazing ending to a project which started 10 years ago. It has been a fun adventure - the project has been a great way to learn more about the history of the Railroad Hobby Show and the Eastern States Exposition as well as a way to open up opportunities to meet and talk with a lot of people who have been a part of these events through the years. Thanks to everyone who has been a part of the adventure.

Showtime: The Big E 2023

The Tribute to Springfield Young Building module setup at The Big E.

After many years of enjoyment, I have decided it was time to retire the Tribute to Springfield layout. After talking with the Railroad Hobby Show Show Director John Sacerdote and Amherst Railway Society President Joe Biagioni, they mentioned the society would be interested  preserving a portion of the layout. We decided to save the Young Building module and I completed some work to rebuild the section as a stand alone diorama display.

We agreed to transfer the display at an appropriate venue - the Eastern State Exposition during the 2023 The Big E. The Amherst Railway Society has a booth in the Better Living Center to promote the society and the Railroad Hobby Show and this year, the Tribute to Springfield layout will part of the display for the seventeen days of the fair.

I spent a few weeks in August cleaning up the benchwork, moving details to the Young Building module, and rehabbing the scenery. The rest of the layout joined the big layout in the sky. I met up with folks from the Amherst Railway Society the day before the fair opened on September 14 to setup the module one last time.

I'm very appreciative the Amherst Railway Society was interested in keeping a part of the layout and will be making space for it in their clubhouse. It has been a fun eight years learning about the history of the rail spur and the Railroad Hobby Show as well as building and sharing the layout. I plan to keep researching the history around the show and venue - who knows - maybe I'll revisit this layout theme when I celebrate my 50th anniversary of attending the Railroad Hobby Show in 2039!

In the meantime, I hope to bring a new layout to the show next January which is currently under construction. Hope to see you there!

Completed updates to the Young Building module in the workshop.

 

Showtime: Northeast Large Scale Train Show

The Tribute to Springfield layout on display during the 2023 Northeast Large Scale Show.

What is better than one annual trip to the Eastern States Exposition for a train show? Well how about two!

The Amherst Railway Society has launched a second spring train show called the Northeast Large Scale Show which was held in the Young Building over the weekend of April 28 and 29, 2023. The focus of the show was meant to be geared towards G scale garden railroads but included some of the larger scales like O scale and live steam. There were enough layouts and vendors at the show to fill the building. Attendance was much lower than the main event in January but this was expected for a more focused event held in the spring.

The Tribute to Springfield layout made the second trek of the year up to West Springfield, MA, to participate in the inaugural version of the show. The layout ran well over the two days of the show.

It was fun to experience "Springfield" lite with nice weather, the ability to walk around during show hours, and easy parking. Hopefully this will be the start of a new tradition.

Showtime: Kids On Track Springfield 2022

Overview of the Tribute to Springfield layout at the event.

Over the weekend of August 6-7, 2022, the Amherst Railway Society and the Springfield Union Station hosted the Kids on Track event at the Springfield Union Station in Springfield, MA. The event featured several operating model railroads as well as local museums and attractions setup in the main lobby.

I was invited to display the Tribute to Springfield layout at the event. It was fun to setup inside the recently renovated station and have a chance to share the layout.

View inside Springfield Union Station of the event.

Overview of the Kids on Track event.

Showtime: 2022 Railroad Hobby Show Preview

The Tribute to Springfield layout setup at the 2019 show at section 74 in the Young Building.

Only two weeks until the doors open for the triumphant return of the annual Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show! We are all excited about meeting up again at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA, for a weekend of railroading. I am planning bring the Tribute to Springfield layout out of retirement and displaying it at the show once again to celebrate the shows return. The layout is anticipated to be setup at section 74 in the Young Building (same place as 2019) with A Modular Railroad Club.

As usual, I'm very excited about the show and hope to see you there. If you are coming to the show, make sure to stop by and say hi. See you January 29th-30th, 2022 at the Railroad Hobby Show!

Showtime: 2021 Railroad Hobby Show

The 2021 Virtual Railroad Hobby Show streaming on YouTube

After a wild ride through the pandemic in 2020, the Railroad Hobby Show was changed from an in person extravaganza at the Eastern States Exposition to an online virtual event. Held over the weekend of January 30 - 31, 2021, the Amherst Railway Society - in partnership with Virtual Railfan - streamed 15 hours of programming on YouTube featuring all varieties of exhibitors from the show.

The show director - John Sacerdote - was the host for the event providing introductions and commentary in between various scheduled segments. Some of these segments included live look ins at the Virtual Railfan cameras around North America, pre-taped presentations, and live interviews. ScaleTrains.com was the keystone sponsor for the event and featured live announcements of new models on Saturday and their acquisition of MTH's HO and S-scale product lines on Sunday.  A number of the other sponsors also presented talking about their latest products over the course of the two days.

As of this writing, the announced plan was to divide the live stream down into segments and it was going to be posted on YouTube for anyone to watch later if they missed the event live.

While I didn't get to directly participate in the event, my current club - A Modular Railroad Club - received a shout out from John on Saturday afternoon during the live stream which was much appreciated by our members. Also, Railroad Model Craftsman posted a photo of the O scale Tribute to Springfield layout as part of their article about the virtual show (click here).

Overall, it was a great two days and a well done production by all involved. There are rumors of more "virtual" shows on a quarterly basis over the next year until, hopefully, we can all return again to West Springfield, MA, in 2022.

Speaking of 2022, the dates for the show are January 29 - 30, 2022. Mark your calendars and make your hotel reservations now. Hope to see you there!

Showtime: 2019 Railroad Hobby Show Preview

The Tribute to Springfield layout setup at the 2018 show at section 85 in the Young Building.

Less than one month until the doors open on the 51st Annual Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show! I plan to display the Tribute to Springfield layout once again at the show. The layout is anticipated to be setup at section 74 in the Young Building (a few sections to the west of where it was last year) with my new club - A Modular Railroad Club. Not too much has changed since last year - just a few details updated here and there. I did add a back and forth shuttle unit so trains could be operated continuously when I decided I'd had enough of switching and wanted a break.

As usual, I'm very excited about the show and hope to see you there.  See you January 26th-27th, 2019 at the Railroad Hobby Show!

Wordless Wednesday: Lining Up

50th Railroad Hobby Show: 12 Days to Go

Only 12 Days to Go until the 50th Anniversary Railroad Hobby Show!

Been busy putting the final touches on the Tribute to Springfield layout. Just a few more items left on the to do list...

50th Railroad Hobby Show: 24 Days to Go

24 Days until the 50th Anniversary Railroad Hobby Show!

For a time, a group of members from the Mohegan Pequot Model Railroad Club displayed this On30 layout in the Young Building. It was a great looking layout and part of the long O scale tradition with the club and the show.

Showtime: 2018 Railroad Hobby Show Preview

The Tribute to Springfield layout setup in the workshop being prepped for the show.

Only 50 days until the doors open on the 50th anniversary of the Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show!  Despite not blogging for the last year, work has been progressing on the Tribute to Springfield layout.  The plan is to have the layout setup at section 85 in the Young Building (same place as last year) with the Mohegan Pequot Model Railroad Club. For those who haven't seen the layout since last Springfield, I've added lots of new details which have really made it come to life.

As usual, I'm very excited about the show and hope to see you there. See you January 27-28th, 2018 at the Railroad Hobby Show!

Showtime: 2017 Railroad Hobby Show Preview

Lots of new details have been added to the Tribute to Springfield layout.

Only 48 hours until the doors open on the 49th Annual Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show!  Despite not blogging for the last several months, work has been progressing on the Tribute to Springfield layout.  The plan is to have the layout setup at section 85 in the Young Building (same place as last year) with the Mohegan Pequot Model Railroad Club. For those who haven't seen the layout since last Springfield, I've added lots of new details which has really made it come to life.

As usual, I'm very excited about the show and hope to see you there.  As a reminder, below are some links to official show sites if you need up to the minute information about the show.

• Railroad Hobby Show Official Website
• List of Exhibitors
• Show Map
• Amherst Railway Society Facebook Page (for real time updates)

If you are coming to the show, make sure to stop by and say hi. See you this weekend (January 28-29th, 2017) at the Railroad Hobby Show!

Wordless Wednesday: Calm Before the Storm

Layout Update Mondays: Final Edition

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.  Due to a (good) change in my schedule, my available hobby time is going to be shrinking.  This leaves less time to work on the layout and blog so I decided it was time to end regular posting to the blog.

For the time being, I plan to leave the blog in place for folks to come back and enjoy the story of the construction of the Tribute to Springfield layout plus the history of the Railroad Hobby Show I've managed to collect. I plan to still update with posts from time to time with updates about the layout.

I am still looking forward to attending the show this coming January with the Mohegan Pequot Model Railroad Club and hope to see you there. So thanks again for following along over the last year or so and see you next year on January 28 and 29th, 2017 at the Railroad Hobby Show!

Module Monday: The Streets of Bethlehem

The Streets of Bethlehem city module.

Over the year's I've had a chance to photograph numerous modular layouts at the Railroad Hobby Show and interview the module builders.  Here is a look back at one of these module profiles which was compiled during the 2009 Railroad Hobby Show.

Module Spotlight Scale: HO Size: 28"x72" Standards: Club Years Constructed: 2003 Features: Swamp, Beaver Dams Era: 1950s Club: Central New York Modelers Owner: Bill Brown, MMR

For this week's Module Monday, we return to the Central New York Modelers and look at another one of their modules.  This month we look at the award winning "The Streets of Bethlehem" built by Bill Brown, MMR.  The module features a spectacular city scene from the 1950s complete with tremendous detail and animation.  On the module, Bill shows off his structure building ability with lots of kit, kitbashed, and scratchbuilt structures each weathered and detailed.  The module has lots of lighting with street lights, interior building lights, and flashing traffic signals.  A high line on the module is animated with a reversing circuit that allows a train to move in and out of the scene, capturing the viewers attention.

To make transportation easier, the entire back portion of the module which features the bulk of the city lifts off as a separate piece.  When the module was first constructed this allowed the city portion of the module to be placed into the home layout Bill had.

Bill has one numerous awards with the module.  The first award won was the Baldwin Award for Best in Show during the June 2003 NMRA Northeast Regional Convention held in Fishkill, NY.  In 2006, the module won the DPM Module Award for the best use of DPM City Classics structures on a module as well as the Best Module in Show at the 2006 National Train Show in Philadelphia, PA.  Of course, the module also received Best in Show in 2010 at the Railroad Hobby Show.

A repair shop on the front of the module.

Showtime: Layout Media Credits

Model Railroader Video Plus segment.

Want to see the Tribute to Springfield layout in action? During the National Train Show in Indianapolis, IN, I was fortunate to be interviewed by the Model Railroader Video Plus crew as well as TrainMasters.TV.  Cody Grivno stopped by for a discussion about the layout and the final product can be see in Part 2 of their National Train Show report. (segment starts at about the 10:30 mark at the link here.)  The layout was also covered in Part 2 of Trainmaster.TV's National Train Show coverage. (If you are a subscriber, the link is here.) My thanks to Miles Hale and Barry Silverthorn for including the layout in their show as well.

In addition, this YouTube video has a clip of the layout: NMRA 2016 National Model Train Show (starts at 31:25)

Exhibitor Thursday: Amherst Rail Store

The Amherst Railway Society Store inside the Better Living Center.

Exhibitor Spotlight Name: Amherst Rail Store Display Style: Tables Type: Organization Size: 16'x24' Present Location: Better Living Center Home Location: Amherst, MA Website: www.amherstrail-store.org Social Media:

One of the vendors at the show is also the show's host: the Amherst Railway Society.  The organization has several tables where they have flyers and literature as well as numerous items for sale inside the Better Living Center near their HO scale Amherst Belt Lines modular layout.

At these tables, you can find all kinds of Amherst Railway Society and Railroad Hobby Show apparel - like shirts, aprons, sweatshirts, and hats.  In addition, the group has sponsored several books which can be found at these tables along with show cars in both HO and N scale.  If you are interested in joining the group, the fine folks running the table will be happy to process your application.

All of the items which are available at the show are also available online.  Visit the Amherst Railway Society store at: www.amherstrail-store.org

Wordless Wednesday: MPRR G Scale Switcher

Showtime: 2016 National Train Show

The Tribute to Springfield layout at the National Train Show.

The second show is in the books for the Tribute to Springfield layout!  Last weekend, the layout was on display at the National Train Show held in Indianapolis, IN.  Obviously with the theme of the layout being the Railroad Hobby Show and based in Massachusetts, I was a bit concerned it would seem out of place in the Midwest.  However, there are plenty of folks who attend both shows or have at least heard of the legend that is "Springfield." 

Outside the Indiana Convention Center.

The show was open to the public from Friday July 8 through Sunday July 10, 2016 - but the trip for me (and the Mohegan Pequot Model Railroad Club) began on Tuesday morning July 5.  We spent most of the day enjoying the Pennsylvania and Ohio countrysides with our caravan of minivans and a trailer before arriving in Indianapolis Wednesday morning for setup day.  While the National Train Show is fairly large - about half the square footage of Springfield - it's all packed into one building instead of four.  This means there are some logistical hurtles requiring the extra time to spend setting up.  Fortunately, we were there early, so it made the pace of setup leisurely.

Friday was probably the busiest day for me.  It began early in the morning at 7 am with judging for the module contest.  During the early hours of the show (which opened at 9 am), the layout caught the attention of many different people and I participated in several interviews which will hopefully air in the not-to-distant future.  Friday morning is also only a soft opening to NMRA convention attendees.  There are a lot of folks in this group who travel around the country to shows - so many were familiar with Springfield and had even attended.

Overall the feedback for the layout was positive and the module judges seemed to agree awarding the layout 2nd Place in the Individual Module Category.  The rules had changed a bit since we last competed in the contest back in 2014 but in some ways I think for the better.  For example, it didn't seem like many people were interested in competing back in 2014 due to the amount of paperwork required to enter the contest and the rigid scoring structure.  This year, any layout could enter and there wasn't any particular scoring requirements.  This means a lot of modules and layouts entered which might not have otherwise.  So I feel good that the folks running the contest thought that highly of the layout considering there were so many more entries.

The layout ran smoothly all weekend - with just a few breaks to clean the track and locomotive wheels.  Most of the club members stopped by and tried their hand at operating the layout.  Most succeed but the average time was around a half an hour to complete one cycle through the operation scheme.

Another view of the Tribute to Springfield layout setup at the NTS.

Speaking of the club, we also brought along our HO scale modular layout setup in a 20'x44' loop.  We had 26 modules - of which 15 were new since we went to the 2014 National Train Show in Cleveland.  I spent a lot of time preparing that layout as well as the O scale layout over the last few months.  I'm happy to report the HO layout also ran well all weekend and was also well received.

These trips are a lot of fun - but also a lot of work.  We still have two more days ahead of us for the ride home - plus another evening of unloading the trailer and vehicles.  I want to the thank all the folks at the NTS for being great hosts again as well as all my fellow club members who worked their rear ends off over the last year getting ready for this event.

And with that, the clock starts for the next showing of the layout at the 49th Railroad Hobby Show in just 201 days!

The Mohegan Pequot Model Railroad Club's HO layout.

The travel team for the Mohegan Pequot layout.

Showtime: 2016 National Train Show Preview

Highball to Indy 2016!

Tomorrow the Tribute to Springfield layout will be on display at the 2016 National Train Show which will be held July 8-10, 2016, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN.  The railroad will be setup with the Mohegan Pequot Model Railroad Club's HO scale modular railroad in the 3000 block of the layout exhibits. (L3015 for the Tribute to Springfield layout and L3018 for the HO layout)

If you can make it out to the event, here are a couple of links to get you ready for the show:

• National Train Show - The official show site where you can get up to the minute information about the entire show.
• 2016 Highball to Indy! - The official NMRA convention website.
• NMRA 2016 Facebook page - A place to get real time updates from the organization holding the convention.

Hope to see you at the Indiana Convention Center on July 8-10, 2016 in Indianapolis!