All aboard for Railroad Hobby Show

Two-day event will feature model railroads, art, entertainment

By C ori U rban Special to The Republican

THE RAILROAD HOB- by Show — the largest railroad-themed trade show in America — will be pulling into the Eastern States Exposition for a two-day event.

The weekend show is on track to feature operating model railroads, railroad art and photography, railroad books and videos, model railroad clinics, family entertainment, information on tourist railroads and “railroadiana.”

“Anything and everything that has do to with railroads” can be seen at the show, said John Sacerdote, Railroad Hobby Show director. “This is rapidly becoming known as the ‘bucket-list show.’”

Pre-COVID-19 shows drew as many as 25,000 visitors from throughout the world.

The Railroad Hobby Show is an annual event sponsored by the Amherst Railway Society.

Major railroad publications and model railroad manufacturers attend the show, and many use the Railroad Hobby Show to introduce new products.

Highlights of the 2023 show are to include a large modular model railroad, Maggie the Railroad Clown stage shows, long freight trains on the

If You Go

Event: Railroad Hobby

Show

When: Saturday and Sunday

Where: Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield

Tickets: Adults, $15 per day; children 15 and under, free accompanied by an adult

For more information: Online, railroadhobbyshow. com ter, an attempt to assemble a record-size layout and scale models of visitors from using a full-body scanning and printing system.

The scale models are “the absolute spitting image of you, and you can then put yourself in your own model railroad,” Sacerdote explained. The models are 1 to 4 inches high, depending on the scale.

Dry Hill Model Railroad, an operating steam locomotive outside the Better Living Cen-

Pre-show clinics will take place today and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the

Sheraton Monarch Hotel. The in-person clinics with experienced instructors provide insights into the latest modeling techniques and inspiration for new modeling ideas.

Among the clinic topics are American Flyer repair, designing prototypical lighting, Hershey and the Reading Railroad, North American signaling, reality and model railroading, paint and glues and waterfalls.

Since 1991, proceeds from the Railroad Hobby Show have enabled the Amherst Railway Society to donate nearly $1 million to railroad restoration and preservation projects throughout the