Learning About Model Railroading Through Exhibition Shows

Well, it is now June, May has passed and so has the income tax season.  I
was enriched in the month of April by being able to attend two model
railroading exhibition shows.  One was in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and the
other one was in Calgary, Alberta, both in Canada.

The first one I went to was in Moose Jaw at their Western Development
Museum.  There were model railroading clubs from Regina, Saskatoon and Moose
Jaw, in Saskatchewan.  There were other clubs from other provinces like
British Columbia.

The different modeling scales represented there were HO, O, S, N, & G
Scales.  Exhibits were displayed throughout the museum.  This created a very
historic realism for each of the railroading layouts.

It is hard to say which ones were the most outstanding although there were
several I really liked.    The G Scale layout from Regina was unique.  The
model railroaders in this club had gone to G Scale for the ease of the
hobby.  The layout was divided into four sections, each one had its own
theme.  These model railroaders put this layout together at shows about four
times a year.  I enjoyed talking to these railroaders, they all had very
interesting stories to tell about their club and their model layouts.

There was one model railroader at the museum that had international trains.
His trains were from Britain, Korea, China, Russia, etc.  The trains were
made of metal, they were about a century old in age, some going back to the
mid twenties.

I think the most realistic model was the layout by a club from the interior
of British Columbia.  This layout had not only trees and mountains, it also
had a simulated forest fire with a plane putting out the forest fire.  I
thought that it had the most creative thought and detail of all the layouts
there.

There was also an N Scale layout set on a hexagon coffee table.  It was
quite neat and had an interesting detailed layout.  The train only went
around in a circle but the detailed work that was put into the layout
landscape was what made it so fascinating to me.  I could go on and on about
the show in Moose Jaw but let's go on to Calgary.

The Calgary model railroading exhibition show was held on one of the
snowiest weekends we had this winter.  It was at the Calgary Soccer Stadium
and this allowed for a great number of exhibitioners to participate.

The center of the stadium housed the G Scale model and the Lego trains.
These two exhibits were well put together.  They displayed many of the
characteristics that would be displayed in the garden and play rooms of
static settings.  I personally liked the Lego model which was very well set
up.  The operators were young people who would be in the Lego scene.

The other scales were displayed around the outside arena wall.  One club had
a well defined and detailed N Scale layout.  It was very intricate in
detail.  This layout displayed many man hours of work in creating and
detailing the different items and regions.

The HO Scale model layouts were also very well done.  These model
railroaders like any other scale railroaders take pride in their exhibits.
It was seen in the detail of each layout.  The HO Scale is easy to work with
and the details are easy to see.

The seminars presented at the show were on building scenery, trees, and
model construction.  We were able to come away from the model railroading
exhibition show with many new and informative ideas. You definitely needed
the whole weekend to be able to take in all that this show had to offer.

I did notice that it was the G Scale that seemed to be the featured Scale
retailer of the show.  I also saw HO, O, & N Scale retailers but not as many
as the G Scale.

I think that overall the HO Scale is still the most common scale.  I also
think that in the future that the N Scale will be in more demand as space
becomes an issue in living areas.

Well, these are my thoughts on my two outings to the two model railroading
exhibitions.  I hope that you enjoyed this walk with me through the model
railroading hobby exhibition up here in Canada