An event called America’s largest railroad-themed trade show is returning to the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds in West Springfield, Massachusetts on January 27 and Jan. 28, according to organizers.
The event will occupy “four buildings and 400,000 square feet of space, and “covers all facets of the railroad hobbies – model railroads in all scales, railroad art and photography, railroad history and
preservation, tourist railroads, railroad artifacts, and railroad books and videos,” according to organizers.
Further, major railroad publications and model railroad manufacturers are expected to attend the show, and “many use the Railroad Hobby Show as the setting to introduce new products.”
For family fun, Maggie the Railroad Clown, the show’s “goodwill ambassador,” will perform on stage as well as “roaming the show buildings delighting children of all ages with magic tricks and juggling feats,” according to organizers.
Also, there will be “operating models of Thomas, Lego trains, and the ever-popular wooden train sets” at the show.
The Railroad Hobby Show is sponsored by the Amherst Railway Society. For more information and show tickets, visit: railroadhobbyshow.com. The society is a “community of people who share a fascination with railroads” and it sponsors the annual Railroad Hobby Show, a model railroad club, and “a philanthropy program that has donated $830,000 to railroad preservation and restoration projects all over the country.”
The organization began in the mid-1950s on the campus of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and is based at 1130 South Main St., Palmer, Massachusetts, organizers said.