Please accept my apologies for any typos that you may find in this post. The spell checking routine on the blog software isn't working correctly and it has been difficult to check for all of the errors. They still tell us that they are "working on it..."
Milepost 621
While it is most often recognized as the place for companies to announce their newest plans and products, the National Train Show is about a lot of things other than just new products.
For instance, it's about teaching. Most NMRA convention goers are advanced modelers who have spent years developing their skills but the Train Show is open to the general public so there are a lot of people there who are just beginning to discover this great hobby of ours. The companies feel a need to demonstrate and educate the public on the manny different facets of model railroading. For instance, this display at the Walthers booth shows the different scales in model railroading.
You hear so much about different scales but this rather simple display puts all of that in perspective. Trains run on tracks; that's a given but this display from Peco, a major track manufacturer, gives a similar presentation of several of the various scales and gaugesin the hobby.
Of course, there are the old stand-bys too. The folks at Woodland Scenics do a great job with their demonstrations of things like building trees, pouring realistic looking water in ponds & streams and how to go about dyeing that snow-white plaster to look more like rocks. Here, we see a WS rep conducting a "hands-on" demonstration of rock coloring at their booth.
It is this type of demonstration or display that really does create interest among show attendees, making the NTS a great way to spend an afternoon. Talking with industry representatives, doing some hands on activities, seeing new products do their thing and learning more about this great hobby are all good reasons to take the time to visit the National Train Show. Like I said earlier, mark your calendars; the next show in the area is in Cleveland in 2014!
dlm
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