# Big train show



## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Anybody going to the BIG TRAIN SHOW? 
JJ


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Where is it and when?

Chuck


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Same place it has been since it moved from the Queen Mary, in Ontario, CA.

I'll go, as usual....


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

Ontario Convention Center
May 21-22 2016

I will be going

Tommy
Rio Gracie


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I want to go out for a BIG steak dinner after the show...

Tommy will you bring any pink locos?

Greg


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

Good memory.

Grace's Pink and Purple loco 11 years ago when she was 7.










Two years ago she came up with a new paint scheme. It is now Blue and Purple with battery, Airwire and Phoenix sound.










Tommy
Rio Gracie


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm hoping to be at the show again this year


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

What no pizza? The Armenian Train Mafia will search you out boy!

Greg


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

JJ, is located about 30 miles from me. Not being from California, I thought there might be a show in Arizona that I didn't know about. Hence, my question.

Chuck


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## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

Was . ... 2 weeks ago at Fair grounds in Phoenix..

Bought a now "gone", UP SD40-2
..my bad!!


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Oh, pishhaw!

Who knew, I didn't. Never heard about it and I was here.

Chuck


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

SD90WLMT said:


> Was . ... 2 weeks ago at Fair grounds in Phoenix..
> 
> Bought a now "gone", UP SD40-2
> ..my bad!!



I found out about the one here the week end after it happened. 

Next guy to find out about a train show let is know maybe we can meet up for lunch of something


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Gotta keep checking the GTS and BTS websites they keep changing when and where. The BTS is two weeks early this year. Anaheim GTE is now in Costa Mesa, and there might be another GTE in Pomona in July. 

GTE should be posting its schedule for the next six month period in the next few weeks. Keep checking for any shows near you

http://www.greattrainexpo.com/schedule.html


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Getting ready to set up tomorrow, will be taking the two G micro pizzas, stop by if you are coming this weekend


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

I sure miss the old Queen Mary days.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Paul Burch said:


> I sure miss the old Queen Mary days.


Paul,

You might want to start a new "tradition" and come down here for our Memorial Day Meets at Los Angeles Live Steamers. Slap a pair of leather gloves on you and "Mother Nature" (you know....hot steam oil and smoke from a REAL stack)......takes it from there. . Looks like we will be running the 3-3/4 inch per foot Merced Mining Company Porter on Sunday May 29th. Had good luck with it last Sunday on our shake down run. Really a lot of fun running a live steamer that large. They even start to sound like full size engines.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

This year is going to be rough with no back up from the Door Hollow crew, so anyone wanting to stop by and hang out and give me a chance to make a pit stop will be appreciated.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

DOOR HOLLOW isn't going to be there ?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Nope, did not like how the Ontario management treated them, and yes I think the Ontario fairgrounds mgmt can be real jerks some time...

Bob Starr got the [blank] harassed out of him by them... his trailer and the live steam setups in general.

Not going.

Greg


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## Bob Baxter (Jan 3, 2008)

Greg...We are NOT at the BTS this year because of a problem with management. We are unable to set up because Don Gage has an out of state family function and can't be with us. He is the Young strong one among the four of us who are the Door Hollow team. We would be there if we could.


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

Greg,

You're not going!
I was looking to say "Hi to ya" tomorrow.

Well, I'll be there on Saturday.

Tommy
Rio Gracie

P.S. - Since Mary Burch isn't coming, I don't have to wear big boy pants


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm all set up but I really tested my patience this year with the freeway traffic going to and from the show, the issues with ever worsening traffic here in LA (or my growing intolerance of what others consider 'normal') may make me rethink future shows.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow blow out prices on used and nos g at BridgeMasters. Like NOS Aristo. A1s $125, NOS U25s $150 and a C16 NIB $150, used stuff fer cheap! I gots me a Bmann saddletanker $50 been wanting for that for years.

Hans is blowing out lil big hauler sets for $79. He says he bought out the lot if them. So it looks like thats the end of them.

Speaking of ends. You read it here first.Someone here(g vendor) told me bitterly that Bachman is ENDING the Spectrum line. They are keeping the Big Hauler line for now but Spectrum will not resume production ...dang!


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

The GTE in Costa Mesa was bonkers crowded and that was a rainy weekend. Today is like alot lighter attendance than I expected, I expected a big crowd like last year, hope tomorrow is better. If tomorrow is lighter than today thats going to be bad for the vendors who did come.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Bridge-masters, out of Placentia, in Orange county.

Bridgewerks sells big expensive power supplies.

Greg


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Greg I'll edit my posts


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

I went to the show today and was able to say hi to Carla, Gary, Mark, Jonathan and Vic. I thought the show was very light in attendance.

Here's some video of Vic's pizza layouts.






A few pictures of some things that caught my eye. First 3 are G Scale and last 3 are Z Scale.























































All I bought were a few animals and I also came home with the Piko 2016 and LGB US Models for 2016 catalogs. I really like thumbing through a printed catalog a lot better than looking at it on a screen.

Tommy
Rio Gracie


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Sunday is definetly families day. BridgeMasters despite the slack crowd said they did very well yesterday. Most of the used estate sales stuff they had was gone glad i got what I did yesterday am, it would be long gone this am.


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

I 2nd what Paul said.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Sunday was better than Saturday ...at least for me. Alot of questions about tiny circles and tinyer trains. Hope next year they can lure back more vendors. Talk was that next years show may be scheduled in August due to other events. We'll see.

Got home to find my modum has decided to die. Two hours on the phone with AT&T ... nothing. Gotta buy a new one tomorrow ....pooh!


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Regarding this and next years shows schedule, from what I was told next years show hasn't been scheduled due to other scheduled (IOWs Paid) events are already booked for June, I suspect that happened this year also which is why we got a show in May this year. Also I suspect talking about moving the show as late as August kinda means its a filler event for the OCC, given that they own the show means they only make money if they sell tickets and booths, no one putting up $$ up front to rent the hall. there was even mention that the show might be held at another (less premium?) venue, where exactly I dont know. Again this is all from talking to other exhibitors. 


The problem with all this is that traditionally the shows vendors are offered the opportunity of renewing their option to return the following year, probably at an early bird rate lower than once its closer to the event. They offer this for a period right after the show closes, however without a firm date, the vendors cannot commit and hence they cannot renew, OCC needs to get a firm date in hand. I suspect the NGRS in July might have sapped a few vendors, but I think the date change a month early might be more to blame.


Also the fact that each year there are less vendors is more worrisome to me. As one person explained it. A vendor come to the show but dont sell what they expected so they decide not to return the following year, a visitor comes to the show but cannot find a vendor selling what they want, or the vendor is asking for the Moon and Mars price-wise, so the visitor decides not to come back the following year, this goes on for a few cycles and next thing you know, you have few vendors and few visitors. not a good thing.


Now I saw alot, I mean ALOT of stuff being carried by visitors so clearly those that did show up came ready to haggle. The fact that I saw ALOT of large scale boxes in hand being carried makes me think its still got a big large scale presence, as has been said, BridgeMasters came ready to move stock, but I was also disappointed that the attendance has definetly waned since even last year. I dont think its the economy, because Costa Mesa was bonkers busy. I suspect the change in date, and lack of advertising might have had alot more to do with the drop off than anything else. Will there be a show next year, yes, I think so, but when and even where, are still up in the air.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

PS the Swag List: we don't do these anymore, we should. I miss them, so here's mine:

Bachmann Bug Mauler circus 4-6-0 $10, parts for my Lil Haulers.

Bachmann NIB Lil Big Hauler 0-4-0 w/ tender $75, $20 more than I wanted to pay, Hans had the blue locos for only $40, but I really wanted the tender and he only had the one, I dont mind, I've paid that before on Fleabay only this time I didn't need to add shipping. I'll likely pick up a couple more blue ones at Pomona in July, just to have them in reserve ;-) 

Bachmann 0-4-0T Saddletanker, $50. The RARE round tank switcher I have wanted back ever since I sold mine and instantly regretted it. Runs fine, apparently sat on a display case its entire life, good for me.

Two 'Mountains In Minutes' urethane foam building facades, one used $8 back alley facade, one still shrink-wrapped storefront facade$20, I have seen these sell for over $50 each on Fleabay so I grabbed them immediately. Got a place for them on the harbor layout.

I also got a few figures, and someone made me an offer for the Angry Beaver layout! I have to really consider it because it was a decent offer! the sad thing is that if I could easily get another circle of Aristo track to build another I probably would sold it on the spot. But because I only have one more of the little circles, I'm reluctant.

Hmmm...maybe I should buy a track bender and sell the little circles at the shows... Hmmmm


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## MJSavage (Dec 27, 2007)

vsmith said:


> Hmmm...maybe I should buy a track bender and sell the little circles at the shows... Hmmmm


Not a bad idea at all!


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