Scattered Thoughts . . .

There were a lot of great operating model railroad layouts at this year's show. I think there were over 50 layouts this year and that didn't include all the hands-on layouts for the kids to play. I put together a very short video of the "Best In Show" layout modules at this year's Amherst Railway Society's Train Show. I have to say that this particular layout was quite impressive and even evoked an "oh wow..." when I first approached it!  The layout was built by the 'Four County Society of Model Engineers' from Central Maryland. This layout was highly detailed with great lighting and I feel both of those points should be mentioned here. Beyond the exceptional detail, what I found exceptionally impressive was the realistic, cohesive color scheme used throughout the entire layout. The color of this model world was consistent and about as realistic as I've ever seen in a model railroad. The consistency from module to module was key t

Late last night, I realized that I hadn't shared any photos of the train show yet so I went looking for all the photos I shot while we were in Springfield back in January. It just so happens that I shot a lot of photos this year and I even shot quite a bit of video! For now, I'll share a bunch of photos. When I have some time, I'll put together a few different videos by topic.   Even though we are at a show inside buildings and spread out over eight acres, Sheila always manages to find a bit of sunshine at the show... We ate breakfast at the Cracker Barrel every morning... I'd eat there far too often if we had one near home! This early in the morning, we were often seated opposite the big stone fireplace... At the Big-E, making our way from the car to the show... Waiting in line for the doors to open... we arrived a bit too early on one of the mornings... fortunately, it was unseasonably warm this particular weekend... Sheila wanted photo