Big E - Springfield MA Report

Thanks for the photos and report. Nice to see Booth Memorial out and about! Anyone stop by Trainz wondering about their booth. The years I go, one of the first things I look up is whether our home town AHL team is playing Springfield. They never have been,, I don't go this year and of course I see Bpt played Springfield last night.

The Big E in my opinion is the best train show around  ****ed that I had to miss it this year

Top row left you have Superwarp, Carl Chancey, Don Klose, the happy guy is Marty Fitzhenry, Captain John, Dottie Perry, Gerry Morlitz, Gerry's wife sue, don't know who has the shades on, Mike Caruso, not sure who the pretty lady is, Don Masso, Al G., Bottom row left to right is Avery Root, Pauls Wife, little guy is Superwarps son, then Paul Licatta, Aubv Brian, Steve B. from Ross, not sure of the bearded guy and then Eddie G

Missed seeing you and having you in the picture Ben. love this show.

Great pictures and good to see everyone.

Paul

Ben, just for the record MJ (Mary Joyce) is not my wife (yet )

Thanks for putting names to the faces Ben.

Paul - only one L - Licata

Hopefully next year I am back to normal with work schedules Paul   Missed this show more than York

The couple sort of between me and Don Masso (I guess you could say they were "bracketed by graybeards!") are Jeanne and Mike Karaim of Cape Cod (aka MDK).  (In chatting with Jeanne came to learn she and I grew up less than a mile apart in Boston.)

- Mike

The gentleman next to Steve is Nate and next to him is Eddiem (not Eddie G).

Wooops  G  M   I got the Eddie right

I'm so glad to see this thread posted, and thanks to everybody who contributed photos and personal perspectives. I say that with enthusiasm because it has been suggested to me (Layout Refinements) that I display my work at this Big E Show, as well as at York, but I have hesitated due to my aversion to driving in snowy weather and the good fortune of selling-out (and/or nearly doing so) so often at York. I'm not certain I'd have any significant inventory available to make the commitment feasible to ask for space at the Big E.

I much appreciate the comparisons made here between The Big E show and the TCA Meet at York, PA, which may or may not be logical but is a very practical subject for me. May I ask for more such perspectives, comparing the two, esp. as it relates to being a vendor?

FrankM.

Frank

I believe that most vendors make out better at the Big E.  The one I assisted with had 10 tables at Big E and sales were brisk.  This is the only major train show in New England and it seems that people come to spend.  It isn't devoted to O gauge as York is   HO is king there

Thanks for all the great pictures!  I feel like I was there, well, all most. 

It very much reminds me of TrainFest in Milwaukee and that is a great show too.

Art

I know   I like both Eds so it doesn't matter

Frank,

Last time I checked, there was a list of prospective vendors a mile long waiting for a chance at a table spot. Some have been waiting several years. It would be good to inquire very early about next year if you think you might want to make the trip.

Your display would definitely add even more class to an already classy show, and should be well-received by the public.

Jim

Thanks Paul for an excellent report. Also thanks to Paul, Don & Mike for all of the wonderful photos of this event.

We were committed because of our involvement with an organization to attend a dinner dance last evening which precluded us for attending this show yesterday. In hind sight, wished we could have changed plans and gone to the train show. We won't make this mistake next year. 

OK. NO COULDA, SHOULDA, WOULDA!! 

The Amherst Train show for 2015 is January 24 and 25th. So mark your calender for next year and God willing, we can all meet there. 

Ben, thanks for taking the time to the names to faces for us.  Looks like a great group.  All the additional photo's of the meet gave me a good inside as to what it was like there. 

Steve, Lady and Tex

I agree with just about everything EddieM said and I agree the only thing bad about the BIG E show is all the **** Ho. This is the show for hobbyists and families that last week's WGH show in PA should have been!

I'm late in replying to this, so I'll start here. IMO, two HUGE differences:

The DCS dinner.

Thursday at Friday's (or wherever it will be)

I agree with most everything else. Thanks for the pictures, Paul. Great seeing everyone. Just in case you didn't know it, Ben knows just about everybody.

Great show great fun. Great to have York and the Big E.

Two 'eds are better than one? Are you referring to Ed Boyle?

Gerry

Hi Guys,

   I went both days this year. This is my "neck of the woods".  Saturday is always the busier day. A lot of families, picture takers and buyers.  The show did seem a little less crowded than previous years.  Maybe it was the cold weather and the forecast for snow showers? This show is more than a train show. They have so many exhibits, which includes learning about scenery making, learning about past New England Railroads and lots of clubs showing off their creations. The "Big E" has 4 buildings, and all scales are represented at the show. Most bargains can be had on Sunday which I found dealers are willing to bargain with you, and I took advantage of this.  I ran into Vinnie from NJ High-Railers on Saturday.  It's truly a sight to see!  For O Scale only, it's York followed by Allentown.  For a true Railroad experience, it's the Eastern States Amhurst Train show also nicknamed "The Big E Trainshow".  Definitely worth going for a two day experience.  By the way, this is my 12th show.

The Big E is my favorite train show. I brought along a friend this year, and he was blown away by the magnitude, diversity, organization and attendance of the show.

I missed the OGR booth, but maybe the weather will be better for them next year.

The Big E has quite a few vendors of homemade items that are not typical of other shows. Organization, parking, isle size, rest rooms, layout of buildings, entry fee, parking fee, diversity of train products ..... all excellent. Beats York in my opinion!

OK, First, The guy in the Shades in the Picture is Me, Russell Purkey

The Big E (Amhearst) Show is my big one for the year.

I have met and talked with some of you.

My score this year was a boxed set of the Red Cross Heavyweights from K-Line, 2002 vintage.

I missed the Megasteam booth this year, I was planning on picking up more product there but I ran out of time.

I had a passenger who helped defray the trip cost and he was tired out early, so we were only there from 11AM till 3:30PM.

While I did not take pictures, My passenger took movies of several layouts and I will get a copy when he is done editing.

The big G gauge layout was indeed impressive.

So was the switching layout in the back with LIVE STEAM G Gauge running !!!

The Big E show is just shy of 150 miles from southern Maine, so it was a little over a two-hour drive for me. I like this show because it's my only chance to see such a variety of train stuff up close. I don't mind seeing all the other gauges as I get ideas from all the great layouts And displays. My thoughts:

1. Saw lots of families with young children. While I applaud their efforts to expose their kids to the hobby, those parents have much more patience than I do! I've thought about bringing my kids (8 and 9 years old) but they would detract from my experience, so call me selfish! I had to chuckle inside whenever I heard a toddler pleading "Uppie, uppie!" to his/her exasperated parents.

2. The amount of S-gauge for sale always astounds me. There was one guy with about six tables of AF trains, and each piece had an index card spelling out how common or rare the piece was. It was an excellent presentation, but Then again, i didn't see many people buying the stuff.

3. I'm also baffled and amazed at the bewildering variety of boxcars lionel has made over the years. I'm taking about the weird, non-railroad stuff that vendors cart from one show to the next. Who buys this stuff?

4. My own minimal purchases were a Woodland Scenics General Store in kit form that I plan to kit bash to fit my layout; a Williams B&M caboose; and a Quartzo 1/43 scale BMW 320 in Carling black label race livery.

5. One final thought on the smaller scale layouts at the show; LED lighting is a godsend for HO and smaller. We think dealing with lighting in O scale is tough; imagine fiddling with those even tinier bulbs! But I saw some fabulous scenes with blinking lights on snow plows and police cruisers, ambulances and fire tucks. Unbelievably good stuff.

So you're the guy who bought those BMWs!!!!  LOL  I saw those and thought they looked cool…there were two of them at the time.  But I figured I'll walk around and see if there's anything else that strikes my fancy.  I can always come back….well, we all know what happens when you do that!!  I was sooo disappointed when I returned and they were both gone!  And the price was very reasonable too!  What an idiot I was!  LOL  If you use it on your layout, post a picture.  I'll enjoy it vicariously thru yours!!  Congratulations on a nice pickup!

- MIke

quote:

. The amount of S-gauge for sale always astounds me. There was one guy with about six tables of AF trains, and each piece had an index card spelling out how common or rare the piece was. It was an excellent presentation, but Then again, i didn't see many people buying the stuff.

Weren't Gilbert American Flyer trains made around New Haven? That's only a little more than an hour away from Springfield. A.F. trains seem to be popular in New England.

I don't know I see Vinny all the time

Had a great time at the Big E.  First visit in many years. The building interiors must have been planned by the ancient King Minos who stabled the Minotaur.  I got so confused at one point I passed the same table 3 times.  But my best blunder came when I thought

I was in the Stroh, but was actually in the BLC. No wonder I couldn't find the vendor I

was searching for.

When I saw that the O Gauge Forum contingent wasn't coming I thought there would be no photos, so I didn't double back at 2PM.  Next year I'll try to have my head screwed on right.

I agree that there seem to be more operating layouts and less vendors.  I had a small list of wants, but unfortunately found nothing on my list.  As for the food.  York is much much better.

Lew Schneider

Was there on Sunday and, like last year, amazing show.  Sad to report that I didn't get to see everything I wanted to.  Show is just too big for one day.  One thing I looked for and did not find is O scale city buildings. Not talking about the suburban 3-story cobbler type structure from Woodland or the 3-4 story city type buildings from MTH with the store-type entrance and entire first floor being a store. I mean stuff like Walthers carries in HO - real big city looking buildings - stuff you might see peppering a city skyline in the 1940s and 50s.  Tall commercial and apartment type buildings.  Show was just too big to really do a thorough search.  So many amazing layouts and products. 

I've learned the spots in the different buildings for the venders and O scale I'm interested in and coast over all the HO and N scale. I don't really spend much time at the operating layouts at the show either. 

Thanks for the pictures!

Isn't it great to promote the hobby and make people want to attend a train show by ALLOWING pictures? :-)

Yes Charlie. All my photos above were to help with those who did not attend. They were quick shots with no disruption to anyone. Because of the group layouts, I wanted pictures of some of my friends, a G gauge group and a HO group, but there really isn't much to photograph. There is always a unique structure that you would like to build or a nice scenic display. But that is only where there are lots of layout displays. York, if lucky, has one or two displays. (Never been so correct me if I am wrong).

Pretty much looks like the typical crowd size in the orange hall at York.. No one died taking pictures, using strollers or having backpacks?

I still can't beleive the ED of the TCA adheres to the archaic rule of no photography. I'm sorry, but that is the dumbest, most anti-social rule. Others have noted no one got their panties in a wad because someone stopped to take a picture at the Big E. And if people get upset because someone is taking a picture I would suggest they switch to de-caf.

As a marketing professional this annoys me to no end. People pay great money for advertising. York offers an opportunity to share a wonderful aspect of our hobby for free.

What the Big E did accomplish is to let our fellow tca members and others interested in the hobby share what was a terrific show.

Oh the horror...

Paul - stepping off my photography soapbox - Licata

Thanks Charlie, nothing like throwing red meat to the "lets bash the TCA" crowd.

Don

While I'm not here to bash anyone I will say, Folks were very polite and helpful in staying back for a couple minutes so we could get the group shot in front of Ross Custom Switches Booth.

And that is a main hall right in from the door. No problems, everyone was friendly and having a good time.

A friend was with me and he was there for only one thing, Movies of layouts for his Grandkids. I look forward to seeing the edited product, He is a pro.

Okay, I know I'm swimming against the stream here but… I would hope that the York meet stays camera-free.  Yes, I know I took a lot of pictures Saturday and posted them elsewhere on this thread.  But I believe there are basic differences between the two meets that makes taking pictures at one less disruptive than at the other.

In a nutshell, I see York as more of a "shopping experience" and Springfield as more of a "look-around/social-type event."  The ratio of layout space vs. vendor space at THe Big E is so much higher than at York, that you're going to have lots more people just standing in place looking at trains and scenery details…in that environment, stopping for 30 seconds while you get that shot you want or focusing in on whatever isn't that big a deal.  Most of the people around you are standing there looking at the same thing.  

I just don't feel that same vibe, as it were, at York.  People are looking for stuff.  They're asking vendors questions.  They're examining merchandise.  They're there to get information, to get parts, to buy stuff.  Think of how much bigger the Orange Hall is than say, the Better Living Center, or whatever it's called.  How many more people.  Imagine loads of people in the Orange Hall trying to frame a scene, get some video footage, focus their camera, while scores of frustrated shoppers try to get by.  I just think it would lead to lot of frayed nerves and short tempers.  (Isn't there enough of that on the Interstate when you're heading home?  lol)

Yes, you do buy stuff at The Big E.  I walked out with a couple of bags.  But there are fewer pure vendors, certainly fewer O scale trains.  Not as much hunting and scavenging.  And thus, it's a more leisurely event, which makes it a lot more suitable for people taking pictures and video of train layouts.

I know most probably disagree, it's just my opinion.  Please don't shove Scrapple in my tail pipe if you spot my car parked by the grandstand this April.  

- Mike

...I know most probably disagree, it's just my opinion.  Please don't shove Scrapple in my tail pipe if you spot my car parked by the grandstand this April.  

 

- Mike

Well, I'm sure not going to disagree with you because I just happen to share your view 100%.  York is a train MEET and Big E is a train SHOW.  There's little need for picture-taking at the York Meet, with just a very few exceptions.  Things are a good bit different at a public and family-oriented event like the Big E, where a large number and variety of layouts are on display.

Yes, I do believe that TCA members at York should be allowed to take pictures of whatever modular layout is in the Black Hall, but the restriction against photos in the trading halls is just fine, if that's what the Eastern Division feels is necessary.

To move off of the "photos vs. no photos" discussion for just a minute...

I can't tell you exactly how many BigE shows I've attended over the years (it's a lot!!), and like others have stated above, for me it typically involves a lot of browsing, socializing and brochure collecting...but not a lot of buying. 

However, this year's show was different, at least for me.  It was by far the most productive one ever in terms of finding/purchasing items that I've been looking for.  It has always been a great take, but it sure seems even more fun and memorable when you bring a bunch of stuff home!

And yes, I did snap a few photos.  Now back to our regular programming.