Cleveland 2-Rail “O” Scale Train Meet, Nov 2

Dave, I went to this show a few years ago.  One thing I can say is it was all 2 rail O scale.  Didn't seem like it was 150 tables though.  Maybe maybe not.  I seem to remember a lot of new brass unpainted locos.  It was a nice show.  I saw a lot of things that I would have bought if I had the money.

I went from Pittsburgh, Pa. I think it took me about 3 hours one way.  I have not been back.   If you're going 6 hours one way...Hmmmmmm.  If I were you I probably would not attend unless you are going to buy something.  If you are going just to check it out I would not drive 6 hours, one way, for that.  But, it depends what you are looking for.  I'm sure you could find something to buy.

Rick 

Dave,
I've made the drive the last two years 8 hours from NJ. I have found the show to be worth the trip every time I've gone.

The show has a few of the same dealers as Strasburg. There are more from the Ohio and Indiana area that don't make the trip to Strasburg.

Size wise, it's hard to compare as Strasburg is in the two rooms. I've always thought it was bigger by about a third the number of tables.

There is a nice mix of dealers with new products, plenty of parts, people selling out of collections and guys selling off extra stuff.

The show is well run and the location is easy to get to just off the Interstates.

I've posted about it in the past.
2012 show
2011 show

George Losse

Dave,

I have been attending the Cleveland show along with Bob Heil for about 6 or 7 years now.  The number of dealer tables seems to be increasing every year.  It is a little large than Strasburg.  The show is set up on a basketball court at a small local college and generally fills the room.

The things that attracts me are the different dealers and items that show up at this meet that you never see at Strasburg.  Is it worth driving from Maryland?  If you are actively seeking items for your O scale trains, where else are you going to go on November 2 and have the opportunity to see so much 2 rail O scale in one room?

There is always a wide range of new and old O scale at this meet.  I picked up three untouched Lobaugh steam kits and several Lobaugh freight car kits there 2 years in a row.

I also found a complete kit for a Hines USRA Heavy Pacific.  That is the only time I ever saw one of these still in kit form.  Now, this sort of equipment may be of no interest to you, but I am pointing this out because I have never seen anything quite like these for sale at Strasburg.

There are usually dealers there with detail parts and misc parts that I always find woirth digging through.

There has been a large number of Blue Atlas boxes in the past few yearsa nd always a good selection of brass locos and oteh 2 rail engines.

Joe Foehrkolb

There are a number of dealers at Cleveland that are not at Strasburg with P&D Hobbies being one of the larger ones. Bill Davis (American O Scale) is frequently there also.

Additionally, the Youngstown, Ohio, club has their very large O scale and HO layouts open to visitors. This side trip adds probably less than an hour to the drive home exclusive of time spent at the club. VERY worthwhile seeing the O scale layout.

Here are a few pics from last years show

Dave F

If you go, please contact me prior--

thx

I'll be going this year. First time for me

Me want KTM /  USH C&O K4  Kanawha !   See one .....lemme know !

If you are planning on attending the 2 Rail Meet, and will be in town on Friday, you may wish to attend the show dinner on Friday night. Call Sam (440-248-3055)  for making your reservation. 

For printable form, click HERE

As the Dealers were setting up today, I took a few pics to show what is at this years show. Please remember, there is a lot more at the show than I am showing.

Nice!

Somebody above was comparing the sizes of this show and Strasburg.  Strasburg has

been in two small rooms in a firehall, so I would consider the show yesterday to be

larger, or certainly appears so to me.  Of course, the March show in Chicago is much

larger than either one, although I would not say twice as large as yesterday's show.

Of course, like York, I could take all three of them in more frequent doses .

I wouldn't characterize the rooms at the Strasburg fire house as small. The show is certainly larger than most here in the east.

I have only been to one other in the east, one held up in the NE corner of Pa. some

years ago...and it was in a small, single room, as I remember it.  The Strasburg show

is usually packed, crammed into one small entry room, the first you walk into, and then the second room, is, as I recall, only half filled with tables, with half the large room cordoned off.  As noted, I would take all of them, Indy, Chicago, Strasburg, and

Cleveland in much larger, or more frequent doses, having yesterday walked through a show at least four times as big as Saturday's....all three rail, or HO and N.