Guys those of you that set up a layout at shows.

We have welcomed some very nice and generous individuals that have brought out beautiful scale trains to run on our modular layout. We also have "followers"; Families that we see at numerous venues from year to year. It is so nice to see folks from year to year.

Well that is good to hear.I knew it could not be all bad.

We have had very few rude people, everyone once in a while some teenagers or brats will do something stupid, but again that is rare. Usually it is the top 5 questions.. see the other thread. We allow the kids to run our trains and explain things to the adults and try to promote the hobby.

In the 15 years that we have set up, there has only been a few instances where someone has really given us any grief.  Yes, you occasionally get the weird question or a know it all letting you know that you did not build your modules the way you did.  Those people make up less than 1% of the total people we see per year.  Some of our venues have been part of our agenda for over 10 years.  At those venues, we have watched little ones grow up.  One of our junior members came to our set up every year for a number of years before he and his Father joined.  They get a thrill out of seeing our train display and I get a thrill out of watching them.

I echo Gilly's thoughts. We've been displaying as the current group since 2010. The pleasure we get from the enjoyment people derive far outways any errant situation(of which there are very few and most times, none). I don't recall any situation that would make me say "the hell with it!". Most people are extremely appreciative.

True, it can be a lot of work on our part......but, it's overwhlemed by the joy we derive from it.

I think the expression on these youngsters faces say it all:

Peter

I am not a modular guy, and I don't set up shows- but I do set up a public seasonal layout. Over the past few years I have only had one person that semi-irritated me with their comments, but I have seen thousands of smiles. We carried a boy into the building we were in because it wasn't wheelchair accessible. The joy he had while operating made everything worth it. We had some special needs children attend our display. The one boy would scream in delight each time the Pennsy steamer went by & blew the whistle. The parents tried to contain him & make him quiet down, but we told them, "Your son is absolutely fine & isn't bothering any of us". They looked at us, and sat down, while their boy watched the Pennsy for almost an hour.

I can't encourage enough those of us that are "privileged" reaching out to those of us that aren't. You don't have to take your $2k Big Boy out- the Screaming Pennsy was a 2-8-0 out of a RTR MTH set. The kids don't care what kind of smoke box is one the engine, they just want to see the smoke.

Found it! Here's a picture I was looking for earlier that tells me our the hard work of our modular group is really worth it.....I think the little boy's expression is priceless!

Peter

I echo the comments above. I started building a train layout at church a few years ago each Christmas. It's not modular but by the time we are done we will have over twenty trains running simultaneously this year. We've had a few issues with uncontrolled children but overall the looks on the kids faces makes it worth it all. ~Robert

The temptation to grab at things by young children is always going to be high......our low-lying plexiglass barriers work great.

Peter

Here are a few pictures from an outside display the Fort Pitt High Railers did for Dunbar community days several years ago.  We have been known to give the kids the remotes and let them run the trains. 

If you give them the remotes, both hands are busy, chances are they may not grab anything other than the remote. For some reason this day had exceptional children response. Mike CT

Always looking for display layouts.  I run the TCA trains show in Palm Beach Gardens Floridain Februaryy and I can always use more layouts.  I am grateful for any leads

Thanks

Al

Mostly good things happen. We get lot's of questions, a few small fast hands but that is the risk of an open modular layout. One instance I remember was a seller that kept bringing us engines to test while he shopped around. We have always been happy to do that but he soon became a pest and was politely told to use the show test track.

I'd say 98-99% good experiences.  Occasionally, we have a minor issue.  I think the worst one was when a little girl came running up, pushed our rope back and grabbed two passenger cars that were coming by!  Needless to say there was a significant derailment, we were fortunate than none of them hit the floor.

Most of the time it's great to see the people's reactions and to field the many questions about what we're doing.

My favorite part is watching the kid's reactions, some of them are priceless!

Well now I may had that look on my face christmas morning.Talk about beaming wow!

Been doing tinplate traction at shows for over a decade, now, and the only time I got a truly irritating remark was actually AFTER the show during layout tours...

The show that day had been particularly satisfying, as I'd been letting the kids run my MTH Electroliner, and one mother had come up and thanked me for getting her autistic son to come out of his shell, if for only awhile.  That sort of thing is why I do shows in the first place.

Anyhow, one of the layouts was an exquisite hi-rail layout, with the track and scenery just so, shelves full of mint condition tinplate, a detailed circus scene and so forth.  I introduced myself to the owner, and mentioned that I was the chap who'd been running the Electroliner at the show that day.

"Oh," he sniffed, "you don't mind getting it DIRTY, then." 

...

I get more ****ed fun from "getting it dirty" than that guy will ever get from his sterile jewel of a layout... 

Mitch

One thing that can be a problem in setting up is the weather. Locations like Timonium, MD and Reading, PA were no problem, since you could drive into the building to unload/load. Other places you prayed for no rain or snow.

The only show where I got mad at a few jerks was Black Hall TCA York.

Joe makes a good point. It seems the number of negative comments is proportional to the percentage of 3 rail guys that are at that show. York is the worst. Shows open to the public like at libraries, Greenberg shows (kids under 12 free), State and Local fairgrounds, Senior living facilities, are where you hear the appreciation from the adults and kids. Always fun to do those shows. 

Pete

So far I have only had good experiences exhibiting at shows. Due to work commitments I only tend to do our yearly club show. I have been doing that for 9 years.

 You never know who will turn up. This year we had a guy from Holland fly in for the day.

He brought a loco over to run on our layout. 

Best is when the kids of club members start showing the visiting kids all about the trains and run the layout. 

Nick