Texas Train Shows

Add the Fall Plano Show , in the DFW area. It is scheduled for Oct. 1-2, 2022. The DFW area shows have a good selection of O gauge for sale, as well as some O gauge layouts set up. Actually, all scales are well represented.

Jeff

This weekend is one of the two train shows in New Braunfels, TX.  The shows occur twice a year: one in the Spring, the other in the autumn.

You missed the first day of the Spring show. The show tomorrow will run from 10 to 4 at the New Braunfels Civic Center.

the New Braunfels show has asssumed a lot of importance in the South Texas area since the old San Antonio shows lost their venues and either shrank or folded.

@Mister_Lee,

Yeah, that was on the htos.org website, I didn't put it on my list because there was no way I could make it this weekend (although New Braunfels is always a great place to go).  I'll be on the lookout for the fall show, so thanks for the info.

For O gauge my best bets are

1- DFW Plano show (draws some vendors from Oklahoma and Louisiana)

2 Houston Lonestar Div TCA meet 1st or 2nd weekend in January

3 San Jacinto model RR show in Feb I think it is held in Pasadena now

4 New braunfels show April & Oct each year

5 Dallas Lonestar Div TCA meet usually in Oct

Considering Texas has the 4th, 6th  9th, 10th, 12th and 22nd largest cities in the US, it is relatively bankrupt on train show size and frequency.

About eight years ago I attended a train show in Fort Bend County. There was almost no O scale there, but a lot of HO, N and G and some pretty impressive modular layouts. The clinics were pretty good and I did meet a couple of O scale/O gauge operators there.

There used to be a meet in Fort Worth near Dallas -- The Southwestern O Scale meet. COVID put that aside, but I'm hoping it will return this fall. Now that I'm retired I might be able to pull off a trip to that meet.

@AGHRMatt posted:

About eight years ago I attended a train show in Fort Bend County. There was almost no O scale there, but a lot of HO, N and G and some pretty impressive modular layouts. The clinics were pretty good and I did meet a couple of O scale/O gauge operators there.

There used to be a meet in Fort Worth near Dallas -- The Southwestern O Scale meet. COVID put that aside, but I'm hoping it will return this fall. Now that I'm retired I might be able to pull off a trip to that meet.

The Southwestern meet alternated between the DFW area and the Oklahoma City area for a while. I attended quite a few of them. It was always a nice event. I don't know what has become of that event, but I miss it.

Jeff

The January Plano show pre Covid was by far the best. Though no longer living in Texas, we went to this show this last January and it was not back to the pre Covid size/quality. IMO. Hopefully more vendors will return for next show.

@aussteve posted:

For O gauge my best bets are

1- DFW Plano show (draws some vendors from Oklahoma and Louisiana)

2 Houston Lonestar Div TCA meet 1st or 2nd weekend in January

3 San Jacinto model RR show in Feb I think it is held in Pasadena now

4 New braunfels show April & Oct each year

5 Dallas Lonestar Div TCA meet usually in Oct

Considering Texas has the 4th, 6th  9th, 10th, 12th and 22nd largest cities in the US, it is relatively bankrupt on train show size and frequency.

The Lonestar Div show in McKinney, TX is scheduled for Sept. 10, 2022.

@JDA,

Thanks.  I've never made it to McKinney, so this may be the prompter.

@aussteve,

You're right about the paucity of train shows in Texas.  I grew up in Pittsburgh and moved here in '75.  The population in Texas in the 50s and 60s, when many of the OGRers got their start, was nowhere close to where it is now.  Back then, the Northeast, and Midwest was where Lionel got their enormous foothold and a lot of that base is still there.

That being said, below is the seal for the city of Houston;

I live in McKinney and didn't know about the Lonestar Division show. Where in McKinney is it being held? I have been to the Plano show several times, all pre-Covid though.

@Randy_B,

Perhaps this is what he is referring to.

Reading this thread is saddening. I lived in Houston from 1979 through 1998 and there used to be multiple good train shows each year. The old Sam Houston Coliseum was one venue and another was the George Brown Convention Center. The shows at the Brown were huge. TCA would also usually host at least one or two meets each year.

Throw in multiple good train stores like JR’s Hobby Depot, Trains & Planes and G&G and Houston was a pretty good place to be a three railer! I reckon times have changed though…🙁

Curt

I think one of the real problems in Texas, has been the lack of available spaces, and the very high cost of those spaces. For almost 10 years, I was a club representative, on the board that put on the Dallas and Ft. worth Holiday Train shows. About 15 years ago, it became very hard to find the space needed, at the correct time of the year. The locations also got VERY expensive, and parking cost at these locations became a cost factor. We began having real trouble finding a nice sized venue  at a price the public could/would pay. It has only gotten worse since then, in the DFW area. I am sure the other big cities in Texas have the same venue problems.

Jeff

@juniata guy,

I remember going to a couple of big train shows at George R Brown back in the late 80s, early 90s.  They were called the 'Great American Train Show'.  Yeah, it was a big gathering.  I left the hobby in '92 or so, and have been out of touch with stuff like that since then.

I've also been to JR's and Trains & Planes back in the day.  I haven't been to G&G but I've heard good things about them.  I did visit PapaBens in Meyerland a month or so ago.  They had what I needed!

@texgeekboy posted:

@juniata guy,

I remember going to a couple of big train shows at George R Brown back in the late 80s, early 90s.  They were called the 'Great American Train Show'.  Yeah, it was a big gathering.  I left the hobby in '92 or so, and have been out of touch with stuff like that since then.

I've also been to JR's and Trains & Planes back in the day.  I haven't been to G&G but I've heard good things about them.  I did visit PapaBens in Meyerland a month or so ago.  They had what I needed!

In a previous life or long ago 😉, I went to a show with my then 3 year old daughter and her mom (first try) at the George R Brown in 1994. For a novice it was simply overwhelming. What a huge space! I did purchase three really nice enamel RR signs for our first floor bar in our house in Clear Lake. They paired and displayed nicely with some bottles of bourbon and vintage photos of BB King’s tour bus on those glass shelves. I still have them on display in PA shoehorned in a small under stairs space. Not as quite a grand presentation as that cool TX house but they are still treasured pieces. That was a fun time. All good memories. Now if I could only find a PRSL sign of the same quality,

The lack of available space and high rents are what ran the AMRE and SAMRA shows out of San Antonio proper. The SAMRA show is in the town of Garden Ridge, a much smaller space.

New Braunfels is roughly 40 miles north of San Antonio off I-35; they absorbed a lot of the vendors who used to be able to set up closer in.

The good thing about New Braunfels is that it also draws down people from Austin and it’s suburbs.

@Randy_B posted:

I live in McKinney and didn't know about the Lonestar Division show. Where in McKinney is it being held? I have been to the Plano show several times, all pre-Covid though.

The show will be held at the Collin College conference center in McKinney.

Temple is usually a really good show. It seems to be in a good place to attract vendors from DFW and Houston and occasionally further out. Temple is a railroad town as well so you can see the depots, yard and Centra Mod's layout in the Moody Depot. The Austin show is building back up to be a good show. Lots of great home layouts on tour.

The Austin Tinplate Trackers setup at both of these shows and we have a good sized 3 rail O scale modular layout.

We have traveled to San Antonio, Houston and DFW for the various National Shows as well.

Ricky

I was thinking about Temple exactly because of its railroad history.  Thanks.

The Plano Winter show was last weekend.  Not quite to pre-Covid but really a fun afternoon.  All scales were represented and a decent selection for those who needed to bring something home. I think the January show tends to be larger than the Oct/Nov show, but just my observation. I usually attend both looking for Lionel Postwar (and sometimes not so postwar  )

Dick

The Lone Star Hi-Railers are hosting our 9th annual Train-A-Palooza on March 11-12, 2023.

We're holding it this year at the Grapevine Convention Center, so this is our biggest one yet.  All the show tables have been sold, so there'll be lots of trains. 

Read all about it here:  LSHR TrainAPalooza Press Release

Come join us in March.

-Steven

@Rich posted:

The Plano Winter show was last weekend.  Not quite to pre-Covid but really a fun afternoon.  All scales were represented and a decent selection for those who needed to bring something home. I think the January show tends to be larger than the Oct/Nov show, but just my observation. I usually attend both looking for Lionel Postwar (and sometimes not so postwar  )

Dick

Yes, the winter show is much larger that the fall show. In fact, the fall show was moved over there from Ft. Worth just a few years ago, due to the high cost/availability of a suitable venue in Ft. Worth. I served on the board that puts on those shows way back in the 90's. Cost of a suitable facility is still a problem to this day. Don't be surprised if the shows move somewhere else in the future. Every location seems to think they are the only game in town, when quoting prices. Today's cost is almost unbelievable for a weekend show.

Jeff

@Mister_Lee posted:

This weekend is one of the two train shows in New Braunfels, TX.  The shows occur twice a year: one in the Spring, the other in the autumn.

You missed the first day of the Spring show. The show tomorrow will run from 10 to 4 at the New Braunfels Civic Center.

"Spring" show in January?  Is the "autumn" show in July?

What, me worry?