2009 Toronto Christmas Train Show

[RobertInOntario]

My son & I went to the Toronto Christmas Show again this year & had a great time. We were a little pressed for time so we only had 2 to 2.5 hours. We had to skip some layouts/areas altogether and just focus on what we were interested in -- British layouts & dealers for me and 0 scale and Lego trains for my son!

I also enjoyed the booths for the full-scale trains, the live steam models and various workshops.

Just wondering if any other members were also able to attend & what their thoughts were?

Thanks,
Rob

[tetters]

I was there yesterday. I must say I was kinda of disappointed. There did not seem to be as many vendors this year as in previous years.

The tool guy (I can't remember his name or store/company) who seems to have been there the last few years was not there. Too bad too, cause I was hoping to get some product off of him. On the retail side it seemed to be really lacking which is why I went this year.

However, I picked up some dyes to stain my wood structures with from the Hunterline booth. http://www.hunterline.com/ Great couple of people running that booth, I talked to the lady there, can't remember her name, she was a riot. I asked her if the dyes had a really noxious smell to them and she said, "no" sniffed the bottle and made like she was going to pass out. Pretty funny, had me sold right there, so I picked up three bottles for 15 bucks of dye to try them out. They had a ton of strip wood there, which I almost picked up a boat load of, but I decided to hold off on it.

Checked out the The CASO Free Mo group layout. That modular layout is getting huge. I've been in touch with them in the past, I'd like to design a module for it however have to focus on getting the track work done on my home layout first.

Signed up for the Canadian Pacific Historical Society's quarterly magazine. Something I'd been meaning to do for a while now. Also, I figured it was the least I could do after pillaging their website for countless plans and diagrams. I thanked the gents there for putting up such a great resource for people to refer to.

Of course, seeing the CNJ Bronx Terminal was a highlight for me as well. What a truly amazing job Tim has done for the track work on that one. A treat to see it operate in person. Picked up some PC board ties from them to finish off some turn outs at home and made my way home a little while after that. I was there for probably 2 hours.

[RobertInOntario]

Thanks, Tetters.

The only thing that I was sort-of disappointed in was that I had to quickly look at layouts and modeling techniques that I was really in. My son has little patience when I stand too long and talk to people!

It would have been great to spend more time chatting, shopping for supplies and studying the layouts. This is one reason why I take my camera with me. I snap away taking pics of things and study them later.

I’m not complaining because I actually had more fun with my son! And, I should have lots of time in my retirement years for more detailed train show visits.

Rob

[BR60103]

I was there for the whole show. Saw Robert. Where were you, Tetters?
From the inside, it seemed a lot less crowded than other years. I suspect that some attractions were at the Whitby show which came on the same weekend this year. (Tetters: HobbyWorx is a Whitby guy, so he was probably there instead.)
In my occasional rambles, I didn't really see any layouts that called me back. There were probably a few that I should have looked at more closely. There seemed to be a lot more demos than usual; every club seemed to be doing some.
What worries me most is the scarcity of dealers selling a good range of new beginner's trains. I know there were a few hobby shops there, but my overwhelming impression was used stuff -- much of it well used. It may be good for the enthusiasts, but not for someone who wants to walk out with an early Christmas present. On Saturday, I spent more on coffee than trains. (It switched around on Sunday.)

[tetters]

Where were you, Tetters? (Tetters: HobbyWorx is a Whitby guy, so he was probably there instead.)

I was wandering around on Sunday morning. I arrived when it opened at ten and left just before noon.

Thanks for the reminder about HobbyWorx. Booked marked his page so I don't forget again. :?

[RobertInOntario]

I was there for the whole show. Saw Robert. Where were you, Tetters?
From the inside, it seemed a lot less crowded than other years. I suspect that some attractions were at the Whitby show which came on the same weekend this year. (Tetters: HobbyWorx is a Whitby guy, so he was probably there instead.)
In my occasional rambles, I didn't really see any layouts that called me back. There were probably a few that I should have looked at more closely. There seemed to be a lot more demos than usual; every club seemed to be doing some.
What worries me most is the scarcity of dealers selling a good range of new beginner's trains. I know there were a few hobby shops there, but my overwhelming impression was used stuff -- much of it well used. It may be good for the enthusiasts, but not for someone who wants to walk out with an early Christmas present. On Saturday, I spent more on coffee than trains. (It switched around on Sunday.)

Well, for the British enthusiast, I noticed an increased amount of Hornby's new "Railroad" line products -- these are ideal for both the newcomer and those on a budget because they have less detailing & cost less.

There were several new releases and these items are quite affordable and only slightly more basic, IMO. Both Tony Potter and Model Railway Imports were selling these.

Rob