Menomonie, (western) Wisconsin Train Show 4/18-4/19/09

[Joe Satnik]

Happy Grandparents (Menomonie, WI) Train Show 4/18-4/19/09

http://www.trains.com/trc/community/events/event-info.asp?eventid=13275

About 55 miles east of St. Paul, MN on I-94. 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=920+21st+Street+South+Menomonie,+WI+54751&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=51.222969,114.257812&ie=UTF8&ll=44.889992,-91.906986&spn=0.04518,0.11158&z=14

I'll be there Saturday, 4/18.

Watch for a black baseball hat with the number 2719 on it.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

[WGL]

Thanks, Joe.  I missed you at the show in Eau Claire last fall, but I hope to see you here.  Maybe I'll attach my GN & DM&IR pins to my Minnesota Twins cap.   

[Santa Fe buff]

Interesting. I doubt I can go, but it sounds nice.

Have fun guys.

Josh

[Joe Satnik]

Bump

[WGL]

Joe,
I'll be there on Saturday afternoon.  I'm planning on 1 pm to 3 pm.
  In searching the More library system for DVDs about trains, I discovered that there is one featuring this show & the Eau Claire one.
Bill

[WGL]

Joe,
I didn't realize how big the train show would be.  It was fun, & I enjoyed meeting you.  I thought I'd take my smaller camera to carry less, but it failed to work.     I wish I'd budgeted 3 hours, instead of 2 for the show, because I didn't have time to buy anything except some deciduous trees.  I will probably return tomorrow & bring my better camera.  They said I can't use my ticket again.   

  I still didn't find any other hobbyist from Menomonie.

[WGL]

 I'm glad a returned to the show on Sunday.  I didn't see everything yesterday, & more vendors came on Sunday.  I brought my Canon digital SLR & took 26 pictures, which are available for public viewing at my (search for wlaine) site on PhotoBucket.

My wife almost came along, but it was a good thing that she didn't.  I spent another 2 1/2 hours there & quite a bit of money.  However, I met a man who buys old trains "any condition / any kind."  He came to our house & bought my entire 027 Marx train collection, circa 1950!

Since YampaBob couldn't find my pictures by searching for wlaine, I'll try this link to my album for the train show:  http://s547.photobucket.com/albums/hh465/wlaine/Model%20Train%20Show%20Menomonie%20WI2009/

[Joe Satnik]

Hey WGL,

It was good to meet you too, a real scholar and gentleman. 

It would have been nice to go again Sunday, but I had other commitments.

The HG show seems to grow every year, though it seems that more modular layout clubs and fewer vendors are making the drive.  (Most vendors within 60 miles vs. up to 200 miles in previous years.)

Thanks for the link to your pictures.  Nicely done with a good selection of shots. 

Note to other readers; there were about 40 layouts and 17 vendors in all.

Most of the modular layouts were huge rectangular 'doughnuts', track on the outside, with club members ducking under to staff the inside. 

One of the club members had fabricated a lift bridge (one end hinged) module, which allowed upright walk-ins to the middle. 

At least one other club had contracted him to build the same for their layout.

The "Rusty Rails" 2 rail O-scale layout had a working hump yard operation.

I won a door prize and bought some junk box old brass manual 'snap switches' (turnouts) to help build an HO John Allen Time Saver module.

All in all, a fun day for me.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

[WGL]

Joe,

Congratulations!  I forgot to register for Sunday's door prizes.   

Did you see the man selling 100s of trees he made?  I didn't see him back on Sunday.

I'm glad you enjoyed my pictures.  One exhibitor thanked me, so others who exhibited might like to see them.

I tried going to PhotoBucket without signing in & searched for wlaine.  It worked for me.  So you might like to see my Model Train album, which is all photos of my layout.  It's not recommended for rivet-counters, just folks with a friendly interest.
                                                                 Bill

[renniks]

J
I tried going to PhotoBucket without signing in & searched for wlaine.  It worked for me.  So you might like to see my Model Train album, which is all photos of my layout.  It's not recommended for rivet-counters, just folks with a friendly interest.
                                                                 Bill

      Bill,

     Just searched for "wlaine" images and got a single photo --"first load".  Then clicked on slideshow and got your train show album.   No sign of your layout so what am I doing wrong?

      Eric UK

[WGL]

Erik,

You should see my two folders on the left side of the page.  "Model Trains" contains the pictures of my layout.

Bill

[Joe Satnik]

Dear Bill,

Thanks for the congrats.  The prize was just what I wanted, a one year MR subscription, which are getting too pricey. 

Your layout pictures show that you have made great progress.  Very nicely coordinated consists.  Thanks for posting. 

I did stroll by the model tree vendor a few times on Saturday.  I noticed that he had fall foliage trees too, which I enjoy: 

http://index.mrmag.com/tm.exe?opt=I&MAG=MR&MO=11&YR=2000&output=3&sort=A

(This is the issue that got me back into model railroading, last interest in my early teens.  I have a copy or two of it to share.)

You should look up the family that ran the show. Though mostly N scale, they should know some other HO scalers or clubs in your area.  Click on the link in my first post.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

   

[WGL]

Joe,

Thanks for the help & encouragement! 

I did talk to one of the ticket sellers, Linda Harvey, who lives in Menomonie.  She said Menomonie hobbyists meet at each other's homes, rather like my wife's book club--when they aren't meeting at a restaurant. 

Today, I worked on anchoring the 4 deciduous trees I bought into a strip of plywood covered with green felt.  They are top-heavy compared to the evergreens I have.

Bill

[Joe Satnik]

Hi, Bill.

There is a trend toward using high density foam insulation sheets for the top layer(s) of layouts.  People usually poke a hole in the foam and insert the trunk of the tree. 

I suppose if you wanted to get fancy you could spread smaller roots along the surface to make it look a little more realistic.

http://index.mrmag.com/tm.exe?opt=S&cmdtext=tree&MAG=MR&output=3&sort=3

I have MR back to '96. 

Perhaps the library system or some other modeler close by might have them to share. 

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik 

[WGL]

Thanks, Joe.
I'll check the More library system.  I know Menomonie's library has no model train magazine.  I just watched a video about how to make deciduous trees.  It just showed making the foliage, nothing about trunks or branches.

Bill