The Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show, the largest railroad show in the Northeast, is being held at the Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds in West Springfield, Massachusetts, from Jan. 28 to 29, 2012. (The society’s Amherst Belt Lines layout is pictured above.) It’s hard to underestimate the scale of the show, which fills four giant buildings at more than 7 acres to feature scale model railroads, manufacturers, vendors, historical societies, and operators of real life railroads. Most of the layouts are built by clubs and appear to be developed in separate rectangular sections designed for shallow, varied dioramas (lots of Northeast-flavored industry, rolling hills, and coast in this show) that connect up end to end into long railways. From scene to scene, individual creativity tends to be favored over a common overall theme. The photos here are from The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research’s visit yesterday.
Overview of displays in the Better Living Center building.
Bachmann Trains.
Bachmann Trains.
Bachmann Trains.
Bachmann Trains.
Quaboag Valley Railroaders of East Brookfield, Massachusetts.
Quaboag Valley Railroaders of East Brookfield, Massachusetts.
UFO landed under lake in flooded volcano by Northeast N-Trak of Lowell, Massachusetts, region.
Northeast N-Trak of Lowell, Massachusetts, region.
Northeast N-Trak of Lowell, Massachusetts, region.
Northeast N-Trak of Lowell, Massachusetts, region.
Amherst Belt Lines of Amherst Railway Society.
Valley HO Trak of Connecticut.
Valley HO Trak of Connecticut.
Valley HO Trak of Connecticut.
Scenic Express Inc. of Pennsylvania.
