Model Railway Exhibitions – Still a Favorite Around the World
If you’ve ever been to a model train show and watched some of the visitors, you might have thought of the expression “country comes to town,” as you notice the awe visitors have when they first see professional style layouts. Model railway exhibitions are always a treat, even for the most accomplished of modelers.
Exhibitions can be at train shows, or they may be setup permanently for the amusement of model train lovers. Miniature Wonderland is the largest model train exhibition in the world, and it is open almost every day. Its layouts cover trains of the major countries of the world, each having a section of the huge display area.
The Miniature Railroad and Village in Pennsylvania is year round exhibit that features trains from the early American railroad era, especially the area around Pittsburgh. Scenes are fashioned after actual places, depicting the way they looked when the vintage trains were running.
Live steam exhibits are found in several different areas. The scale of the trains varies from one location to another, but most of them are large enough to carry passengers. Train Mountain Railroad Museum at Crater Lake National Park has over 25 miles of track on which to run their 1/8 scale steam trains.
Listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, Train Mountain is said to be the largest hobby railroad in the world. It is a non-profit organization attempting to preserve the American heritage of trains.
As most people know, Walt Disney was a train enthusiast from his early years. Much of his original Disneyland had train themes woven into it. One of the large attractions of Disney World has been the monorail.
What many people may not have known about Disney was that he had his own steam train exhibition in his California back yard. He did much of the work on the train and boxcars himself in his spare time. He used this private exhibit to amuse the children and even some grownups in his community.
Neil Young, who has credits with several bands of the sixties and seventies as well as his own solo career, has always been a model train lover. He has a continuing exhibition on his ranch, which utilizes all natural scenery. He has mostly Lionel trains because of his one time association with the company as a partner.
Many well-known and influential people have had their own public and private train exhibitions. When people say that model trains aren’t popular anymore, they don’t look at the broad picture. As long as the interest is there, there will be train show and layouts for the public’s amusement.
Model railway exhibitions turn up at county fairs, world expos, and they are still fascinating and fun for all the kids, no matter how old they may be.
Lionel Model Train – The Track of Technology
The model train business has changed a great deal in the last forty years. Most of the manufacturing plants are in Asian countries, and many of the one time large producers are gone. If you are looking for a Lionel model train, you won’t find one in the Western Auto store the way you would have in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Although there is still a passionate following, model trains have become less desired by the masses, and all of the companies have to stay very competitive to remain in the game. New technology has brought more interest by coupling the train with the computer and supplying better ways to do the processes of running complicated setups.
Lionel’s bell cow for the technology era has been the Legacy control system, the hand held mind of the train setup. Other companies have similar ways to speak to the chips of their trains, but the Legacy has been a favorite of modelers since its arrival on the scene.
Speed can be controlled by 200 different settings, and the acceleration is handled by a round knob that can be turned with one finger. A single rotation takes the train from dead stop to full speed. Speeds that you select can be remembered by the handset to use at any time you choose.
One wire from the base to the handheld remote is all that’s needed to run all the controls necessary for the operation of the train, lights, and other items. Multiple locomotives can be controlled with the system, allowing timing for those critical situations where one train must be clear of the track before another can cross.
With RailSounds added to the Legacy control, realistic train noises are produced to match the type locomotive you are running. Volume controls allow for getting the sound to the perfect match of your layout. You can even add your own signature sounds of diesel horns and steam whistles.
Sounds are also imitated for crew talk and dispatcher. Each engineer has a different voice and accent to make it easy to identify which locomotive the dispatcher is speaking with when he calls. The communications are staged to match what is actually happening with the train, whether it is stopped or pulling into a station.
RailSounds has eight RPM levels that match the eight “run levels” of real diesel locomotives. The intensity of the steam chuffs can be varied at fifteen levels, all at the standard four chuffs per revolution.
The bell can be played automatically by the system, or you can manually override it any way you desire. With the entire package of sounds available, you will think you are at the actual rail yard.
The market might be soft for model trains, but the products themselves are top notch. The Lionel model train is a true contender for the best in models and controllers.
