After having written an enthusiastic recommendation about the West Springfield show, I think it is probably appropriate to follow that up with this report after returning from the show Saturday. Please understand that this is only one person's opinion based on my perception of the show and what is of interest to me.
ONE PERSON'S THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS
1) Large-Scale Layouts: The ones at the show this year were as impressive as in the past years. These folks due a great job. THANK YOU!! However I noticed at least two layouts that were present the last couple of years at West Springfield weren't present this year. Nor was there a "live-steam" layout.
2) Large-Scale Manufacturers' Exhibits: Present were (in no particular order):
A) USA Trains: Charlie Ro had his usual large display and items for sale. (Were there fewer different items displayed though? Not sure.) Beautiful stuff!
B) AristoCraft: (although this year an even smaller exhibit than the past).
C) MTH: only a few locomotives (4?) But WOW, was that Erie Triplex impressive! (All I need now is a couple more acres of room in my yard and a lot of spare cash.) They also displayed what appeared to be a test shot of a VO1000 (?) diesel. Looks good.
D) Bachmann: only a couple of locos, but also had a couple of their new tank cars and some of their new "RGS Long Caboose" bodies and paint jobs. Love that articulated tank loco. Asked when they will get around to building a 1:20.3 scale Forney. the folks there said they all thought it would be a good idea , but . . .
I may well have missed a manufacturer (or 2?), but I did look for them.
3) "LGB": Both Marklin and Walthers had exhibits at the show, but there was no evidence of any "LGB" at either place that I saw.
Although I did not personally speak with any reps from either place, I talked with another "large-scaler" after leaving the show. He told me that he had asked one of the Marklin reps about when we might expect to see some LGB US-style items coming into the US. He told me he was told to talk to someone from Wathers. He said he then went to the Walthers place and asked one of their reps the same question (when might we expect to see some US-stuff coming into the US). He claims he was given the answer "I hope never". If so, that's a scary answer isn't it? Lets hope that there might have been a misunderstanding about that.
4) Large-Scale Dealers and "Large-Scale Deals": I'm not an expert on all the different large-scale items currently available and the "lowest prices" for each item. But ALL of the items I saw and priced - from ALL of the dealers I visited at the show - seemed to be consistently more expensive than I've found (widely) advertised today on the internet.
Other large-scalers seemed confirmed the same impression to me after having visited the show on Saturday.
BTW: Interestingly, at one of the larger dealers at the show, at least some of his "sale prices" that he was advertising, in BIG signs on his tables, were higher priced than the prices shown on his "regular price" lists he had laying around on his tables. Ooops ???
THOUGHTS AND POSSIBLE CONCLUSIONS:
I) Perhaps the economy is keeping a number of folks and some dealers from attending shows such as this? If this IS due to the current economy, it would certainly be understandable.
II) Perhaps the absence of a dealer like St. Aubins was why other dealers that were at the show felt no need to discount what they brought as much as they had in past shows? St. Aubins' always seemed to me to have very competitive prices and a good selection of "Fn3", Accucraft, Bachmann, and all the major lines except LGB (at least in the last couple of years that I went to West Springfield anyway). ("St. Aubins" is now "another story", of course.)
III) Personally I would have thought that based on observations of the economy one should have expected to see large(r) discounts from dealers: if on no other merchandise, at least on "excess stock" or "old stock" if nothing more. But I saw nothing of the sort. Nor did anyone that I've spoken with.
At least one "large-scaler" has said that he doesn't plan on going to West Springfield next year because of what he [didn't] see this year. And at least one or two others have said they will have to "think about it" before they decide to go again.
Anyone care to comment about the show??
