I never met a train show I didn't like.
I just remembered something that happened in a show near Tacoma a few years ago...
I had bought some 1:1 scale RR items and one guy apparently had gone to the ATM for the money to buy the same items from the seller but didn't bother to tell said seller this to put them on hold until he could get back.
So he walks up to me, grabs the two big items I'm holding, throws a wad of bills at me and starts to walk away! I caught up really quick, leaving the bills on the floor (which oddly, nobody made off with) and took my stuff right back. It got ugly for a moment, because the guy considered it transaction that was complete and I had agreed to it! I made it really clear that I was leaving with my stuff and if he didn't like it, he was welcome to end up at the emergency room by that afternoon if he pressed the issue (I was an Army officer at the time and just had completed a hand-to-hand course taught by the Rangers) but him leaving with the stuff was not going to be an option.
Thankfully, a hired security guy for the show saw this, ran up and gave the guy a WTF q/a session. I'm not sure if they threw him out or not but I didn't see him there after that.
Went to an entirely HO one, felt dirty afterwards
Trurhfully, always have a good time, but some I will not return to if given the chance. THE Worlds Greatest Hobby show is one like that. Maybe OK elsewhere, but a real waste of time here in Utah, very few vendors make it out this way I guess
It was not that the train show was bad it was an experience I had there. I was at A train show in A hotel north of Pittsburgh Pa. I went out A side door to have A smoke. A vendor came out to do the same. You know when you have that feeling that something is not right. Well this guy starts talking to me and before I know it he starts throwing martial arts moves on me. I asked the guy to stop but he just kept it up. I tried to tell him I have 2 martial arts places 10min. from my home and if I wanted lessons I would go to one of those places. He just kept on doing all of these moves on me so I had to be rude and just walk away. I don't know I'm just one of the (lucky) ones that attracts the weirdo's. Choo Choo Kenny
Sure...shows that were not as advertised or had significantly fewer vendors than expected.
--Greg
I went to a train show in New Jersey that was advertised as a large show in a high school. The advertisement stated there were 500 tables set up in the gymnasium and cafeteria as well as the hallways. There was one vendor in the hallway and about thirty tables set up in the cafeteria. There was nothing in the gymnasium and half the tables in the cafeteria were empty. I complained to the people at the front door and they gave me a refund of the entrance fee and said they need to change the fliers.
Originally Posted by Choo Choo kenny:
It was not that the train show was bad it was an experience I had there. I was at A train show in A hotel north of Pittsburgh Pa. I went out A side door to have A smoke. A vendor came out to do the same. You know when you have that feeling that something is not right. Well this guy starts talking to me and before I know it he starts throwing martial arts moves on me. I asked the guy to stop but he just kept it up. I tried to tell him I have 2 martial arts places 10min. from my home and if I wanted lessons I would go to one of those places. He just kept on doing all of these moves on me so I had to be rude and just walk away. I don't know I'm just one of the (lucky) ones that attracts the weirdo's. Choo Choo Kenny
This is the most interesting and weird story I have heard so far on this topic.
This didn't happen at a train show but a wood working show at the Timonium Fair Grounds. A guy was giving a demonstration of a dove tail jig and he was eating a tuna fish sandwich while he was talking, it was like watching someone spray a popcorn ceiling, the audience just kept looking at each other wondering if this guy would catch on to what he was doing, he never did.
Jerry
One of our best shows put on by the Gratiot Valley RR club here in Michigan has just moved to a new location. Unfortunately not only is this new location too far for most people to attend but it happens to be in the proverbial "gun and knife" type"trade center". Not only does this mean higher fees for parking, entry and food, but some of the crowd it attracts made me and a few other guys leave the kids at home.
Its too bad because when it was at the college it was just a stellar show for kids and family.
The only shows I cannot stand are the 'come see our 300 table of toy trains', and you get there and its 299 tables of toys.
"gun and Knife" type "trade center"? Did you know they have gun and knife shows at the York Fair Grounds. I went to York Fair Groung for the purpose of attending a gun show in the Heritage Hall and I had the dates wrong and instead went to the train show that was there and that's how I got involved in O. Most of the venues around here have gun shows and train shows.
Originally Posted by handyandy:
Haven't really had a bad experience at a train show that I can recall. I will say I have had a lot more fun at train shows since I've switched to three rail O-gauge! 
I must agree with Andy on his comment. Most shows I have been to have a variety of scales, but mostly O-gauge. I did have one experience where I drove over 2 hours to a show, and when I got there many vendors were already packing up. Since my wife was along, we just considered it a nice drive and supper out so that made up for it.
I'm not a 3-railer and haven't been since I was about 9 years old. I'm into O scale narrow gauge and have noticed that the vast majority of all the stuff for sale at most model train shows I've seen on the West Coast are 3-rail oriented. A close second is the cheap HO stuff. My Gosh, I see vendors with flat open boxes filled full of old Bachmann and TYCO HO stuff that was never any good to start with. Who buys that stuff, even among HO types?
Originally Posted by jmiller320:
"gun and Knife" type "trade center"? Did you know they have gun and knife shows at the York Fair Grounds. I went to York Fair Groung for the purpose of attending a gun show in the Heritage Hall and I had the dates wrong and instead went to the train show that was there and that's how I got involved in O. Most of the venues around here have gun shows and train shows.
Every time there's a model train show at the Western WA Fairgrounds near Tacoma, I'll be standing in line and there'll be someone wearing Carharts and camo, walking up thinking it's a gun show as those are usually in the same building. I collect WW2 US military stuff (though not much of that at gun shows these days) and used to be a competitive shooter, so it's always funny to me to see these reactions because I always know when and where the gun shows are.
This like asking if you were ever on a date with a girl that you didn't like? First, I wouldn't ask a girl out that I didn't like. But second I did like some better than others. It's the same with train shows. If I didn't know that they had some O gauge, I wouldn't go. And I have liked some much more than others, but rarely have been to one that I didn't like at all. I learn from other scales, I enjoy trains in general, and I usually go with friends or family whose company I always enjoy.
Art
Originally Posted by p51:
I'm not a 3-railer and haven't been since I was about 9 years old. I'm into O scale narrow gauge and have noticed that the vast majority of all the stuff for sale at most model train shows I've seen on the West Coast are 3-rail oriented. A close second is the cheap HO stuff. My Gosh, I see vendors with flat open boxes filled full of old Bachmann and TYCO HO stuff that was never any good to start with. Who buys that stuff, even among HO types?
Ha! back in the day when I was into On30 (before all the ready to run stuff came out) I raided all those boxes of old HO stuff looking for bashing fodder. Built a super smooth running On30 center cab diesel on a flywheel equipped Bachmann F7 chassis. Back further in my early HO days as a teen I bought stuff like that 'cause that's all I could afford! 
Part of the fun of a train show for me is rummaging through the "treasure chests" hidden under the tables! lol
No, I don't believe I ever had a bad time. Bad things happen, of course, as others have pointed out, but you can't let that spoil the whole day for you.
Originally Posted by challenger3980:
I haven't had too many Bad experiences, one of the National circuit shows that comes to Portland every year, I quit attending for awhile. The $7.00 admission and $8.00 parking before even walking through the door means finding some really good deals or hard to find items to make it worthwhile financially. The large national shows attract fewer of the local vendors, who tend to have better prices, and more of the professional vendors, with higher, more rigid prices. I also saw way too many of the totally not train related junk toys.
The stinky train shows must be an eastern thing, reading the forums it seems the complaints tend to increase the further east a poster lives. I have never noticed train shows having any more stinky people than society in general, and that is typically pretty low around here.
Doug, I go to the same shows you do (I live halfway between Seattle and Portland). While I agree about that Portland show that it's pricey to usually not find much, I have to disagree about the stinky shows. I've encountered plenty soap-deficient train fans at shows on Oregon and WA state...
