By Bud Thompson
What awaits you at the Rails to Sails Train Show?
There will be three different sizes (Scales) operating during the show.
N Scale
The Centerpiece of the show will be an N Scale modular layout covering an area of approximately 31′ x 36’. This layout is being assembled and operated by members of the 4dNTRAK N Scale group that represents the National Model Railroad Association in the Pacific NW Region. The group has been in operations for over 20 years, and no layout has been repeated, and this one is no exception. For the first time the layout will include ramps for loading cars onto a ferry that will travel across the layout and unload the railcars onto another ramp after the journey. There will also be a Scavenger Hunt with items located on several of the modules.
N Scale represents model railroading at a size of 1 foot = 160 feet.
We hope you will come to see this unique modular layout.
HO Scale
A permanent part of the exhibit is a an HO Scale model of the Northern Pacific Railway’s Half Moon yard. Where, with the push of a button, you can send a train off to Seattle or Portland. You can see the real rail yard across the street from the museum.
G Scale
Visit the G Scale layout and challenge yourself to “Deliver the Goods” by putting a train together, and going to different companies, deliver full cars, pick up empty cars and return them to each supplier.
Then you can visit one of several booths with representatives from various railroad related organizations. Come by and see us for First Annual Rails to Sails Train Show. The show runs from March 17 to 20 and is open from 10am to 4pm each day. Thursday night is “Free Third Thursday” from 5pm to 8pm.
Please join us at the Foss Waterway Seaport Museum and Event Center located at 705 Dock Street, between the Northern Pacific Railway’s Half Moon Yard, and the Foss Waterway. Take I-705 to the 4th Street bridge, turn right and cross the bridge. 4th Street becomes Dock Street as it turns to the right. The museum is the second building on your left.
We’ll be seeing you at the Train Show!!!!!!
Bud
No statement of admission fee.
Train Show usually means swap meet. Does this event include a swap meet?
I went to this show this afternoon. To scope it out, and also to wish them well since it’s a first-time show.
To answer Jim, I paid $6.00 to get in. That’s with a senior discount and a AAA discount. They let you stack the discounts up, which is unusual.
No swap tables. This is a “museum show”, more like MOHAI or the Science Center shows. The target audience is families with small kids. Quite a few families while I was there, but not crowded at all. I’m sure attendance will be higher over the weekend.
The main attraction was the N-Trak module group layout, which was front-and-center in the main exhibit room. They had more than enough room for their layout, nice wide aisles, maybe could have made it a bit larger, but certainly not room for a second module layout.
Other staffed displays were tables/booths from Operation Lifesaver, plus several of the historical societies. And an un-staffed booth from the Burien “archives” group. Note that there was not a booth from the NMRA, or any “free sample” magazines, or membership sign-ups.
There were 2 other model layouts on display. One ( in a side room ) was an HO layout/diorama of the “Half Moon Yard” which is right across the street from the museum. With the world’s smallest “Out Of Order” sign. This had the look of something that is a permanent part of the museum display. Hard for me to understand that they wouldn’t get this layout/diorama operational in time for a public model RR show.
In the same side room, there was a small G-gauge loop of track with a small engine and caboose going round-and-round Christmas Tree style.
The photo and antique exhibits in the little side room were actually more interesting to me. But the G-gauge loop had activity, and movement, and was more attractive to the families with little kids.
Of particular interest to me, and maybe to fellow modelers, was a much larger side room, filled with scale-model ships and boats from Tacoma’s history as a world seaport. All scratch-build. All beautifully detailed and finished. Having spent a good bit of my mis-spent youth admiring the Navy models in the Smithsonian from the model shops at Annapolis, I could only admire the work in this small, relatively new museum tucked in the Tacoma waterfront. If you go to the model RR show, please don’t miss the ship models.
The stand-out best part of the show, to me, was that the N-Trak group had more than enough staff on hand, to keep all the trains running ( on what is, actually, a pretty large layout ), and still give a little guided tour to each visitor or family group. My hats off to the group.
And free parking didn’t hurt, not one bit.
Really enjoyed the n scale layout since each module included narrative of the history behind the features and a list of details to find, inviting detailed looks. Special thanks to Al for the long conversation answering Digitrax questions. Shouldn’t the group accept donations to cover their expenses in transporting the modules to each destination? The only fee was a cover charge for the museum itself – $10 full price, less for vets, seniors, and some membership discounts.