2009 Railroad Show Summary

The 32 nd Annual Rogue Valley Railroad Show proved to be the largest yet, with about 4400 attendees and participants filling the Armory in Medford , OR . Held on Nov. 28 th and 29 th , 2009, this year's Railroad Show provided something for everyone, with twenty-four exhibits and a “swap meet” featuring over 100 tables of railroad-related goods.

The Rogue Valley Railroad Show is proudly organized and staffed by the five organizations that share facilities at the City of Medford 's Railroad Park : the Southern Oregon Live Steamers, the Southern Oregon Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, the Morse Telegraph Club, Southwest Oregon Large Scale Trains, and the Rogue Valley Model Railroad Club. All proceeds from the show fund improvements to the Medford Railroad Park .

Many of the exhibits showcased the talents of local model railroaders. This year's modeling exhibits ranged from the very tiny to the very large, and from the realistic to the whimsical. The wide variety of sizes and themes proved extremely popular with children of all ages.

As per tradition, Saturday's attendees voted for their favorite exhibit. The Southern Oregon Z-Scale Modelers, led by Loren Snyder ( Medford , OR ), garnered first place in the voting. Their modular Z-scale layout included an operating highway as well as the railroad, both winding through scenic mountain terrain rising above a small town. Two more-fanciful layouts followed closely behind in the voting. The Siskiyou Toy Train Club ( Ashland , OR ) showcased O-scale Lionel trains on a highly-animated layout that earned second place in the voting. Third place was awarded to one of the host clubs - Southwest Oregon Large Scale Trains (SOLST). Their eclectic G-scale modular layout included scenes such as a wedding chapel, a city park, an auto junkyard, and a multi-level, multi-tunneled mining spur.

HO- and N-scale modeling also were well-represented. The Rogue Valley Model Railroad Club's (RVMRC) large HO-scale modular layout featured realistic structures and scenery mimicking the local Southern Oregon area, while Ron Bloom's ( Medford , OR ) HO-scale trains ran through an eerie landscape of castles, fortresses, dragons, and a steaming pool. Gary Johnston ( Central Point , OR ) and Bob Marcy ( Grants Pass , OR ) exhibited their complex and beautifully-landscaped N-scale layouts. Adding a bit of international flavor, Shawn Anscombe's ( Ashland , OR ) finely-crafted OO-scale layout beautifully depicted the country village of Dunster , England .

While not actually operating within the confines of the Armory, the Southern Oregon Live Steamers exhibited both a steam and diesel locomotive that will see use at the Railroad Park this summer. And the largest ‘model' of all commanded considerable attention – an elegantly hand-crafted ¾-scale reproduction of a small luxury passenger coach, skillfully designed and built by Richard Houston ( Medford , OR ).

Several interactive exhibits provided visitors with a “hands-on” model railroading experience. The father-son team of Vinnie and Robbie Moscaritolo ( Medford , OR ) invited young engineers to play with their large Lego ® train layout. Attendees also were encouraged to operate the HO train on the RVMRC's popular “Junior Pretzel” layout. Two “switching puzzles” gave onlookers a chance to test their railyard management skills – an HO-scale layout by John Huckaby (Ferndale, CA) and an O-scale layout by Art McKee (Prospect, OR).

Several exhibits emphasized the rich railroading history of Southern Oregon . The Southern Oregon Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society provided information about their restoration projects at the Medford Railroad Park and showcased a display of historic railroad artifacts. Syd Stoner ( Medford , OR ) proudly displayed his lovingly-restored maintenance motorcar. The Ashland Historic RR Museum's exhibit examined Ashland 's rail history, and the Jacksonville Museum Quilters displayed railroad-themed quilts. Meanwhile, the Morse Telegraph Club was busy sending telegrams across the Armory floor.

The Show was proud to host the exhibits of four premiere manufacturers of model railroad equipment – Kadee Quality Products ( White City , OR ), Micro-Trains Line (Talent, OR), Campbell Scale Models ( Central Point , OR ) and Custom Model Products ( Concord , CA ).

Hourly door prize drawings and a large show-ending raffle allowed many lucky patrons to take home a gift. Bargain hunters took advantage of the cornucopia of railroad-related goods offered by the thirty-three participating vendors .