Railfest 2023 Set for Next Weekend in Kirtland

Railfest 2023 has been set for next weekend at Lakeland Community College in Kirthland. The annual spring show, which began in 1984, is one of the largest of its kind in Ohio.

Billed as the largest continuous two-day train show in the state, it is sponsored by the Western Reserve District of the National Model Railroad Association.

Show hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (March 18-19).

Admission is $8 per person. A family ticket (couples) is available for $13 while a family pass for two adults with children under age 16 is available for $15. A two-day pass is available for $13.

There is free parking onsite with shuttle bus service. Food vendors will also be on hand.

Operating model railroad layout will feature the N, O, S, Lionel O and LGB G gauges.

Additional information is available at http://www.railfest.org and on Facebook at RailfestTrainshow.

Railfest to Return in March

The Lakeland Community College train show known as Railfest will return on March 19 and 20.

Sponsored by Western Reserve Division Five of the Mid Central Region of the National Model Railroad Association, the show will feature model railroad layouts and vendor tables in six rooms.

Admission is $8 per person with a two-day pass available for $13. A family pass can be purchased for $13 for a couple, and $15 for two adults and all children under age 16.

Show hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days. There is free parking at the college.

Vendors and attendees will be required to wear facial masks in accordance with the college’s COVID-19 policy, although that is subject to change by the dates of the show.

The show was cancelled in 2021 and 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Division 5 Railfest May be Held Later This Year

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of dozens of train shows in the past year and that trend has continued during the first two months of 2021.

It will mean the Division 5 (Western Reserve Division) Railfest will not be holding its annual March show in Kirtland for the second consecutive year.

The National Model Railroad Association affiliated Division announced online that the venue it normally uses for the two-day show, Lakeland Community College, is not available due to the pandemic.

Club officials are seeking an alternative venue for the same date but they might also be able to hold the show later this year.

The group thus considers the show to be on hold for now. The show was scheduled to be held on March 13 and 14.

A handful of shows, though, still plan to go on, including the Canfield Train and Toy Show that is scheduled to be held today at the Canfield Fairgrounds, 7265 Columbiana, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Admission is $6 per person.

Also still scheduled is the April 11 Medina Train and Toy show at the Medina County Fairgrounds.

One of Ohio’s largest train shows, the Buckeye Model Trains & Railroad Artifacts Show & Sale that was to have been held April 17 in Columbus also has been canceled.

Golden Spike Enterprises sponsors the show held in April and December at the Lausche Building of the Ohio Expo Center.

The latest cancellation is the third consecutive of the event due to the pandemic.

ARRC to Have Table at Lakeland Train Show

The Akron Railroad Club will have a tale selling railroad memorabilia at Railfest 2017 this Saturday and Sunday at Lakeland College in Kirtland, Ohio.

Sponsored by the MCR 5 of the National Model Railroad Association, the event is billed as the large two-day show of its kind in Ohio.

Admission to the show is $7 with a two-day pass available for $12. A family admission is $12 and includes children under age 18.

Show hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days.

Dealers will be selling a range of items, including model railroad equipment, railroad memorabilia, books, magazines and videos.

There will be operating layouts in the N, HO, S, American Flyer, O and G gauges. The Lake Shore Live Steam group plans to have a live steam display.

Lakeland College is located along Ohio Route 306 and is just beyond exit 193 of Interstate 90.

There is free parking with a shuttle bus also running. Food will be available for purchase.

Visit ARRC Table at NMRA Division 5 Train Show

The Akron Railroad will have a table at this weekend’s NMRA Division 5 Railfest at Lakeland College in Kirtland.

Hours for the train show will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (March 15 and 15). Admission is $7 for a one-day ticket and $12 for a two-day ticket. A family or couples ticket is available for $12.

The show will feature numerous model railroad equipment dealers as well as sellers of railroadiana items. Railroad historical societies and railroad clubs will also have displays and items for sale.

There were be operating model railroad layouts of various gauges. Food service will be available.

Parking is free at the event that bills itself as the largest continuous running train show in Ohio.

Lakeland College is located on Ohio Route 306 just south of exit 193 on Interstate 90.

 

 

ARRC to sell “Canton Area Railroads”

The Akron Railroad Club will be selling copies of Canton Area Railroads, which was written by club president Craig Sanders and recently released by Arcadia Publishing.

The book will be sold to club members for $15 and to non-members for $17. The book will be available at the ARRC table at Railfest 2009 this weekend (March 14 and 15) at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio. The college is located on Ohio Route 306, just south of Interstate 90 (exit 193). Railfest 2009 is sponsored by Division 5 of the National Model Railroad Association.

Author Sanders will be available at the ARRC table on Saturday to autograph copies of the book.

Copies of Canton Area Railroads will also be available for sale at the next ARRC meeting, on March 27.

Canton Area Railroads has 128 pages and more than 200 black and white photographs, most of which were taken by or furnished by Akron Railroad Club members.  The book covers railroad operations in Canton, Massillon, Alliance, Orrville, Navarre, Minerva, Dover, Brewster, Dennison and other communities in Stark, Carroll, Holmes, Wayne and Tuscarawas counties. Among the railroads covered by the book are the Pennsylvania, Baltimore & Ohio, Wheeling & Lake Erie, New York Central, Penn Central, Conrail, Norfolk & Western, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Ohio Central, R.J. Corman, Ohi-Rail, Amtrak and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.