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.

Train Shows Set for Northeast Ohio

The fall Akron Toy and Train Show will be held Sunday (Nov. 13) in Cuyahoga Falls.

The event will be open between 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Emidio & Sons Expo Center at 48 E. Bath Road. Admission is $3 per person and for children age 13 and older. Children age 12 and younger will be admitted for free.

Also being held this weekend is an open house at the Sebring Model Railroad Club facility in the former Pennsylvania Railroad depot next to the Fort Wayne Line of Norfolk Southern

The club has a large HO scale layout. Attendees are asked to make a $5 donation. Children 12 and under will be admitted for free. Dates of the open house are Nov. 12-13 and 19-20.  Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A number of train and railroadiana shows are set for Northeast Ohio over the next few months.

The Lake Erie chapter of the Train Collectors Association will hold a train meet on Nov. 26 at the UAW Hall in Parma, 5615 Chevrolet Boulevard.

Event hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $6 per person with children age 18 and under admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

There will be operating layouts and model railroad equipment of various gauges for sale. Also for sale will be railroad oriented books, videos and railroadiana items.

Although not in Northeast Ohio, the Buckeye Model Trains and Railroad Artifacts will be held Dec. 10 at the Ohio Expo Center and State Fair, 717 East 17^th Avenue, Columbus.

Event hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $7 per person. One of Ohio’s largest single-day train shows, the event featured operating layouts of various gauges and vendors selling model railroad equipment, books, videos, and various railroadiana items.

On Jan. 8, the Snow Dogs Train Show returns to the UAW Hall in Parma. Event hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $6 per person with children under age 12 admitted for free.

Featured will be operating layouts of all gauges as well as more than 150 vendor tables of trains and toys.

The Youngstown Model Association will hold an open house at its facility at North 4 Mile Run Road in Youngstown on Dec. 3-4 and Dec. 10-11.

The event will feature an O-gauge operating layout and HO exhibit. Event hours are noon to 6 p.m. Attendees are asked to make a donati oon of $5. Children age 11 and under will be admitted for free.

The YMRA will hold a toy and train flea market on Jan 8 at the Salem CenterPlex, 1098 N. Ellsworth Ave. Event hours are 10a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission is $7 per person with children age 12 and under admitted for free.

The Train Collectors Association will hold its winter train meet on Jan. 28 at the UAW Hall in Parma. Event hours are 10 a,m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $6 per person.

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.

Trains Shows Set in Columbus, NE Ohio

If you are looking to get out of the house this weekend, a pair of train shows might be just the excuse.

After an absence of more than a year the Buckeye Model Train and Railroad Artifacts show will return to Columbus.

The show is held in the Lausche Building of the Ohio Expo Center on the grounds of the Ohio State Fair. The street address is 717 E. 17^th St.

The location is just off exit 111 from Interstate 71 on the north side of 17^th Street. A parking fee is charged at the entrance to the property.

Show hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is $7 with children under age 12 admitted for free.

The show bills itself as Ohio’s largest combination model and artifact show and will have more than 200 tables of model trains, railroad china, old timetables, books, lanterns, photographs, videos, and other railroad-related items.

There will be working model railroad layouts of various gauges operated by central Ohio model railroad clubs.

Closer to Northeast Ohio, the Massillon Train and Toy Show will be held Sunday (Dec. 12) at the Knights of Columbus Hall at 988 Cherry Road NW.

Admission is $5 with children age 12 and under admitted for free. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Looking to January 2022, a couple of shows might be the antidote to beat the post-holiday blahs or relieve cabin fever.

The Cuyahoga Valley S Gauge Association will hold its Snow Dogs Show on Jan. 8 at the United Auto Workers Hall in Parma at 5615 Chevrolet Boulevard.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with admission $6 per person. Children under age 12 are admitted for free.

On Jan. 9 the Youngstown Model Railroad Association will hold its toy train and model railroad flea market in Salem at the Salem Center Plex, 1098 N. Ellsworth Ave.

Admission is $5 per person and show hours are 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The show will feature more than 230 tables of model railroad equipment of all gauges along with railroad memorabilia.

Free parking is available at the Salem Community Center with a shuttle operating to the show site.

Berea Train Show is This Weekend

The Great Berea Train Show will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in Middleburg Heights-Berea.

Show hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days. Admission is $8 with children under 18 admitted free with a paid adult admission. A two-day pass is available for $10.

The show features 700 vendor and display tables with dealers selling model railroad supplies and equipment as. There will also be sellers of railroad memorabilia and railroad historical societies. Several model railroad layouts will be in operation.

The event is sponsored by the North Coast Division (Division 4) of the Mid-Central Region of the National Model Railroad Association. This year marks the 47th year of the event although the 2020 show was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.