World's Greatest Hobby - Portland, OR 2/25-26/2012

Ride train to Portland, play with trains for two days, ride train home from Portland - is there a better way to spend a long weekend?

A bunch of us from the Seattle, Portland and Medford areas met up at the World's Greatest Hobby show at the Portland Convention Center over the weekend. We ended up with a busy and popular BYOZ table, and two ZBend-based layouts, one at 48" (railhead height), the other at 39". I've never participated in a show in which the height was 39", so this was a new experience - only the smallest children could not see, but then only the smallest children could not readily reach in and poke or grab - so it was a mixed blessing. We were busy all weekend long with attendees of all ages, pointing, oohing, and asking questions. The crowds finally thinned out only in the last hour each day, so restroom- and meal- breaks had to be coordinated (Loren Snyder had to scold me into eating lunch on Sunday).

I was so busy I only got a chance to take a few photographs, all but the "fuzzgraphs" of which (and I had a couple! ) are posted here .

Mike

Any word on "New Stuff"???

Dang! I left the March MTL MicroNews at home. So I'll have to work from memory: No new locos this month, and after that I am at a loss (if I'm like this at 54, imagine me in actual senility! ). Might any other attendees have the MicroNews close to hand?

As I said, we were so busy I for one really didn't have time to go exploring elsewhere - MTL or otherwise.

Mike, Good report. As for fuzzy photos, I think the ones with Joe and Loren were perfect! Jim