https://www.nationaltrainshow.org/2023/ntsdfw.html

It was in Grapevine (Dallas) this weekend, next year it's in Long Beach, CA. Just a few pictures of the show. It was $15/person to go on Sunday, which was discounted from the Friday/Saturday price and then $16 discounted parking to walk our ass off. But I'm glad we got to see it. Probably won't be back for a while.

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There were a few vendors with used stuff and new old stock. Same as every other hobby, you can spend a shit load of money on $300 DCC engines if you want. I've been happy picking up $40 dc locomotives off ebay and $10 - $15 rolling stock.

I bought a caboose and a couple of box cars and got out out there for less than $75.

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That’s going to be pretty cool.
Don’t forget the imitation crab meat.

Loves trains, played with a few, never had a full working setup other than a small oval and engine with 2-3 cars. I have a few somewhere, probably all mismatched and different gauges.

My problem is, I have the poors and no place to build/keep a layout..

Neat.  I haven't been to a train show for a long time.  The last National Model Railroad Assn show I went to it was in Cleveland.   Maybe 8-10 years ago?   I was a lot disappointed in the number of vendors and manufacturers, but that was at the lower point of the obamanomics resession.   Nothing like the ones I attended prior - Pittsburgh once or twice, Philly - that one was huge, and Cincinatti - first time I ever saw Lego trains,  that was pretty impressive, as they replicated many buildings in Ohio
I went to the model train show in Timonium MD a few times too.   That was also huge.  Haven't been to one of those for 20 years I bet.
Been to a few of the Greenburg shows.   BUt those are mostly Lionel/O gauge.

My thing has always been Marklin and other european HO trains, so there's never too much at those shows for that sort of stuff.   But occasional things show up.  There is a group called the European Train Enthusiasts, but unfortunately no more shows within an easy drive, would have to be an overnight at best,  the used to have a nice annual show at an elementary school not far from 3 Mile Island.   The group members had a very nice and large modular layout

One thing you used to always count on was more than a few old codgers who probably hadn't purched their first stick deodorant yet, walking through the crowd with a buddy that didn't stink, or at least stink as bad.   Not sure which had more of those - gun shows or train shows.

It's definitely an over 60 crowd for the most part. Lots of parents with kids in strollers though. More of the "let's go look at the trains" type crowds.

MrsJoemama is a retired 911 operator and is having carpal tunnel surgery on both hands next week, but she wants us to build a track in the house. She doesn't care if we build it in the living room. She loves all that small town scenery. I doubt we go that far. But I'm sure before it's all said and done we have a water tower, a police station and a fire station.

I bought the electronics for a trolley/auto reversing track (like $27) so we don't have to build a loop. I was just going to build a small back and forth section in our bedroom and build a raised circular section at my office. I don't know now. I'm guessing if she has her way, we leave the Christmas tree up year round and incorporate it into the track with winter snow scenes.

There's some smaller club shows coming up, she wants to go. I guess I'm lucky, we could be spending money on purses and shoes instead.

It is an outlet for nostalgia of better or simpler less  effed up days
All sorts of building kits for early-mid 29th century America.    
It’s just a matter of how big is your budget
Or she could be all crafty and build structures out of card stock and foam cut to look like stone and brick, then coated.

Consider building on some hollow core door slabs so you can easily take it down when needed.
No matter what, use photo backdrops. They make the layout go from cartoonish, to looking as real as a picture.

I am enjoying making things with 3d CAD and printer.

This is why I mostly have Kato stuff. American manufatuers stuck in 1950s and older stuff. Euro and Japanese guys have amazing selection of modern passenger trains.

you mean stuck in an era people actually buy? They wouldn't make it if people didn't buy it.
also, there is so much 2000 and newer equipment being produced, I don't even understand how you could make that comment
What do you expect? America has no modern passenger trains. Sure, there are newly built American passenger trains, but the tech is mostly 40 years old.

That is what people buy? Seems boring.
Could you give me some links to N scale newer American stuff? I only have japanese stuff so far.

Not terribly sure what N sale people buy. I model 1950's in HO.  I'm one of those old guys with enough brass trains to rival most gun collections

https://www.trainworld.com/athearn-15297-f59phi-amtrak-453.html

https://www.trainworld.com/athearn-15402-f59phi-w-dcc-sound-metx-425.html

https://www.trainworld.com/kato-176-6033-p42-amtrak-phase-v-late-169-kato-176-6033.html

more here:   https://www.trainworld.com/shop-scale/n-scale/trains.html

Thank you. I have some N scale modern stuff, actually all of my trains are modern N scale japeanse and euros because they look great.

Threw this together in 20 mins because wife likes godzilla and wanted to make a video.

I don't see any explosions

current project - currently covering this hill with shrubs and weeds to match photo at top

Nice

There was a small model with Godzilla at the national train show, it was one of those trains where everyone did their own themed 2ft section and they stuck it all together. There's no flow to it, just a collage with a track running through it.

I have it on my phone, but I'm sure it's on youtube already.

https://www.youtube.com/live/6OFGXFKFl34?si=gRoCdmnJuOdQ7KVV&t=2518

It's not lit up in this video, but here it is. Godzilla is tangled in the powerlines and they put tiny flashing LED's to create the effect of electric shocks.

This is a perfect example of your train should be what you want.

I don't like steam models. Just doesn't do it for me. I want diesels I remember from my childhood.

literally the only thing I wanted to see was brass. He mentions it and walks right past.