One person we were surprised to see at the model train show in Hampton was Helen, who was there with her husband Ed Shecklman. They own Sidetrack Hobby in Iowa Falls, but we only knew Helen as our faithful supplier of running shoes! She works at Shoe Sensation, which we frequent.
Ed and Helen Shecklman
You can visit their website at www.sidetrackhobby.net and their Facebook page here. They have a wide variety of products. The bridges looked neat, but the cornfield kits really caught me eye. I'm sure some farmers would wish their cornfields could be as easily installed!
Chuck, Tim, and Joe
Chuck, Tim, and Joe were at the Hampton show I went to in 2014. I was relieved when Joe assured me they did not have any cockroaches with them this time. (Last time, Joe had his lunch in a special sack with one printed on it!)
All three of them are retired from John Deere in Ankeny. They told about a couple of the biggest shows they'd attended--in Kansas City and Pennsylvania. While I didn't take the most thorough notes, I'm thinking the one in Pennsylvania might have been Greenberg's Great Train & Toy Show.
Larry Hilgendorf
Mr. Hilgendorf says his father got him started on model trains when he was young. At another train show, in Minnesota, he ran into a whole barrel of HO models for only $20. So he bought it, and a lot of what he was selling at this show was from that barrel. The rest were extras from his own layout--which he has yet to set up again after a move.
On one box of miscellaneous cars, priced at $1 each, he has a newspaper clipping with a photo of a train wreck to encourage modelers to add train wrecks to their own layouts!
Art and Chris
The vendors set up beside us were Art and Chris. Like so many others, they were both introduced to model trains by their dads. The oldest pieces they had for sale were Lionels from 1945 and 1948.
The windows in their model churches have a stained-glass look, and one church even has the red doors I've seen on many churches posted in the Inspired Sunday linkup. The ice cream bar would be a wonderful place to stop for a treat.
John Heidenescher
Mr. Heidenescher's area looked like a whole store had moved into the train show! What a fabulous place it would be for the citizens of my favorite little nation, Martha's Miniaturopolis, to go shopping!
There were miniature propane tanks, barrels, crates, fences, gates, all sorts of garden plants (from cauliflower to tomatoes), park benches, musicians, fishermen, and much more.
Heidenescher is owner of JJ & CL Model Train Shop in Council Bluffs, Iowa, which he started seven years ago. For 20 years previously, he had done repair work on model trains.
Mr. Heidenescher didn't have much of a chance at escaping the fate of being a model railroad hobbyist. His father bought him a Lionel train when he was born!
We enjoyed our time at the Hampton show...and a week later headed to Dubuque for our second show of the year!
Do you attribute any of your hobbies to the influence of your parents or older family members?
The roach made me cringe, Bethany. LOL! And I absolutely love things from the 1940's so I am very excited about the things in your photos! I don't really have any hobbies...at least none that I can call a hobby. My father played piano by ear and my mother had a beautiful singing voice. I do believe that my love of animals and nature comes from my father, though, because he loved nature and animals and was a very gentle and caring person.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your parents were a neat couple! A pianist and a singer are a good combination. I think love of animals, and gentleness and caring are great traits to inherit.
DeleteWow, some of these items look like an old time village as idealised by people in the 1950's. Those accessories are SO cool.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed looking through everything.
Deletefascinating collection from old times .
ReplyDeletei don't think that stuff from present can be compared with it
They don't make things like they used to.
DeleteBethany,
ReplyDeletethese old collections are wonderful.
I love to visit such places. There can feel the spirit of time.
Kisses and greetings from Poland.
Lucja
Thanks for stopping by, Lucja.
DeleteOMG. Look at that little ice cream bar. And that bug. Ack. So fun. So true about Martha's minis.
ReplyDeleteBig yes on the influence from family. My Mamam (gram). She was a baker and cook and I got my experimental no-fear, move out of my way, I'm gonna try this, attitude from her.
And I just realized, I'm signed on to Hubby's account. This is Ivy.
DeleteHere I am.
DeleteHAHAHA...you are just so cute!
DeleteI think we all benefit from having people like you who are not afraid to experiment in the kitchen around! I'm one of those who generally like to have others make the sacrifice and do the experimenting, so I can stick with the tried and true!
DeleteWhew! Glad to know that cockroach wasn't real!! LOL! Oh, my, that threw me when I first saw it. So happy you had a nice time, Bethany! God bless you. :)
ReplyDeleteI was glad too! Blessings to you, Cheryl.
Deleteoh my!
ReplyDeleteat first glance, i though that cockroach was real!!
glad it wasn't..
anywho,
these collections look lovely!
pray you'll have a lovely thanksgiving, bethany!
much love!!
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well, Ashley.
DeleteMy husband is into model trains big time and we have a huge layout in our basement. In fact he is there right now working on it. : )
ReplyDeleteI've been to many train shows like this one with him. It is a great hobby!!
Maybe one of these days you guys could post pictures! It would be neat to see his layout.
DeleteI love attending these shows, particularly because I enjoy searching for other little people to add to the growing city of Miniaturopolis :) Thanks for the mention, Bethany.
ReplyDeleteI took a peek at the link for the show in Pennsylvania and OHMYGOSH how I'd love to attend something like that!
Always love what you come up with to show us in Miniaturopolis! I'm sure every little person privileged enough to immigrate there is glad to move in!
DeleteThanks for more of a peek into this fun hobby so many share. That cockroach baggie though - eewwww!!!
ReplyDeleteBtw - you were the winner of my giveaway! Yay!! I'll email you so you can email me back with your address. ;) Blessings my Friend. xoxo
How exciting! This will be only my second giveaway ever to win! Thank you so much, Carrie.
DeleteFor some reason I can't get the email to go through. So here's my email address:
ReplyDeletecarrie@bachandgroup.com Please email me with your address Hon. Then I can respond back and give you the time frame for when your goodies will be sent. ;) Congrats again!! xoxo
Done. Thanks again!
DeleteHi Bethany, Thanks for more on the model train show in Hampton. I had to smile about the guy who like to put wrecks into his model display. First time I've heard of that! :-) Thanks for the link to Greenberg's Show. It does appear to be amazing with greater emphasis on models as opposed to a swap meet like I'm accustomed to out here on the West Coast. To answer your question, my interest in trains started when I was about 10 years old and I owe it all to my grandmother. She loved trains and thought I would enjoy going on a short train ride with her. One day my dad took grandmother and me to the train station in Fort Worth and we boarded the Texas Eagle for a ride to Ranger, Texas, had lunch there, and got back on another train for the afternoon ride back home. I was hooked! Besides that ride, my best ever train ride was from Vancouver BC to Toronto on Via Rail. It took four days! There are many great trains still left in Europe and other parts of the world, so I still have several rides on the to-do list. Thanks for your recent comments on my blog. Hope you and the Carson family are doing well. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteHi John, you should post photos from the next swap meet you attend. It would be interesting to see what the West Coast ones look like. Catching a love of trains from one's grandmother is a new story for me! Generally it seems it's the men in the family who are interested in trains, so that is special.
DeleteSounds like you have great memories. Judging from some of the old rail-travel advertisements you've posted on your blog, spending several days on a train could be a very comfortable--even luxurious--existence.
I've only traveled by train twice--once in a steam train at the Texas State Railroad (from Rusk to Palestine and back), and once in a modern train in Portland. But looking through old family slides, sometimes it seems there are as many photos of trains as there are of people! :)
Have a great weekend as well.