Thousands of model train enthusiasts once again made the pilgrimage to West Springfield for the “Railroad Hobby Show” put on by the Amherst Railway Society.
Big trains, little trains, diesel, freight and passenger trains – one model or another, some of the world’s most iconic locomotives and the people who love them could be found in West Springfield over the weekend.
What started as a get-together of local train fans in Amherst in the 60s has become a massive, two-day convention that now takes up four buildings at the Eastern States Exposition fairgrounds.
For @WAMCNews: I hope my listening audience likes trains because next week, they're getting trains. Early attendance/ticket sale estimates for Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show in West Springfield stands at 12,000-14,000, officials say. Tons of trains. So many trains pic.twitter.com/ujRdpUITY6
— James Paleologopoulos (@WAMC_J_Paleo) January 24, 2026
Something for model train fans young and old
Taking in one of the big arrays of tracks and “modules” set up by the Amherst Belt Lines table was 10-year-old Alex Freeman, accompanied by his 7-year-old brother, Andrew.
“I find it cool because they go on certain tracks and then they can go up hills…” Alex explained when asked what he liked most about trains. “It's also cool because I’ve also never been on one, but I've been on a small one, kind of… but it was enclosed, to go to New York
“I just like [that] they all have details that ... are so hard to paint,” Andrew said of the model trains surrounding them.
Their father Brian says they’ve been coming for almost half-a-decade now – snapping photos of trainsets and meeting plenty of enthusiasts along the way.
“There's really not any other situation where you get all these people here for one unique purpose - and all these passionate people here for one unique purpose,” he said. “I've taken pictures with this guy who had this trainset on a hat and he made my day: hopefully you see him [and] interview him!”
Whether by train, plane or automobile, model rail fans come from near and far
WAMC couldn’t locate said man with hat, but there was plenty else to see. From Boston & Albany Railroad engines to Amtrak to major freight lines that traverse the continent, model trains of all gauges and sizes filled 350,000 square feet.
Sitting in a hub overseeing the hobby railyard of sorts, Show Director John Sacerdote told WAMC Saturday alone was projected to bring in 13,000-14,000 people, slightly more than usual with many trying to avoid Sunday’s snowstorm.
He says among them were guests and vendors who traveled thousands of miles for one of the biggest conventions of its kind in the U.S.
“… from South Korea, from New Zealand, from Australia, from the UK and a ton of our friends in Canada,” he said, referencing some of the ticket receipts that came in for the event. “There's people from everywhere here - that’s what we’re seeing. [And] we deliberately keep [a] mix of dealers, manufacturers, trade show swap/meet-type folks, so there's a little bit of something for everybody.”
Local hobby shops and international model train companies were all on the scene, selling novelty toy trains, trains that can run under a Christmas tree, and fleets of miniature engines – plus, the small buildings, trees and accoutrement that can help complete a “scene.”
The MaiNe Trak model railroad club brought a couple dozen modules, including a replica of Pennsylvania’s Bethlehem Steel plant and an overabundance of references to Moxie soda, the state’s official soft drink.
Modular displays capturing passion for the hobby and scenes of all kinds
Member Joe Martin helped set them up and rig the wiring for yards of track. He told WAMC the hobby and community has something for everyone, no matter their background or career.
“It's a very diverse hobby: it encompasses tons of different skillsets and most everybody has something that they're good at and things that they're-not-so-good at, and by having an organization like this, we can collaborate,” he explained, standing beside by both the steel mill plant module and another display recreating a slice of the Fore River estuary by Portland, Maine.
“I'm an electrical engineer by profession, and I'm good at the wiring but maybe not so good at the scenery kind of thing,” he said, pointing to the Bethlehem set. “So Gabe, who built the steel mill, he's got a knack for this. A lot of this is 3D printed as well, which is something that's, as of late, become a fantastic tool for the hobby.”
A common thread – or connecting train – shared between everyone who spoke with WAMC: a sense that recreating rural rail lines, assembling miniature towns or just donning a conductor’s cap and watching someone else’s module in action can all be a shared experience.
For the sake of disclosure: Saturday’s event was an experience this radio reporter got to share with his grandfather, Eddie Grimaldi. Walking through the showrooms, the Agawam resident reflected on how at one point in time, it was hard not to find a hobby shop or train sets in most stores, for that matter.
“There used to be [more] hobby shops - you could buy these a little at a time,” the longtime electrician and hobbyist said, gesturing at crates of tracks and engines for sale. “We used to come in here and just drool over it because we didn't have any money to spend – we were only kids!”
Justin Webster, a volunteer with the Adirondack Railroad scenic train service, said when it comes to trains, planes and technically automobiles, wanting to see something transported efficiently from one place to another ends can be common ground for a ton of people.
“What I've learned over the years is that when you work in the transportation industry, whether it's railroading or … I also work for an airline, in that industry: once you're in it, it's very hard for you to want to step away,” Webster said. “Even if you're just an enthusiast, what I've noticed is, once you get into that, it's something that doesn't leave you. And so to see everyone coming out, even given the impending weather, it's great…”
According to Sacerdote, 2027 will mark 45 years of the hobby convention running in West Springfield. The event originally came to West Side after being hosted at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for a time.
The show director tells WAMC since the hobby takes all shapes and sizes, all a prospective modeler has to do is take that first step and lay some track.
“I wish [more people] would try it - just build, and you could start with something very small: a little module, a 2’x4’ section, and get it to our specs – we [can] hand you all of those specs, even show you how to do it," he said Saturday. "Come and join us and become part of the hundred module train that's like nine scale miles, and run trains on your own module! I'd love to see more people just give it a shot!”
