Doors opened to The Great Train Show in Ridgefield on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 14 to a line of several hundred model railroaders, train enthusiasts, and eager kids with their families.
Vendors from as far as Chino, California set up shop at the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds with all types of model railroad scales and accessories available for purchase. The main attractions for those who attended were the model railroad layouts.
The layouts included a Lego model, G scale, O gauge, HO scale, and N scale, which offered something for everyone to enjoy. The realism of the HO scale model railroad is known to be unmatched and tends to have the widest variety of models and accessories for sale.
The original Lionel Trains filled vendor spaces, while antique railroad equipment and other items gave antiquers the opportunity to find some treasures at the event.
The newest player in model railroading, known as “the world’s greatest hobby,” was the Lego one, which was a fan favorite amongst train show attendees.
“We typically do three to four shows in the Portland area each year,” said James Ritzman, vice president of the Great Northern Lego Railway.
The Great Northern Lego Railway is based out of the Portland Metro Area. It makes its way to many area train shows. It’s said to be great for all ages and utilizes a modern style for Lego enthusiasts to enjoy. The Great Northern Lego Railway also provides classic railroad enthusiasts with something to appreciate as it utilizes trains from the railroads of yesteryear, like the Southern Pacific and Great Northern, among others.
The train show didn’t just delight attendees, but it also provided fun for the vendors and model railroaders who showcased their displays.
Ritzman said he most looks forward to playing with trains at the events.
“What we do (here) is kind of like at home. We don’t have the space for a big layout, but this is the opportunity for us to set something up big and see our trains run is really fun,” Ritzman said.
Within the first hours of the doors opening to the show, around a thousand enthusiasts were in attendance, said organizers. The line for parking snaked out to Northeast Delfel Road from before 10 a.m. to at least noon on Saturday.
The event led to a lot of smiles on kids faces, while some train enthusiasts left with bags full of items.
There are a few local train shows each year in the North Clark County area, which includes the Great Train Swap Meet hosted in the Battle Ground High School gymnasium. This year’s event is set for Sept. 30.
