Model Train Journal

Hello all the great March Meet will be at the Westin Hotel in Lombard Illinois this weekend public open Saturday _ Sunday

additionally there will be open houses , lectures etc .....plus lots of tables filled with trains for sale .

I'll have a display of vintage O scale on display and host an open house running vintage O scale on 2 rail & outside 3rd rail .

The March meet is always a fun time for trains and follow O scale folks .

Cheers Carey Williams

Sounds like fun will had by all!

Enjoy your time there

Love to go but I'm getting 5 trees taken down so no spare disposable funds to support traveling to spend more money for more trains that I don't need.

Those that get to go it seems more a privilege than anything else now.

Love to go but I'm getting 5 trees taken down so no spare disposable funds to support traveling to spend more money for more trains that I don't need.

Just for education sake and not trying to be nosey, but we just had 5 large (60-70 feet) cotton wood trees taken down and it cost just over $5K. I thought that was a decent price, but I wondered how that compared with what they charge out east to take down trees comparable sized trees?

This crew didn't use any bucket lifts. The cutter just climbed up, tied off a limb, cut it allowing it to swing free and the ground crew lowered it down. Not an old mans job for sure.

Those attending could post some pictures it would be greatly appreciated.

Bill D usually brings some nice items, curious what he’ll bring.

Thanks,

Aaron

up148 wrote:

Love to go but I'm getting 5 trees taken down so no spare disposable funds to support traveling to spend more money for more trains that I don't need.

Just for education sake and not trying to be nosey, but we just had 5 large (60-70 feet) cotton wood trees taken down and it cost just over $5K. I thought that was a decent price, but I wondered how that compared with what they charge out east to take down trees comparable sized trees?

This crew didn't use any bucket lifts. The cutter just climbed up, tied off a limb, cut it allowing it to swing free and the ground crew lowered it down. Not an old mans job for sure.

These 5 large poplars; 4 are 30-36" diameter and 1 is over 40". These will also have to come down climb, cut, and lower away. I'll get some firewood out it but since it's poplar I don't really want very much. Figure triple your price tag.....hate to have them down but that beats something bigger from any coming down on the house.

86TA355SR wrote:Those attending could post some pictures it would be greatly appreciated.

Bill D usually brings some nice items, curious what he’ll bring.

Would be nice if someone would........

Ours were 12" to 14" diameter, but tall. They would have been blowing their seed pods about not and clog A/C and pool filters all around the neighborhood. We love trees, but glad to see them gone.....nuisance trees.

up148 wrote:Ours were 12" to 14" diameter, but tall. They would have been blowing their seed pods about not and clog A/C and pool filters all around the neighborhood. We love trees, but glad to see them gone.....nuisance trees.

If I'm out in the woods, 12" to 14" diameter are within my range to cut, but not when there's a house nearby. When the diameter is double the bar on my saw, it's way out of my league to handle. I just wish I could get mine to a mill and get some lumber cut out of them...

Just checked a couple of forums and haven't found any news from the Meet.

Dan and Amy must've promised free subscriptions to the attendees if the attendees don't spill the beans before the next OSR comes out.

bob turner wrote:https://www.ogrforum.com/topic/2026-march-o-scale-meet-chicago-il

A trickle of photos....and the few that show a large area of the show are not well populated; no idea if that is representative of anything. Looks like a lot of stuff to tempt buyers........in some ways glad to not attend buying more projects that I don't have time for now,

But good that the show appears healthy!

A friend said it was the best attended (seller and buyer) show since Covid. He sent me tons of photos and I'm trying to see if there is any way to post them here without putting them on a host site first.

Not being a naysayer, but we are an aging group and our world is shrinking. I recently read that within 5 years 40% of the current O scalers would not be active. Reality check for sure, but makes me melancholy if I think about it. But, I was active in the 90's which I think might have been the end of the "golden years" for O scale.

I understand O scale west only had 50 paid attendees this year, but I don't know how that compares to previous years.

I screwed up and missed a local O scale show last fall and hope it's held in OKC next year, because if I'm around I certainly will attend. Missed several forum members by not attending.

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:

86TA355SR wrote:Those attending could post some pictures it would be greatly appreciated.

Would be nice if someone would........

It was my first time at the March Meet. Trading was very brisk for the first 4 hours or so on Sat. Then it tapered off a bit. But seemed quite busy Sunday morning too. I took these photos when things were tapering off Sunday.





https://flic.kr/p/2s3Qm18

https://flic.kr/p/2s3RjQM

up148 wrote:A friend said it was the best attended (seller and buyer) show since Covid.

Hopefully we'll some photos of the crowd!

He sent me tons of photos and I'm trying to see if there is any way to post them here without putting them on a host site first.

Not sure how you can do that, but looking forward to them.

Not being a naysayer, but we are an aging group and our world is shrinking. I recently read that within 5 years 40% of the current O scalers would not be active. Reality check for sure, but makes me melancholy if I think about it. But, I was active in the 90's which I think might have been the end of the "golden years" for O scale.

Except someone is out there buying stuff, so I guess that's a good thing - there was a flurry of traction on eBay that sold for what thought were high prices. Then again, supply & demand figures in pretty hard.

I understand O scale west only had 50 paid attendees this year, but I don't know how that compares to previous years.

I don't know how that meet survives with that low number.

I screwed up and missed a local O scale show last fall and hope it's held in OKC next year, because if I'm around I certainly will attend. Missed several forum members by not attending.

Strasburg on the 11th of April!!!