Strasburg O Scale Show – April 2026

Posted on April 11, 2026 by George Losse

I was able to attend the Strasburg O Scale Show today. The morning started out with great weather as I drove past the Pennsylvania State Railroad Museum and the Strasburg Railroad on my way to the show.

Rich Yoder put on another great show. Attendance was strong all day, and folks were in a buying mood. I had trouble getting away from my table.

There were a number of things for a Reading Modeler at the show today. I saw two different set of the SGL Reading Passenger Cars. Both sets sold at the show, which I think is a good sign. There were plenty of nice models on the tables.

Ryan Shawyer had some very nice structures on his table. I kept meaning to get back to his table to possibly bring one home, but just had trouble getting away from my own table.

The tag in front of the model indicated it was a Weaver M1 with DCC and Sound as well as some super detailing. I know a number of SPF’s look down their nose at the Weaver M1’s but this was a great example of some detail and good paint it can be a fine looking model.

Darren Troy and David were at my table. He made the trip to the show from Ohio. I will say there were a number of new younger faces at the show. That is always encouraging for the hobby.

I was also great to see and talk with Fran Pfeil and his wife Pat at the show.

I mentioned in the beginning of this post that it was a great show. Even though it went up against the two other All Scale Shows the same day, the Timonium show and also the New York Society’s show. I know a few modelers that could not attend the Strasburg show because of modular club commitments.

I started the day with my table feeling crowded, I really felt like I brought too much to the show. I had plenty of room on the table by the end of the show.

In Memoriam: Warner Clark

Posted on April 1, 2026 by George Losse

The most photographed part of Warner’s Clark’s layout for a reason

We lost a very talented Proto48 modeler, Warner Clark, on Monday, March 30th.

Warner was a fine modeler, but an even nicer man. I only met him a few times, but I enjoyed my conversations with him. Even though his skills and attention to details showed in his modeling, he was modest and didn’t have the airs that often overtake other folks that have his abilities.

I enjoyed visiting Warner’s layout, It was one of the best ever done in 1/4 inch modeling. It was amazing how many wonderful scenes were in that relatively small layout. Something that should inspire all of us.

There is a nice community of Proto48 modelers in the Indy area. Warner’s loss will be felt by them for the passing of a good friend. His loss will be felt across the whole of the O Scale and Proto48 communities for the passing of a fine modeler and an even nicer man.

2025 Cleveland O Scale Show – November

Posted on November 3, 2025 by George Losse

The Cleveland O Scale Show was held on November 1, 2025. As I have in the past, I took a couple of extra days off from work this year to explore Cleveland both before and after the show. It rained the entire ride out from New Jersey. But the Sun did make an appearance once I arrived.

The show was well attended. There were fewer tables in the hall than past years. But that was offset by the fact that they were different vendors than I have seen back here in the East. I only saw one vendor at the show that was at the recent Strasburg Show. Funny thing was I ended up buying something off his table.

Most of the table holders were modelers selling off some extras from their collections as opposed to dealers selling at close to list prices. There was everything from vintage brass, resin kits, plastic kits and plastic ready-to-run models. There were some vendors with track components, a couple with bridges and buildings.

I did see a Yoder PRR F22 Flats with Naval Gun load car set at the show. Had not seen one of those at a show recently. Also there were a pair of Southern Car and Foundry CP Minibox kits on this table. The 1932 ARA Standard Boxcar kit didn’t last long on the table, it now has a new home in NJ.

There was plenty of both Steam and diesel locomotives the tables.

I remember when I first went past that PRR K4. I thought good luck selling that wall of older kits behind it. Then a few minutes later I saw a couple of guys sorting through the wall, making their selections.

When I first went past this table the prices had not been posted yet.

The show had a lot to offer. I was surprised by how many modern models were on the tables.

As plain as it was, there was something nice about the PC Century. It can be very easy to let your modeling era slip.

There were a few Atlas O SW’s on the tables. This P&LE unit lasted the longest. They are still one of the best running switchers ever produced.

Daniel Raible had a table selling some stuff and showing off some of his 3D printed creations. He is doing really nice work and shares his 3D files for others to print his designs. I do like the freight hoist shown in the next image. And his trucks designs are really nice also. I the ARA Type A switcher truck on the Atlas O Sw model looked great. I’m looking forward to trying those out this winter.

Unlike past Cleveland Shows, I only saw one other modeler from back East at the show. Dave Vaughn made the trip. It was nice to talk with him at the show.

I had the chance to sit down and talk with Lee Turner at the show. We had a good conversation about his photo boards that he uses to make his fine model photographs. It’s always a pleasure to talk with Lee.

After the show, I was able to get out and do some work with my 5×7 camera in Cleveland. These are just a couple of iPhone captures from where I was working.

TCA Eastern Division York Train Meet – October 2025

Posted on October 24, 2025 by George Losse

I attended the TCA Eastern Division York Train Meet (aka York) today. This time around, I went on a Friday again and I think I like Thursday better. The halls are open longer on a Friday but there was not as much of interest as there was at the last Thursday show I attended.

Sunset had a table at this show. They had a crowd at their table every time I went past, I hope they had a good show meeting and talking to the attendees. They did announce doing an Acela and they are now offering a Blunami option.

Atlas was also there. They had some new models on display and some new signals.

There was some 2-rail in the halls, but nothing was screaming at me to go home with me.

If you look closely at the model above, It appears to be a USH NYC Mikado. It was actually set up for outside third rail. Look at the bar attached to the frame just behind the steam chest.

There were Reading models in the show but not 2-rail. I didn’t need to add an out of era project. There were some other models that also caught my eye but I was good in not adding new projects to the list.

The drive home turned into an adventure. A five car accident on the PA Turnpike added an extra hour to the drive home.

For most of the day, my biggest purchase was a $2 bottle of water. Most of the models on the tables were priced higher than what they would cost online even adding in the shipping. I did end up with some tools, sanding sticks and glues from the tool vendor. I think, if I do go back again, it will be a Thursday again next time. The selection was mach better last Spring.

Strasburg O Scale Show – October 2025

Posted on October 13, 2025 by George Losse

The Strasburg O Scale Show was held yesterday, October 11, 2025. The show was a good one. There was good attendance by both table holders and the show attendees. I didn’t get much time to walk through the show myself, my table kept me busy during the day. I’m happy to say that more than half my surplus models on my table found new homes.

It was good to see so many people that I had not seen in too long. This has been a busy Summer with lots of life issues getting in the way or modeling, or should I say, getting in the way of having the desire to model. Today was needed by me on many fronts.

I did manage to find a few new items for myself. I picked up some NOS Yoder Proto48 trucks from a couple of different folks at the show. We have to remember the days of these being in production and in stock are over. I also managed to add another Yoder Baldwin S12 to the roster. There will be more about that this Winter as it is currently an O scale model that needs to be converted.

Paul Yanosik brought some new models to share with me. He had a pair of LV ALCo C-420’s that started out as Lionel models which Paul gutted, built new ends, placed a Weaver drive into them and put a nice custom paint job on them. I thought they looked great. Too modern for my 1952 era but very tempting.

The weather had light rain until after the show when we were headed out for lunch. Turned out to be a great day, shared with friends.

Kadee Proto48 Trucks

Posted on May 29, 2025 by George Losse

Kadee released Proto48 trucks last year. I picked some up last year. I recently noticed I never posted anything about them. I had used some of their O scale trucks on conversions for a friend of mine. They are nice trucks. These Proto48 versions are very similiar.

Here is a side by side view of the Kadee ASF A-3 trucks and the Protocraft version of the same style. If you are converting some 3-rail cars or even Atlas-O freight cars these are a nice option. If you are building the museum model, then the Protocraft truck may be more in line with what you are building.

The wheels measure out just fine. I have placed a sampling of the measurements on my Proto48 Wheel Standards page.

Price is also something to consider. The Kadee trucks are priced just over half the price for the older imported brass trucks. For some of the Roller Bearing versions they are more than a third the costs of the imported trucks. That adds up when thinking about a fleet of cars.

Currently, Kadee is the ONLY manufacture still in production with a Proto48 truck line. Both RY Models and Protocraft are no longer importing Proto48 trucks at this time. Protocraft is still selling from their inventory but RY Models has mostly sold out. These are a very welcomed addition to the Proto48 community.

TCA Eastern Division York Train Meet – April 2025

Posted on April 25, 2025 by George Losse

I attended the TCA Eastern Division York Train Meet (aka York) yesterday. York is growing on me. This time around, I went on a Thursday instead of the Friday as I had in the past. About the only thing different for me was that the halls were only open half the day.

Does York, a mostly 3-rail show hold much interest for a Proto48’er? I wasn’t looking for Proto48 in the show, so I wasn’t disappointed. I was looking for some 3-rail models that could be the beginning of a Proto48 model.

The lead image on this post was the most surprising thing I saw at the show. PRR Builders plates for an ALCo RS-3, a Baldwin S12, a Baldwin DS 4-4-1000, a L1s and an M1. The prices were not that high. I texted my brother an image of them and his reply was, “How many did I bring home?” Since none of the plates were for Reading locomotives, I didn’t bring any home with me.

Above was a USH PRR I1sa on the table. On another table there was a nice combination of brass and kit-built Milwaukee passenger cars. Not seen in the image was a steam locomotive I a green box to go with the cars. They were very nice but not the thing for a Reading modeler.

I was impressed with how the 3-rail models have been improving over recent years. This PC GG1 with the relocated air intakes looked very nice.

This MTH ALCo-GE-IR Box Cab also looked nice. I remember this model coming out but I really never got the chance to see one up close. I saw a couple of versions of this model in the show.

The METCA had a few of their custom run models on a table. One was a Lionel ALCo S-2 for the LV in the red with black stripes scheme. They also had a pair of tank cars that drew my attention.

Lastly, for the Reading modeler, there were a number of examples of the MTH FM Trainmasters at the show. I’m not looking to add to the project list by trying to convert one of these. But they are a nice looking model.

Strasburg O Scale Show – April 2025

Posted on April 13, 2025 by George Losse

The Strasburg O Scale Show was held yesterday, the show was a good one. There was very good attendance by both table holders and the show attendees. I didn’t get much time to walk through the show myself, my tables kept me busy during the day.

I did see some models of interest for the Reading modeler. The Reading LOD below was kitbashed from what looked like a Weaver PS-2. While not having any rivets it was nicely done and had the feel of the car.

There was also some modern Reading in Green and Yellow across the isle from our table. Also found in the room were a set of the Weaver Crusader cars and a set of the SGL Reading passenger cars in the engine room.

There were plenty of fine looking models at the show. Lots of brass, lots of plastic, and tons of kits.

This was a very good sign. Three modelers talking towards the end of the show. Every one of them carrying their purchases for the day.

Jim Musser brought some of his models to the show me and to discuss them. It was great to see them in person. Below Jim (on the right) is discussing with Chris Crane a 3D Print of a Long Island boxcab. This started as an N Scale file, Jim resized the file and this was just a test print to see how the detail would hold up being upsized.

Jim also brought a few other models that he scratchbuilt. This little switcher is battery powered, with sound and is just a fantastic model. He turned the locomotive on, set it down on the table and it sat there idling while we spoke.

Behind the locomotive in the above image were a pair of scratchbuilt PRR Ore Jennies painted up PC. These were scratchbuilt from laser-cut acrylic sheets.

You have to love the size difference between the G39 on the left and the G38 on the right.

The G38 was the first class of Ore Jennies on the PRR, they were shorter and had the steam ports on the side. This was a fine looking model.

One last model was also scratchbuilt from laser-cut acrylic sheets. The EL Caboose of a former Erie prototype.

On our tables, in addition to my own models, I was selling some cars from John Dunn’s collection. At the end of the show I was talking with John Dunn, Jr. about the show. He mentioned that he was hoping to have sold a set of PRR Maintenance of Way Cars. He had them in the boxes at his table and said that weren’t getting much interest. I told him to bring them over and we would unbox them and put them on the table.

They were built by Al Small from resin castings. We had seven cars, six were PRR XL cars and one X23. They only lasted on the table for 10 minutes.

As I mentioned in the beginning, it was a good show. It was well attended. I sold a ton of stuff off the table for both John Dunn’s family and myself. I managed to come home with some new-to-me models. More importantly, I had a great time talking with different folks, sharing conversations about modeling and what was happening in their lives since I last saw them.

Chicago Show 2025 – Wrap-up

Posted on March 30, 2025 by George Losse

The 2025 March O Scale Meet in Chicago was fantastic! There were tons of nice models calling my wallet. I had a great time, sold some of my surplus models and brought home some new-to-me models.

Here are a few more images of the models that were on the tables at the show.

I wanted to buy this nicely built MKT boxcar, but the table holder was nowhere to be found. I circled back many times on Sunday and never saw them.

These three RS-3 were built up from Kemtron kits. They were fantastic! They got a lot of attention during the show. What I thought was as nicer than the models was the gentleman behind the tables who built them, Richard Rusnak.

That brings up the thought that the show was not all about the models. It’s about the people and the models. Like Rob Adams and his son John.

Once all the models were packed in the car it was time to think about the ride home. I did split the drive home in two on the return trip.

Funny thing, I sold a good portion of what I brought to the show, but the car seemed to have just as many models in it going home, maybe more than what I had brought out with me.

Chicago Show 2025 – Contest Models

Posted on March 30, 2025 by George Losse

One thing I’m not a fan of about the model displays is the entry form. It doesn’t tell who the modeler is. That’s important to me. I’d like to know who is doing the modeling. But in a contest I guess they don’t want names known.

This first model of the Blackwood Pickle Factory is Attalee Taylor’s model. You might remember the photo of Attalee looking over one of the cars displayed from the 2019 Chicago Show post. Check out the last image on the post.