Calling All N-Scalers: Mark Your Calendars for Winterfest 2020 at the Amherst Railway Society's Big Railroad Hobby Show

In January of 2020, n-scalers from all over the northeast and as far north as Canada will descend upon West Springfield, MA to attend Winterfest 2020. This annual n-scale / NTRAK convention (which will celebrate its 52nd year) is held in conjunction with the Amherst Railway Society's Big Railroad Hobby Show at the Big E (Eastern States Exposition), January 25th and 26th, 2020.



For the general public, Winterfest 2020 will give folks the chance to see some neat and extensive n-scale modules on display. The Northeast N-TRAK n-scale model train club hosts Winterfest and coordinates with several regional clubs (from all over the northeast and Canada) to provide modules to exhibit at the show. Some of these clubs (Northeast T-TRAK, MaiNE Track, and Valley N-Trak ) will feature n-scale train layouts (two N-TRAK and one T-TRAK) across three buildings.

For folks interested in signing up for this event, Winterfest registrants receive:

• Admission to both days of the ARS show. Normally this is a $30 cost.
• Each registrant will receive one or more door prizes donated by vendors such as Micro-Trains and TroveStar. These are typically, N Scale items.
• A raffle ticket. The raffle will be run Saturday night after the banquet. You do not need to participate in the banquet to participate in the raffle.
• Admission to the Third Annual Manufacturer Mini Show (Friday night). Here we will have several vendors give short talks on the industry and their latest product releases.

Winterfest registrants get the chance to:

• Show off their modules in one of our multiple layouts at the Big E. Winterfest Registrants' modules are entered into a special contest. Awards will be presented after the banquet on Saturday night.
• Registrants can run trains on the various club layouts (N-Trak and T-Trak).
• You can submit entries into the modeling contests and photography contests. Awards will be present Saturday night after the banquet. Like the raffle, you do not need to eat at the banquet to participate in the contests.
• Every participant receives a single free raffle ticket with their registration packet, but you may buy more tickets at the show. There are many great contest prizes to win (contributed by multiple industry sponsors).
• Saturday Dinner: (for a relatively small additional fee) attend the Saturday night banquet. You get the chance to socialize with other N Scale enthusiasts and make new friends. There will be a cash bar open immediately prior to the dinner event. Banquet attendees receive a commemorative mug or glass.

Click here for general information about the ARS show (of which Winterfest is part).

Click here to learn how to register for Winterfest 2020.

Winterfest 2020 events start on Friday night at the nearby Hilton Garden Hotel and continue through Sunday.

To learn about Winterfest 2019, you can read: 2019 Amherst Railway Show: An N-scale Perspective, Part 1

2019 Amherst Railway Show: An N-scale Perspective, Part 2