Is the NSC Convention Sinking Into The Abyss This Year ???

[Nato]

  I have never considered myself a collector, although I have over my years in N starting in 1969 aquired many items that now may be considered collectable. Yes I'am a mmember of the NSC Group because they have run some prototype cars I was interested in Ie: PFE TOFC cars with reefer trailers, the Impact trainning and testing box cars that UP & SP had in the 1950's and the latest release a New Haven Flat car with nice CAT Diesel engine loads on them. I'am fully aware that the Collector Cons are not just for hard core collectors ,but I still believe joint conventions like N Trak (Quack) had with the N.M.R.A. National in Eugene .Oregon in 1987 is the way to go,an all N convention or N & Collector Con for several days before the all scales National, then N layouts provided to the public and attendees at the national. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.

[Atlanticflier]

Nato, the NSC-Con, and the N Scale Collector's Society itself, stopped being strictly for collectors/investors a loooooooooooooooong time ago.  Keep the paradigm if you wish, but it's not accurate. 

Chantilly was my last convention and I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Schedule conflicts have prevented attending any since then. 

I would feel different about the NSC-Con. Since owned by Micro-Trains, it really is for collectors, etc IMHO. I've been to several and mostly Micro-Trains collections are shown and it is centered around that concept. I have no problem with that, it's just the color of the horse...

Ntrak organized conventions are centered around....well, Ntrak...so there is lots of 'running trains' on modules and information related to those modules, building them, etc and all the itesm that we see on them.

The Best N Scale conventions have been when sponsored by an Ntrak Group, IMHO. Northern Virginia Ntrak has done an exceptional job, both in 1996 and in 2004. Chantilly was sponsored by NVNtrak and was a great time for N scalers, as well as for the NSC-Con folks who co-sponsored.  I suspect that next year's Louisville convention will be exceptional, based upon the organization so far, which btw, includes some of the NSC-Con folks.

It is too bad that Ntrak does not have the organizational goals and resources to sponsor a convention yearly.
Steven

[Nato]

  N Quack (Trak) use to have the ability to do a National Convention each year. They alternated between the East and West Coasts, several years they were held right before and as part of the N.M.R.A. National Con (Eugene ,Oregon 1987 which I attended comes to mind). I think that local N Scale clubs whether they are N Trak or some other standard,Fremo,Bend Trak, One Trak etc. would rather hold regional cons or attend local multi-scale shows, and so the ball has been dropped in the Collectors Court to organize and hold National N Events. Nate Goodman (Nato). Salt Lake, Utah.

[SecretWeapon]

Hey,
  This will be my 1st convention. Maybe my last. The cost has got to be a factor for many. I was blown away with just the $75.00 to get in. Add food,lodging & transportation. Not cheap. Considering you can go to a train show for $8.00,that's a big difference.
  The only reason I didn't cancel is I'm meeting alot of N scalers face-face. We'll see what happens.

Is that just to get in the train show? Or to register for the whole convention?

From what I understand,it pays for:
1)enterance fee
2)any clinic

Also,if you have people with you(kids,wife,GF,etc) its an extra $35.00 per person.

John,
These people have been very good to me & a picture over the  internet just doesn't cut it. They know who they are.One is here often,one from Railfan, & the other is on Trainboard.

[TrainCat2]

Well, I am still unsure of Hartsford, but I have settled on going to the Detroit NTS after all. The Collector and Neil’s N Gauge have setup a continuous running shuttle bus between the convention & Neil’s Hobby Shop. No word yet if they will let me use part of an extra hall they have no assigned usage for. The hall would be perfect to allow vendors to setup shop in. Appears that biased operations are still the norm at NSC!

Will anyone be at the NTS??

[biker_ray_pa]

if you like slightly smaller conventions, come to Pennsylvania. The Bedford N-Scale Weekend is August 25th-26th. I went last year and will definitely return.


Ray

[Wlal13again]

if you like slightly smaller conventions, come to Pennsylvania. The Bedford N-Scale Weekend is August 25th-26th. I went last year and will definitely return.


Ray

I agree, it`s a nice little show. And with Altoona 45 minutes up the road it make it a nice weekend. I even met Ray at The Curve last year...

Rich

[GGW]

I was interested in POVC's post; at least now I know where the next few conventions are going to be held.

My wife and I both have kids/grandkids/even greatgrandkids in west Florida and Alabama and we have been planning on attending our first N Scale shindig in Louisville next summer in addition to the NMRA national in Anaheim.  Following that we were going to go up to the Pacific Northwest and see other kids/grandkids/greatgrandkids but since the 2009 N Scale feastivities are going to be in Portland we will probably wait and kill two birds with one stone and go up there then.  If the schedule works out - I definitely want to attend the NMRA national in Milwaukee - I now hope to make it to KC in 2010.   

[atsf_arizona]

I will be coming to the N Scale Collector's Convention in Hartford, CT, albeit only for the banquet on Saturday night , the afterhours room sales on Saturday night, and Manufacturer's Breakfast on Sunday morning.   

Reason for late arrival is that I'll just be coming off a business trip and that is as soon as I can get there.

I'll look forward to seeing some of you there!