The National Retail Hobby Stores Association (NRHSA) canceled its October 2020 Las Vegas Table-Top Expo because of covid-19. The annual event for hobby retailers and dealers will return in September 2021.

Numerous reasons for the cancellation include a 14-day quarantine period at most U.S. airports and the recent surge of the virus in Las Vegas, NRHSA said in a news release last week.

“The risks to exhibitors and visitors would have been too great under the present circumstances, even with the most stringent controls and safeguards,” said Rob Gherman, event director.

The deciding factor was the 14-day quarantine period at airports and returning travel restrictions imposed by the individual states.

The nation’s largest model train shows announced cancellations this week, some for dates as far away as early 2021.

World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour and Trainfest, which account for about five of the most widely attended model railroad shows each fall and winter, canceled upcoming dates out of concern for covid-19. The cancellations follow suit with many smaller regional shows that have steadily dropped off since early March.

Train Show, Inc., issued an exhibitor update Friday announcing that WGH on Tour was being sidelined until 2022. The four or five winter shows that rotate major metropolitan areas are typically hosted from January to early March. The 2021 slate had not been announced.

“The Covid-19 health crisis has created an exceedingly difficult situation for event promoters,” the company said in a statement. “Most government jurisdictions and venues are not allowing large gatherings, hence most sporting events, concerts and trade shows have been cancelled. Given that our shows consistently have attendance in the 15,000 to 30,000 range, we are subject to some of the most severe restrictions.”

After four decades in business, M.T.H. Electric Trains is closing.

President Mike Wolf announced Monday that he is retiring, shuttering the business in May 2021 but leaving the door open to prospective buyers to form a new company. In a letter to customers, Wolf said the last products the company will offer are those associated with its latest catalogs.

Wolf thanked retailers for supporting the company from its “humble beginnings” and employees for their hard work. At one point, M.T.H. Electric Trains employed 57. The dealer network extends beyond the U.S.

“M.T.H. Electric Trains would not have enjoyed success without the support of the M.T.H. Authorized Retailer network,” he said in a statement. “While traditional retail has changed significantly over the past decade, the independent hobby shop has been and continues to be the most important cog in our distribution chain. I truly appreciate the support and friendship these shops have shown M.T.H. I wish all of them good luck and prosperity in the years to come.”

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The Texas Central Railway overcame a big legal hurdle Thursday when a Texas appeals court ruled that the company building a high-speed rail line from Houston to Dallas is, in fact, a railroad company and interurban electric railway. The decision paves the way for the railroad to secure property through eminent domain, if necessary.

The decision follows a four-year court battle. Landowners along the proposed route in Leon County argued that the Texas Central was not a railroad and did not have rights associated with a railroad, including eminent domain and access to property for surveyors.

The 13th Court of Appeals of Texas issued a Memorandum Opinion, authored by Justice Nora Longoria, that said, “Having found that the appellants (Texas Central Railroad and Infrastructure, Inc. and Integrated Texas Logistics, Inc.) are both railroad companies and interurban electric railways, we conclude that the trial court erred by granting (a landowner’s) motion for summary judgment and denying appellants’ motion for partial summary judgment.”

Texas Central says it is shovel ready to begin the line.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently announced that the CARES Act is providing $25 billion in federal funding allocations to help the nation’s public transportation systems respond to covid-19.

Funding is provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed by President Donald J. Trump on March 27.

“This historic $25 billion in grant funding will ensure our nation’s public transportation systems can continue to provide services to the millions of Americans who depend on them,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

Funding allocated to urban, rural areas

FTA is allocating $25 billion to recipients of urbanized area and rural area formula funds. Approximately $23 billion is being allocated to large and small urban areas and $2.2 billion to rural areas. Funding will be provided at a 100 percent federal share, with no local match required. The money will be available to support capital, operating, and other expenses generally eligible under those programs to prevent, prepare for, and respond to covid-19.