x

All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

COWCATCHER MAGAZINE

Great Train Expo acquired by Train Show, Inc.

April 22, 2014 / Updated June 26, 2023

News

CAROL STREAM, IL – The Great Train Expo has a new home.

Train Show, Inc., announced today that it has acquired the assets of Great Train Expo (GTE), the traveling model railroad show that visits about a dozen U.S. cities each year annually. Train Show Inc. is the corporate parent of Greenberg’s Train and Toy Show, Great Midwest Train Show and World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour.

GTE features operating layouts, vendor sales, exhibits, demonstrations and workshops, and has been a regular in the Midwest and Southwest. Train Show Inc. will be sponsoring shows in many of the venues formerly used by the organization, just look out for their logo on every trade show banner.

The traveling shows are always widely attended by businesses from various sectors of the rail and transportation industries and are also fantastic opportunities for exhibitors to promote their products and services to a wider audience. For example, each year, hundreds of exhibitors get business cards, flyers, posters, and other commemorative promotional materials printed and so these hugely popular events are not to be missed.

Train Show, Inc., President Randy Bachmann said the acquisition solidifies the company’s position as the largest train show promoter in the country and one of the largest consumer show promotion companies.

“This is a natural expansion of our business,” he said in a statement. “This purchase allows us to sponsor shows from coast to coast and provides the opportunity to improve all our shows.”

As part of the deal, former GTE president Bill Grove will be joining the Train Show Inc. management team under Bachmann’s direction. Grove has been involved in all aspects of train show management for the past 25 years, Bachmann said. He held positions at the Great American Train Show and Great Midwest Train.

At the same time, the move reunites Bachmann and Grove.

“I am thrilled to bring such a skilled and experienced person to my leadership team,” Bachmann said. “Bill has many strengths particularly in the areas of contract negotiations and logistics. I have known Bill for over 30 years and recruited him to join the Great American Train Show staff when I was employed there. He along with Frank Hicks and Gale Cousins will continue our tradition of providing the highest quality consumer events.”

GTE will release more information about the acquisition of GTE in the coming weeks, Bachmann said. A new show schedule, improvements to the shows for both exhibitors and attendees and a new branding campaign for all of its train show promotions will be announced.

GTE currently has three shows on its 2014 schedule: July 26-27 in Belleville, IL; Aug. 2-3 in Orlando, FL; and Aug. 9-10 in Tampa, FL.

Current Issue: July/August 2025

$6.95 (U.S. Orders Only)

Katy Flavor

Growing up in Central Texas in the 1980s, David Heyde loved big machinery. Only natural for a boy surrounded by a mighty river complemented by steamboats, an active Army airfield and regional airport, and equipment that tended row upon row of corn, soybeans and other grains. What loomed largest, though, was the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. Heyde’s MKT Central Texas Subdivision, a compact but bold HO-scale layout, captures on two levels around the walls the zest of the iconic railroad that ran from Kansas City and St. Louis to Galveston, TX, and the Gulf of Mexico. All while maximizing space in what once was a one-car garage.

Holding Steady

This year’s National Narrow Gauge Convention is coming home, where it all began 45 years ago. The Mudhens will once again have a large presence at the convention Sept. 3-6 in St. Louis. Over the last four decades, their rise has been rather circuitous. While developing national appeal in narrow-gauge circles, these dedicated modelers from St. Louis to Arizona to Texas have persevered.

Personal Switcher

The Kansas City West Bottoms Railroad (KCRR) debuted in early March, with no small impact on a parcel of track along the former Missouri Pacific Railroad near the Kansas-Missouri line. What’s turning heads, says KCRR president Rich Duncan, is that the tiny Class III short line is rewriting the railroad marketing narrative on first-mile, last-mile service with a new level of dedicated switching so its three customers can better connect to the Union Pacific.

Plus

Columnist Michelle Kempema writes that model railroaders and railfans can preserve their legacy for a good cause, railroads once ran special trains in enormous size and variety and autonomous battery-electric rail cars are being piloted on two Georgia short line railroads. Also, one modeler looking for something unique for his layout found just the thing in an old model railroad magazine - plans to scratch build a rock bunker. And more!