Quarantines, state travel restrictions prompt NRHSA to cancel this year’s retailer show in Las Vegas
August 3, 2020 / Updated September 3, 2020
News
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.
“NRHSA exhibitors and most retailers come in from various locations,” Gherman said. “Our event would not have been viable with these restrictions in place and we could not have delivered the quality show that the industry has come to expect.”
The NRHSA Table-Top Expo 2021 will be held Sept. 19-22 at The Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas.
The hobby and toy venue features 100 exhibitors, educational business seminars and outdoor demonstrations.
An operating session on the Split Rock Mining Co. Railroad is pretty straightforward. A three-person crew works the freelance HO-scale railroad with the sole purpose of transporting iron ore mined in Northern Minnesota to a freighter on Lake Superior. Instructions for the operators can be communicated in a few words before the shift begins. Pull all loads at the mine. Take them to the boat. Take all empties from the boat back to the mines. Rinse and repeat. There are no car cards or manifests. Switching is done by colors, and, yes, there is a rhyme and reason on this Alco-driven layout based on railroading on the Iron Range in Minnesota.
A new generation of freelance railroads is taking model railroading by storm, gaining prominence through online videos and social media. The ages-old modeling technique is attracting young modelers and unlocking creative license in veteran hobbyists.
In Southern Wyoming, OmniTRAX is handling switching for two mines in a region known for its prolific coal mining operations. The mines deliver about 17 million tons of trona, a sodium carbonate compound that is processed into soda ash or bicarbonate of soda, and OmniTRAX is increasing safety and managing efficiencies in moving inbound and outbound cars.
G&G Model Shop in Southwest Houston credits flexibility and personalized service for its 80 years serving the model railroad community. Rapido Trains delivers an N-scale replica of the Santa Fe Railway’s storied SFRD RR-56 refrigerator car, reviewed in this issue. Also, the romance of the circus and railroads united in the circus train, which endured as the greatest shows on earth’s sideshow. And more!
