All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm
December 8, 2013
While attendance was down on opening day of the Oklahoma City Train Show, that didn’t stop some from visiting the large NTRAK layout at the Travel & Transportation Building at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. – Tim Blackwell/Cowcatcher Magazine
A severe winter storm that held a grip on Oklahoma City and paralyzed parts of North Texas limited crowds – and vendors – on the first day of the 37th Annual Oklahoma City Train Show.
While no official attendance figures were available for Saturday, crowds were significantly smaller than on opening day in past years. Attendance spiked with a rush in the late morning before slowing in the afternoon.
Nearly 30 of the show’s 100-plus core of vendors were no-shows, said OKC Train Show Chairman Ed Birch, Jr. Most were from North Texas.
“It is what it is,” Birch said. “We’ll just have to make the best of it.”
Winter storms dumped up to 5 inches of snow on some parts of Oklahoma beginning on Thursday. In Texas, a severe ice storm overnight Thursday and Friday morning made some roadways impassable, prompting cancellations from several long-time vendors from the Dallas/Fort Worth area and beyond. Road conditions in Dallas/Fort Worth had deteriorated significantly enough that travel was discouraged by the Texas Department of Transportation. Stranded truckers lined major highways, and at one point I-35 between Denton and Gainesville was shut down for several hours. Winter storms like these can have a serious effect on the conditions of vehicles, especially trucks that are required to drive long journeys every day. Truckers may want to think about getting their truck booked in for a maintenance check in your area as soon as possible, before deciding to take on any further journeys as the problem could become worse if left unrepaired. For example, truckers who live in Houston can learn more about Houston Commercial Truck Repair companies to see the types of services they have on offer so you can see if this is something that would be beneficial. It is important that you visit a service similar to this one so that road users remain safe whilst traveling on the roads in different types of weather.
As well as road conditions being significantly impacted, this type of weather can also create damage to houses, especially the roofs. By making sure that you browse available roofing services in your area in the event of a winter storm can ensure that you get any damages fixed as soon as possible so your house is in a safe living condition. If your roof has been damaged in this weather, make sure to check for any leaks. If the roof is leaking, it’s important to try and cover it up to prevent any further leaks in the home. Many people will use shrink wrap film sheeting for this. They seam these sheets together by using heat shrink tape. This prevents any more leaks from compromising the structure of the home. This should really be used until the repairs are done to the roof.
Road conditions were much improved in Oklahoma City on Friday but snow continued to fall throughout the day and into Saturday. Even though the precipitation had cleared by the opening of the show and major thoroughfares were passable, the weather and the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State football game likely kept most show-goers at home, show officials said.
As if the inclement weather was not enough, the show felt the effects of a Central Oklahoma earthquake on Saturday around noon. Tremors were felt in the Travel and Transportation building for about 15-20 seconds. No damage was reported.
The quake, centered 14 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, registered 4.5 on the Richter Scale, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. According to KWTV news in Oklahoma City, the quake was felt as far away as Wichita, KS.
A number of vendors said they didn’t feel the quake. However, curtains used as booth dividers could be seen shaking briefly.
Despite Mother Nature’s plays, it was business as usual at the show for much of the day. Even though several empty booth spaces dotted the hall, vendors sold and traded merchandise, and clubs ran trains on layouts.
Manufacturers Row was mostly full and representatives from major model manufacturers who answered questions from attendees and chatted amongst themselves during slow periods. Walthers, Kato, Athearn, Intermountain, MTH Trains, Digitrax, Soundtraxx, Broadway Limited and Richmond Controls were on hand.
The show continues today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
