All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm
January 11, 2013
Attendance at WGH on Tour in Fort Worth, TX, topped 24,000, leaving the traveling show about 6,800 shy of the one million mark for attendance. WGH on Tour expects to celebrate the milestone this weekend in St. Louis. – Tim Blackwell/Cowcatcher Magazine
As expected, attendance at last weekend’s stop in Fort Worth fell short of the 31,000 needed to set the mark for the seven-year-old show, which visits a handful of U.S. cities each winter to promote model railroading. But officials will be ready Saturday or Sunday when No. 1,000,000 walks through door at the America’s Center.
About $2,000 in prizes await, including a two-night stay at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel, train sets and railroad items provided by many of the show’s sponsors.
“Our current attendance is 993,252, so I am pretty sure the millionth person will be on Saturday,” said WGH on Tour spokesperson Michelle Boice.
Fort Worth drew 24,967, close to the show’s average attendance. The aisles at the Will Rogers Memorial Center often were jammed on the first day while an estimated crowd of 15,000 mingled.
Boice expects a similar opening-day turnout in St. Louis. Most of Fort Worth’s Saturday attendance was from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., so if St. Louis follows form the record could fall by early afternoon. The show runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
WGH on Tour, which is sponsored by some of model railroading’s top manufacturers, targets families to offer an inside look at the hobby. Thomas the Tank and train rides are staples, in addition to manufacturers and dealers offering the latest model railroad technology and products.
Children were welcomed in Fort Worth by Wm. K. Walthers’ interactive display that was without the traditional model railroad products. Walthers, a manufacturer and distributor of model railroad products, has used WGH on Tour as an introduction to the hobby in the past but this year devoted the entire booth to kids.
Three Walthers representatives stayed busy as kids played with wooden trains while also answering the occasional question about a product from avid model railroaders. The booth was among the first things that attendees saw when walking through the doors.
“This year we have a lot more live action,” said Kara Yanacheck, Walthers marketing communications project manager. “It’s more about learning and experiencing than showing a lot of static models. (WGH on Tour) has put us at the front and the kids come in with sensory overload.”
Kids and families will be get an opportunity to participate at the booth in St. Louis, while the hobby’s purists and novices can visit talk trains with Walthers and other manufacturers. Athearn Trains, Bachmann Trains, Broadway Limited Imports, Kato U.S.A., Lionel LLC, MTH Electric Trains, Digitrax and Rivarossi will have representatives on hand.
Also, 10 layouts are slated for St. Louis, including the American Flyer S Gaugers of the St. Louis Area, Central Missouri Railroad Association, Gateway NTrak, Jefferson County & Southern Model Railroad Club and the St. Louis Lionel Club.
The show was last in St. Louis in 2005 when more than 33,000 attended.
This year’s tour also makes stops in San Diego, CA (Feb. 9-10), Sacramento (Feb. 23-24) and San Mateo, CA (March 2-3). Tickets for this weekend are $12 for adults (both days), $11 for Saturday and $10 for Sunday.
