"All Aboard" for the Big Texas Train Show

HOUSTON, TX–(Marketwire – September 15, 2010) – The Big Texas Train Show will steam into the George R. Brown convention center Saturday and Sunday, October 16 and 17, 2010. The first such event sponsored by the Houston Railroad Museum, the show will feature 100,000 square feet of model train layouts, railroad displays from local museums, and vendors offering both model train equipment and vintage railroad memorabilia.

Admission to the show is $8 for adults, with kids 16 and under admitted free of charge. Show organizers will also offer free admission to any Boy Scout in uniform. Show hours are 10am – 5pm on Saturday and 10am – 4pm on Sunday. The box office will open at 9:45am on both days.

Houston Railroad Museum past president Tom Marsh says, “We want to show people — especially kids — what model railroading is all about. It’s a great opportunity for family fun.”

It is entirely appropriate that Houston host such a major model railroading and railroad memorabilia show, since trains are intertwined with the city’s history. A train is featured on the official seal of the City of Houston, which was designed in 1840 and looked forward to the day when Houston would be the hub for many of the major railroad lines. In fact, during the 1920s, the Chamber of Commerce began touting Houston as a city “Where Seventeen Railroads Meet the Sea,” a slogan used to promote the city for many years.

Model railroad clubs from around Houston and throughout Texas will be represented at the Big Texas Train Show. According to Marsh, The Northwest Crossing Model Railroad Club will exhibit the largest layout at the show, a gargantuan effort measuring 100 feet x 40 feet. Layouts of all gauge sizes will be on view, for the tiny Z-gauge to the garden size G-gauge.

“All of the clubs will have representatives at the show to answer questions,” Marsh says. “We’ll have a number of fun demonstrations from the clubs as well. People will be able to come out and learn what’s involved in model railroading.”

“There are many aspects to model railroading,” Marsh points out, “with many different things you can focus on. There are lots of skills that you can acquire by pursuing the hobby, and not just modeling skills. You can learn about electrical systems, building scenery, and carpentry.” 

Exhibits will be presented at the show by a number of area museums, including the Houston Railroad Museum, the Galveston Railroad Museum (its first public display since Hurricane Ike), the Rosenberg Railroad Museum, the Houston Maritime Museum, and the Children’s Museum.

Clubs, museums, and other non-commercial exhibitors are invited to participate in the Big Texas Train show free of charge. Nominal fees will be charged for retail and individual table sales.

More information is available online at www.bigtexastrainshow.com or by calling the Houston Railroad Museum’s train show line at 832-675-1905.

Net proceeds from the Big Texas Train Show will benefit Houston Railroad Museum’s operator, Gulf Coast Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Inc., a 501(c)(3) educational organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Texas. The show is made possible with the support of the City of Houston Convention & Entertainment Facilities Department.

About the Houston Railroad Museum: The Houston Railroad Museum was founded “to preserve, enjoy, and share with the public the memory, history, and experience of railroading, particularly Texas railroading, as it has been and as it is now.” The museum is located at 7390 Mesa Road on Houston’s northeast side. Admission is $5 for adults and $2.50 for children. More information is available online at www.houstonrrmuseum.org or by calling 832-675-1905.