O SCALE SOUTH 2026 ATLANTA GEORGIA 2/21/2026

[Rufus T. Firefly]

So.....did anyone go? Pictures? Anything? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

[Chris Webster]

As I promised upthread, the weather on Friday, setup day, was so warm and sunny that you would've wished you had worn your beachwear had you attended.

Saturday, the day of the meet, was perfect indoor model railroading weather - thunderstorms strong enough to make people want to be indoors but not strong enough to knock out the electricity! It then turned cold on Sunday evening, perfect "Yankee go home to Florida" weather.

Here's a video David posted on Youtube: luvindemtrains - O Scale South 2026

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Here's a video David posted on Youtube: luvindemtrains - O Scale South 2026

Interesting and looks like a good show once again. Lots of interesting stuff......that I do not need,

[R.K. Maroon]

David Gaines's video gives a good overview of the show, so my comments and photos here are just a little extra filler. Somebody commented to me about the large quantity of plastic models that were on sale at the show. This is a true statement, but it is my experience that this is pretty much the way it is at most O-scale shows these days -- lots of Atlas blue-box, lots of Weaver, and a splattering of US Hobbies, Pecos River Brass, early Atlas, and AHM. It's a buyer's market for the most part, at least in regards to plastic freight cars. It's not really my thing, but I find it interesting just how many different schemes Weaver did for their covered hoppers. I had never seen these before:




It's just too bad that they were not more diligent in getting the grain and pellet cars correctly configured with proper hatches on top and dumps below.

My general impression was that there were more passenger cars but fewer locomotives available than what I have seen at other shows, including this one in previous years. Also, there was way more PRR equipment than one might expect for an Atlanta show. Conversely, models of Southeast railroads were not as common as expected.

There was a guy with several nice Erie steam locomotives on his table, including this Berkshire (photo taken for Bob T, who is building one):

He also had an 0-8-8-0 camelback (actually a mother hubbard, as I understand it). Sorry, no photo, but it was wild.

Here is a model I had never seen before. As the sign says, this is a "Class A" Climax.



It is a beautiful thing, but for me wildly impractical.

John Wubble of All Nation was there with four tables of product offerings. I constantly impressed with what John has done to with the product line. Buying a company with a large dormant inventory and making a go of it seems quite daunting, to put it mildly.

Another vendor of interest was Larry Stanley of All Aboard Trains (http://www.all-aboard-trains.com). All his offerings are really well done, but these lit switch stands really stood out to me:



You may have seen this Tom Yorke model in David's video:

It came home with me. I don't make a point of acquiring maintenance-of-way equipment, but this was so well done that I gave in to my impulse to buy it. No regrets -- it's a perfect piece to have sitting on a short spur. As an aside, note that Tom started with an Atlas pulpwood car, and used this prototype, located at the Southeastern Railway Museum, as inspiration:



As always, it's nice to have a portable layout at these two-rail shows. It provides an entertaining break from surfing the sales tables but also serves as a test track:


It's a lot of work to host a show, but to host a show and provide a layout is quite the effort, so many thanks to the Atlanta crew for their work in making the show a success.

Jim

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Here is a model I had never seen before. As the sign says, this is a "Class A" Climax.

It is a beautiful thing, but for me wildly impractical.

Seen them in the past and as you state - a beautiful thing. Would stay here in its box forever....

John Wubble of All Nation was there with four tables of product offerings. I constantly impressed with what John has done to with the product line. Buying a company with a large dormant inventory and making a go of it seems quite daunting, to put it mildly.

John's done wonders. Wish that his web site was a bit more searchable/friendly.

You may have seen this Tom Yorke model in David's video:

Did! Looked like something I might build although a bit too modern for me. Still intrigued by possibilities...and I may hit you up for more photos of it!

[up148]

I also saw your custom built/painted SW9......and I think it sold. Is that brother Pete behind the table?

[R.K. Maroon]

I also saw your custom built/painted SW9......and I think it sold. Is that brother Pete behind the table?

Yes, that is brother Pete. As an aside, note that the Mississippi Central SW9 did not technically "sell" at the show. It was a commission from a good friend, agreed to at last year's show. He had it on his sales table during the show just for the entertainment of the attendees. I mention this because I don't want anybody to think my brother is crazy enough to paint one of these things on spec and then take it to a show to sell, with the hope of recouping anything close to his investment of time and talent. More to the point, if he had, I would have bought it first.

Jim

[Rufus T. Firefly]

....... I don't want anybody to think my brother is crazy enough to paint one of these things on spec and then take it to a show to sell, with the hope of recouping anything close to his investment of time and talent.

More than a few of us here are just that crazy,

[up148]

I think that is a great idea, because the fellow I thought bought it was VERY impressed by it. It really does stand out. Nice build.