Future Shows and Events
Day Out With Thomas
Visit here: https://socalrailway.org
When: April 11, April 12, April 18, and April 19, 2026 (9am to 5pm)
Where: Southern California Railway Museum, 2201 S. A Street, Perris, CA 92570
Layout Setup: Friday April 10, 2026 9am to 5pm
Members present at setup: Bob Osterhoudt, Bob Hesselgrave, Ken Szok, George Barrier, Jim Dinwiddie, John Hanes, Wil Strich, Ben Jones
The layout: clockwise starting at the lift bridge, contained the following modules:
- Lift Bridge
- One-Footer 3 and 4
- Utah Valley
- Yard (east, corner, center, west)
- Oil Refinery
- Campground
- Sodor City, Yard, Climbers, Castle Holly
- Boy Scouts
- Hogwarts
- Red Rock Canyon
- Canyon and Lumber Mill
- Kathy’s Module
- Park
- Dennis Country, City
- Springfield East, West
All 8 club members were present for setup. We were able to complete all setup activities and get trains running before leaving. George Barrier got a little crabby as hunger set in. Bob Osterhoudt doused the fire with 2 fried chicken legs. Thanks, Bob!
The first Saturday went well. Many people came to visit our layout. The whole museum was transformed into a Thomas themed paradise. Our Sodor modules were very popular. Ben decided to deploy a really long mixed freight train. After some effort, it was running smoothly.
The first Sunday saw some rain showers, but they did not keep people from visiting the museum. Ben ran his long train all day due to popular demand (the kids loved it). More club members ran trains today, so George had time to add some more LEGO pieces to the Hogwarts module.
The second Saturday was very entertaining. The abundance of grabby hands kept the maintenance-of-way team busy all day. Even so, George Barrier was able to run a 100-car train most of the time. Wil Strich avoided the grabby hands by running his train so fast it could not be captured. He only had derailments while his train was stopped.
NTrak Express meeting
When: 7:00pm Friday May 15, 2026
Where: Marie Callender’s, 307 E. Katella Ave., Orange, CA 92867
Agenda:
- TBD
Southern California N-Scale Meet
When: May 30, 2026 8am? – 4pm?
Where: Calvary Assembly of God – Lomita (gymnasium) 25501 Oak St., Lomita, CA 90717
Layout Setup: Friday May 29, 2026 10am?-5pm?
Shows and Events (2026)
NTrak Express meeting (rescheduled)
When: 7:00pm Tuesday April 7, 2026
Where: Marie Callender’s, 307 E. Katella Ave., Orange, CA 92867
Attendees:
Agenda:
- We decided to start installing eye bolts on module legs
- We decided to start using squeeze clamps for setup
- We decided to use our Facebook page for public interactions
- We tabled the discussion of adding a Mailing List signup sheet
- We tabled the discussion of creating a Promo space during shows
- Trailer floor maintenance is needed
The Southern California Railway Museum
Visit here: https://socalrailway.org
When: March 21 and March 22, 2026 (9am to 5pm)
Where: Southern California Railway Museum, 2201 S. A Street, Perris, CA 92570
Layout Setup: Friday March 20, 2026 9am to 5pm
Members present at setup: Bob Osterhoudt,, Ken Szok, George Barrier, Jim Dinwiddie, John Hanes
The layout: clockwise starting at the lift bridge, contained the following modules:
- Lift Bridge
- Springfield East, West
- Dennis Country, City
- Yard (east, corner, center, west)
- Oil Refinery
- Campground
- Sodor City, Yard, Climbers, Castle Holly
- One-Footer 3 and 4
- Boy Scouts
- Park
- Canyon and Lumber Mill
- Kathy’s Module
- Petticoat Junction
- Passenger Station
- Pennsylvania Coal Mine
Setup started 90 minutes late while the room key was located. Even so, we still had a complete and tested layout by the end of the day. Being in a room with a level floor really helped.
Saturday enjoyed a steady flow of visitors to the club’s layout. People were very interactive. Many conversations were held. Many questions were answered. Bob Osterhoudt amused us all with his very noisy Broadway Limited animal train. We were visited by members from the Orange County N-gineers, who held their club meeting today at the museum. We also visited by members of Del Oro who also provided a layout for the museum this weekend.
There were fewer visitors Sunday, but everyone had a great time. Those who found us were very curious about the hobby and our layout. Bob Osterhoudt ran his “noisy boy” train. His 4-8-8-4 with sound was pulling a number of Broadway Limited cattle cars with animal sounds. We were able to pack up the layout in a very reasonable amount of time.
NTrak Express meeting (cancelled)
When: 7:00pm Friday March 6, 2026
Where: Marie Callender’s, 307 E. Katella Ave., Orange, CA 92867
Agenda:
- Upcoming shows
The Home and Garden Show
When: February 21 (10am to 6pm) and February 22 (10am to 5pm)
Where: Orange County Fairgrounds, The Hangar
Layout Setup: Friday March 20, 2026 10am to 9pm?
Members present at setup: Bob Osterhoudt, Bob Hesselgrave, George Barrier, Holly Barrier, Amanda Barrier, Wil Strich, John Hanes
The layout: clockwise starting at the lift bridge, contained the following modules:
- Lift Bridge
- Springfield East, West
- Dennis Country, City
- Jurassic Park
- Boy Scouts
- Kathy’s Module
- AVNS green loop east
- Campground
- Oil Refinery
- Sodor City, Yard, Climbers, Castle Holly
- AVNS Twilight Zone
- AVNS 4ft corner
- AVNS Yard (5x modules)
- AVNS 4ft corner
- AVNS 2 Nice Ones
- AVNS green loop west
The layout for this show is a combined effort by NTrakExpress and Antelope Valley N Scale. Since the modules are all NTrak standard, connecting them was easy! Both clubs use Digitrax equipment to power the trains, so equipment from both clubs were used to build the layout control system. This was truly a combined layout in every way.
NTrak Express meeting (cancelled)
When: After layout setup on Friday February 20, 2026
Where: Orange County Fairgrounds, The Hangar
Agenda:
- TBD
The Great Train Show
When: February 14-15, 2026 10am to 4pm
Where: OC Fair and Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Layout Setup: Friday February 13, 2026 1pm to 6pm
Members present at setup: Bob Osterhoudt, Bob Hesselgrave, George Barrier, Ben Jones, Wil Strich, John Hanes
The layout: clockwise starting at the lift bridge, contained the following modules:
- Lift Bridge
- Yard East, Corner, Center, West
- Sodor City, Yard, Climbers, Castle Holly
- Campground
- Oil Refinery
- Hogwarts
- Kathy’s Module
- Jurassic Park
- Springfield East, West
- Dennis Country, City
- Sawmill, Canyon
- Park
- Ore Mine
Saturday was hard. Some accessories on some modules malfunctioned. Some trains malfunctioned. There was such a great crowd (as usual).
Sunday was more fun. Trains ran well. The tracks were all full. The yard was bustling with activity. We were able to meet some new friends. Frank Hino visited our layout and ran some of his trains. Hanging out with him was a ton of fun.
The Great Train Show
When: January 31 – February 1, 2026 10am to 4pm
Where: Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 West Harbor Blvd., Ventura, CA 93001
Layout Setup: Friday January 30, 2026 1pm to 6pm
Members present at setup: Bob Osterhoudt, Bob Hesselgrave, George Barrier, Wil Strich, James Dinwiddie, Ken Szok, John Hanes
The layout: clockwise starting at the lift bridge, contained the following modules:
- Lift Bridge
- Springfield East, West
- Yard East, Corner, Center, West
- Kathy’s Module
- Campground
- Boy Scouts volcano, riverboats, coal tower, mine
- Sodor City, Yard, Climbers, Castle Holly
- Jurassic Park
- Sawmill, Canyon
- Pennsylvania Coal Mine
- Park
- Oil Refinery
- Hogwarts
- Dennis Country, City
Ben came to run trains Saturday and Sunday. He really saved Sodor by bringing the Thomas trains. A show visitor spilled their drink onto the Yard modules, but the attack was utterly repelled with no damage. The Wifi radio in the HAL160 was degraded a bit and needed to be replaced.
NTrak Express meeting
When: 7:00pm Friday January 16, 2026
Where: Marie Callender’s, 307 E. Katella Ave., Orange, CA 92867
Attendees:
Agenda:
- Ken Szok brought some donated train supplies for the club to share
Earlier Shows and Events