N.A.M.E.S expo

[zeusrekning]

The show appears to only be advertised to the hobby itself and not much to the general public.

Advertising to the public would be a big help. I understand the expense thing, but I have never heard of NAMES, nor did I know there was such a model engine folowing. I just happen to come across this site researching slitting saws at work. Four months later, my wife misses me , my bank account is dwindling, my garage is full of scrap aluminum and brass, and my computer has as much info on model engines as it does porn Well almost.

But really, I plan to start attending shows in the future, knowing that there are some out there, I am much more interested knowing that regular people have booths showing instead of retailers only selling. My major factor will be distance and gas prices. Hey maybe the can pay for gas.
Tim

 

[Philjoe5]

I just got back from the NAMES show (500 mile drive). I had a few engines running this year and I had a great time ;D ;D ;D. It's on my "go to" show list for sure. I met many wonderful folks, had fun sharing experiences with many other engine/model machinists, saw truly unbelieveable model engines and got some useful tips for improving my machining skills.

I was also sad to see my whole bench empty by noon Sunday...BUT I talked to most of these folks and they all had to be at work early Monday morning, unlike myself. They came from Wisconsin, Massachusetts and other places at least a day drive away. I think that will always be the nature of these shows. One solution? Getting more modelers to exhibit would certainly help. There were a lot of empty spaces at the show Saturday, the busiest day. While high gas prices didn't help attendance, the New England Model Engineering Society addresses that nicely...they rent a bus for the members.

My first trip to NAMES was in 2007. I was a little intimidated going out to show my humble models this year compared to what I had seen last year. But the machinist crowd is an incredibly helpful and encouraging fraternity and I’m glad I went as an exhibitor. I’ve found a lot of attendees at these shows are newbie machinists and are looking for projects to start with. I have a half dozen names of folks that wanted to know where to get plans for my models because they're looking for a good beginner engine project.

Well I got to see my current project in a few versions… a walking beam engine. Naturally I took photos of many beam engines and I’ve posted them here along with other model engines:

http://s250.photobucket.com/albums/gg261/philjoe5/NAMES 2008/


I also took several videos of engines at the show and you may view them at these links:
A Hot Air Pumping Engine
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP5xHQiSNro[/ame]

The A-1 Machining Walking beam engine – my project for 2008:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXWOWrYEQ7E[/ame]

I’ll add a few more pix and vids in the next few days, but I’m beat, and oh, did I mention I have dial-up?

One more benefit of going to the show….I refuse to come home with money in my wallet, so I got some nice tools… an indexable HSS profiling tool made by A. Warner, a set of angle blocks and a set of ball end mills.

Cheers,
Phil

 

[PTsideshow]

The final totals aren't in but in the neighbor hood of 2400 or so. Break even is around 2500. As to advertising, they go through a lot of Flyer's that the vendors at the show put in the orders they mail out etc. I have never got an answer way they don't do any other.

The big guns in the machine tool selling here, Production Tool, Travers, J&L etc don't come as they don't cover expenses. Talking to a wheel at Production tool they would have to pay somebody to be there, and stay, food etc. He said they are going to come to us whether we are there or not. A number of vendors didn't show up, whether due to age, or the lack of a family member to carry on.

There is a definite cultural separation between the US and England. Just looking in the Old Glory or ME mags. Man you guys have a scale traction engine rally, or an old equipment full size rally you are driving them on the roads, or you hook up a living van, water tank cart, and a steam gallopers and haul it down the road to the rally under your own power.
Here never happen, if it isn't on a 18 wheeler trailer it ain't going any place.

You guys from the looks in the magazines adverts have basically used car type dealers that sell only scale traction engines. Not here when most of the old timers pass, the family sells the item for the highest bidder. So any dealer, that has a lot of the items doesn't have full page ads in magazines.

The other thing is there are 3 real big shows, Cabin Fever, NAMES, and PRIME. There is a new one in the heart of the country planned for June. It is billed as the National Model Show were your engines can be run under steam. It will be outside, Seems some people that complain about the other shows can't grasp why they are run with air only. But that's another story, they will be starting out up against the rock and a hard place with the gas prices north side $4.00/gal this summer.

I hope they are a success, as it can only help the hobby. The news papers and TV news aren't really interested in doing stories on nice interesting clean stuff. The TV station in Toledo, was there at the show 6:30 in the am on Sunday and did a short segment during the weather breaks on the hour. If there wasn't something else they had to report on. They shoot about an hour of video, way before the show opened.

The final problem or division is that the modelers of live steam don't mingle well with the full size traction and stationary engine crowd or the RR guys, or the steam car people or vice a versa. There isn't much of a cross over between the groups. From the number of people that made comments about the full size Corliss that was up and running at the show.

And the biggest segment of the full size steam is the traction/farm engines. They have shows that are numerous across the US and Canada but deal with the farm life/threshing and use. With some models at their shows.
Then the RR people are equally divided between their interests. As are the IC people and the steam model people.
It just seems that on your side of the pond there is more of connection between groups like was stated in another post you have had the for 100 years and was the starting point for the NAMES show when a group went to see the London or your biggest show. They came back and started NAMES and the rest is history.
Next year is Celebrating 20 years April 18-19 2008

 

[ChooChooMike]

With all the population here in southern California, you'd think there'd be a model engineering show here ? But, there isn't. There's a number of other shows - car rallys and related and you sometimes see model engines there.

I managed to go to NAMES in 2006 and really enjoyed seeing some amazing engines/talent there.

One of the bigger local shows for antique engines/farm equipment is at the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum in Vista, CA (north of San Diego/Carlsbad). They have their Harvest Festival in June and October where many old engines - gas, steam, diesel are fired up and running. There's a whole row of steam engines of all sorts and another whole row of old hit/miss engines, diesel generators, etc. Fascinating ! Many model engines are on display. Sherline has had a booth there the last couple of years. Great for them since their headquarters/manufacturing plant is nearby.

There was a model engine show in Visalia (sort of between Los Angeles/San Francisco/Bay area that ran for 2 or 3 years, but folded. I went in 2004. There was a decent amount of displays, but attendance wasn't that great. Not a good location in my mind, little town in the middle of the state. I'm guessing the show folks were thinking it was central to California - between San Francisco, Sacramento, southern Cal, Las Vegas, Oregon, Washington, etc. that it'd be convenient. Too bad it didn't work out. BAEM - Bay Area Engine Modelers were a big part of that show. Sherline had a large layout, Village Press too and many other folks.

BAEM started (?) a show in Vallejo, CA (near Napa) a year or 2 ago that I may attend this July.

The Southern California Home Show Machinists club - SCHSM meets 1st Saturdays of the month in Gardena, CA and usually has a good turnout (30-40+ folks). Lots of talent there !

Mike

 

[PTsideshow]

Here you go. The Farm Collector Show Directory is the number one source for the most current and complete antique farm-equipment show information. Packed with maps of each show location, detailed listings, club advertisements and commercial resources, the directory is your personal guide to the world of antique farm equipment shows. A jumbo guide to all the antique farm equipment shows in 2008.
They combined it with the steam show directory a couple years ago. It covers the US and Canada. with a listing and maps and contact info for all the shows that send in the info.
http://www.steamtraction.com/shopping/detail.aspx?ItemNumber=3592
:big:

 

[Loose nut]

The big guns in the machine tool selling here, Production Tool, Travers, J&L etc don't come as they don't cover expenses.

Travers tool, Smitty and a few others use to come but they were absent this year.

The local model club in our area use to to put on a display at the annual steam and farm equipment show and was a big draw for them, the building we were in was always full of people interested in our models but when the show changed venue they wanted to stick us in an old barn with a dirt floor (not good to mix that with lube oil) and the club declined. The big boys didn't appreciate the amount of interest that we generated for the show in general.