The Royce Files

  A Marx Rock Island E7 passenger train derailed at the Spud Valley Show as it made the turn just beyong the Glendale Station crossing. No fatalies were reported.  Another October in Fargoland and so another Spud Valley Model and Toy Show arrived. Again it was held at the fairground in West Fargo and nearly every foot of space was filled with a model train layout or a vendor selling model train items or paraphenalia. A lot more layouts this year than ever. Even a substabtial N scale one. We don't get much of that up here. In addition to the train related items there was a substanial amount of vintage and/or collectible toys such as this Marx roadside rest service station.  I did not get much. A photo of some Burlington Northern engines in front of the Fargo Great Northern Depot, LifeLike train station details, and some Lionel parts. Then some vendor just gifted my daughter a battery operated train and track.   It looked to be a well attended show and the fairgro...

 Mid-October means another Spud Valley Hobby Show.  Trains, toy tractors, die cast cars and assorted modeling items are offered for sale. This year the model airplanes did not make an appearance. And of course a few tables of railroad memorabilia. Notably a few tables with railroad lanterns- very popular but on the high end for an antique that can be well worn. A good flea market and display show. I found a few items worth buying- a Lionel GP-38 for repairing, 2 Lionel automatic switches, N-scale interurban, a box of wires and electrical items for layout. Here is the GP-38. It was missing a pilot, some screws, and needed a new coupler with a spring. The parts was slightly difficult to find- although it is amazing how much some vendors charge for such small parts. The challenge was finding a good deal. Shipping charges are crazy for parts that only weigh a few ounces. The engine runs very good.  Model stationary steam engines are pretty rare at shows. I saw one last y...

 As the cases increased in the Dakota-land (and Minnesota too) the previous Fall, one annual train event did not want to fade away. The Spud Valley Model Show went on as scheduled in October 2020 with the common public wardrobe amendment. I arrived early and the place was hopping despite the additional face coverings. Many of the same vendors displayed their model trains and hobby wares with one addition from the Twin Cities. Mass gatherings like model train shows in Minnesota pretty much got the kibash, so this one in Fargo was of particular interest to modelers and train enthusiasts. I think it may have been the only show to go on in the 5 state region (ND,MN,SD,IA,WI) since February 2020. A lot of the shows cancelled like Granite City down in St. Cloud, that Upper Midwest show at Century College in the Twin Cities, and the Trains at Christmas Show in Sioux Falls. So what did I see? Let's take a look. A Marx set. Seems like a double switcher set. K-line acquired the molding of th...

November is nearly half over!! And thus half the month of the celebration of model railroading has been missed here on the Royce Files. Well lots has been missing from the Royce Files as of late. I have been a pretty poor blogger. Nonetheless, let's celebrate a little model railroading today with a post about the local train (model and toy) show. The Spud Valley show has been held yearly in Fargo since the late 1970s. Its existence was in part inspired by the Twin City Model Railroad Club's multiple shows in the Twin Cities (so I overheard while wandering around this year's show.) However the Spud show incorporates much more than model trains. You can see model cars, vintage toys, toy tractors, and even a decent amount of railroad ephemeral (ie. railroad time tables, buttons, paper, calendars, hats, lanterns etc.) Plus, to my knowledge, it is the only train show in North Dakota. There are quite a few up the road in Winnipeg. I went to the show a few years ago and was a ...