Ralston, NE: The Nebraska-Iowa Railroaders Annual Train and Toy Show is coming up June 3^rd and 4^th at the Ralston Arena. The arena is easy to find at 7300 Q Street in Ralston and offers plenty of free parking. The show is open to the public from 9 am to 4 pm on both days.

The show is sponsored by the Nebraska-Iowa Railroaders Model Train Historical and Museum Society, and is the largest show of its kind in a five state area.

This weekend family event opens Saturday, June 4^th at 9:00 am, and runs through Sunday, June 5^th. Collectors are welcome and will be pleased to know more than 200 vendors will be at the show. Trains and Toy Soldiers will be there, too.

The show's host, the Nebraska-Iowa Railroaders Historical & Museum Society, has been around for nearly fifty years as a non-profit organization dedicated to the furtherance of model railroading. They are not linked to any of the national organizations, although many of their members belong to one or more other model train clubs, including some national groups.

There will be layouts in a number of popular scales operating at the show. Look for the latest new toy train additions from LGB, Hartland Locomotive Works (HLW), Lionel, MTH and Micro-Trains.

Keep an eye out for Nebraska's own Trains and Toy Soldiers at the show. Apart from being a trusted and reliable supplier of model trains, track and accessories to the Great Plains and beyond, they are also a great source of information and ideas, whether you are expanding an existing layout or just starting. They're also very good as sourcing rare or discontinued items.

Hartland Locomotive Works (HLW) is another very popular and all-American, family-owned manufacturer of G Gauge model trains. If you haven't yet experience HLW, look for examples of their high quality designs at the show.

Lionel Corporation, the most common manufacturer of the popular O scale trains will definitely feature prominently at the show. Look as well for their line of S Gauge trains, known for their small size, yet startlingly authentic detail.

Of course, you simply cannot talk about Lionel without bringing up MTH, founded by Mike Wolf of Columbia, MD. In the 1970s, 12 year old Williams was producing reproductions of Lionel Corporation's trains. By 1980, Wolf was doing a booming mail order business selling their products out of his bedroom in his parents' home. The longstanding relationship between MTH and Lionel Corporation has a fascinating history.

Micro-Trains produces the largest selection of high quality model rail road supplies in Z scale. Known for being the only manufacturer of any scale offering model train freight cars that uniquely match their prototypes, they are faithfully accurate, down to the micro-lettering and printing on each freight car. Each one is highly prized in the model train community for its faithful attention to the finest details.

The Nebraska-Iowa Railroaders Annual Train and Toy show in June is going to be a fun event for railroading aficionados, serious collectors and hobbyists, alike.

Admission for children under 12 accompanied by a paid adult is free. For everyone else, admission is only $6, making this one of the best model train and toy show values in the nation.

We look forward to seeing you at the show!