A Treasure Found at the Amherst Model Railroad Show 2025

Every January, the Amherst Historical Society in Springfield, Massachusetts hosts one of the largest — if not the largest — model railroad shows in the Northeast. For nearly 20 years, attending this event has been a cherished annual tradition for me. Even though there were a few years when I couldn’t make it, the Amherst show has always been at the top of my list, and I eagerly look forward to it every year.

Back when I didn’t have a layout to build or shop for, the trip was more about admiring the incredible displays and dreaming up future projects. I'd often drag my wife or a close friend along just to soak in the inspiration. It wasn't until I started my Cross Harbor layout in 2021 that I finally had a good excuse to spend money at the show.

One of the great things about Amherst is that being the largest show in the Northeast means it's packed with vendors specializing in regional railroad prototypes. You’ll find plenty of Maine Central, Boston & Maine, New Haven, NYC, Conrail, CSX, and other familiar names from the region. However, as someone modeling an obscure industrial railroad that always seemed on the verge of bankruptcy, representation for my niche interests tends to be a little… lacking.

So, unlike many attendees walking out with armloads of models and materials, my haul was pretty modest. That said, I did stumble upon something I never expected — a bit of a white whale for me.

My best friend Eric came along this year and, after giving him a rundown of the things I was hoping to find, he became my second set of eyes in the overwhelming sea of models, collectibles, and layouts. Within the first 30 minutes, he spotted something I’d never seen before: The Shortline Railroads of Long Island: A Compendium. This book features detailed information on no less than eight Brooklyn railroads from the turn of the last century — not this one 😵‍💫.

I’ve only just started reading it, but it’s already proving to be a goldmine of information. It covers the predecessor railroads in remarkable detail, including when they acquired, upgraded, and retired various pieces of equipment. Even better, it includes several track maps of the area, providing much-needed context for the tangled web of trackage along the Brooklyn waterfront.

This discovery already proved invaluable. In a recent Patreon livestream, I was working on the 39th Street Yard of the South Brooklyn Railroad (SBK) and hit a roadblock trying to figure out the yard layout. The book revealed that the yard was originally used for trolleys in the early 1900s and even featured a loop right in the area I was struggling with. While I knew much of the Cross Harbor trackage was once electrified trolley lines, I hadn’t realized the extent. This newfound information will help me create a far more accurate representation of the area, both virtually and in N scale.

Even though I didn’t leave the show with bags full of models, this book alone made the trip completely worthwhile. It's now a prized addition to my collection of New York-area railroad books and DVDs. Honestly, it feels like I’ve finally completed my library — at least with everything I’m aware of!