Eight & Sand is regularly updated with news and information about the Amherst Railway Society, the Railroad Hobby Show, the Amherst Belt Lines modular model railroad, the organizations we support, and other railroad-related topics.
Table of Contents
New Bridges for the Amherst Garden Railroad
Surplus Equipment Sale – April 11, 2026
Holyoke Senior Center Model Railroad
Amherst Railway Society – Help Wanted
Upcoming Shows & Events
New Bridges for the Amherst Garden Railroad
Special thanks this month to Sheet Metal Workers Local 63 in Springfield for the two G-scale bridges they built for the Amherst Garden Railroad.
Local 63 offers training programs for metal workers, and those programs include a community service component. As a nonprofit corporation, Amherst qualified for student work. We supplied the materials and local 63 students built two beautiful bridges for our garden railroad.
Local 63 knows the rail industry well. They work with CRRC in Springfield, a manufacturer of passenger rail cars for public transit agencies.
Photo left to right:
- Scott Demers, (director)
- Ethan Lafluer
- Nick Olivery
- Gerry Vautrain (Amherst)
- Joe Biagioni (Amherst)
- Cody Brouillard
Surplus Equipment Sale – Road Show – April 11, 2026
Amherst’s popular Surplus Equipment Sales are going on-the-road. The next sale will be held in West Hartford, Connecticut on April 11, 2026, from 9:00 am to noon.
The event will be held at:
- St. James Episcopal Shurch
- 1018 Farmington Avenue
- West Hartford, Connecticut 06107
The sales will be held in the church hall at the rear of the church.
Tables are $10, and there are 18 tables available for this event.
To reserve a table, contact John Sacerdote at: [email protected]
If you would like to host an Amherst Surplus Sale event in your area, you will need:
- a hall or room with approximately 1500 square feet of space
- 20 eight-foot tables, with at least one chair per table
- easy access
- ample parking
- reasonable rent
Churches, schools, and community centers are good locations for sales events..
Holyoke Senior Center Model Railroad
In 2012, the donation of model railroad equipment started the Holyoke Senior Center and the Amherst Railway Society on a fascinating journey that resulted in a thoughtfully designed, highly detailed HO-scale model railroad.
With the technical assistance of John Sacerdote, a track plan was drawn to fit the space allocated by the senior center – and construction was underway. In July, 2013, the first train ran. Over the next several years, key features of the town of Holyoke were added to the railroad as well as a miniature amusement park.
Today, the railroad continues to delight senior center visitors. While the railroad can be seen anytime, the model railroad “crew” meets every Thursday from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm to operate the railroad.
Additional Amherst members involved in the construction of the railroad included: Ken Harstine, Joe Lepage, and Gerry Vautrain.
The Holyoke Senior Center is located at: 291 Pine, Street, Holyoke, Massachusetts 01040
Help Wanted – the Amherst Railway Society
As the Amherst Railway Society continues to grow, we need people to fill key management roles. Open positions with responsibility descriptions are listed below.
1. Railroad Hobby Show – Lead Floor Manager
reports to: Show Director
Responsible for:
• coordinating all floor manager schedules
• recruiting and training new floor managers
• work with Show Director as part of the show management team
2. Railroad Hobby Show – Volunteer Coordinator
reports to: Show Director
Responsible for:
• coordinating all volunteer schedules
• recruiting and training new volunteers
• work with Show Director as part of the show management team
3. Speaker/Clinics Coordinator
reports to: Executive Director
Responsible for:
• recruiting speakers and presenters for Amherst events and clinics
• coordinating dates, AV needs, and catering
• work with Marketing Director to publicize and promote presentations
4. Event Coordinator
reports to: Executive Director
Responsible for:
• managing all Amherst Railway Society events
5. Trip Coordinator
reports to: Executive Director
Responsible for:
• managing all Amherst Railway Society sponsored trips
6. Grant Writer
reports to: Executive Director
Responsible for:
• securing grant money for Amherst special projects, including:
• outdoor garden railroad
• expansion of building
• modular sales
• underprivileged youth program
7. Display Layout Coordinator
reports to: Building Manager
Responsible for:
• setting up and maintaining all scale layouts on the upper level.
8. Special Programs Coordinator
reports to: Executive Director
Responsible for:
• setting up and managing Amherst special programs, including:
• summer camp
• modular sales
• disability program
• scholarships
• T-Trak program
Upcoming Shows & Events
| Date | Event | Location | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
|
March 7&8, 2026 |
Bay State Model RR Museum Open House |
Roslindale, MA |
bsmrm.org/book-online |
|
March 14, 2026 |
Vermont Rails Model RR Show |
St. Albans, VT |
|
|
March 15, 2026 |
Model Train Show |
New Haven, CT |
classicshowsllc.com |
|
March 17 – 20, 2026 |
NERX |
online |
nerx.org |
|
March 21 & 22, 2026 |
Greenberg Train Show |
Wilmington, MA |
trainshow.com |
|
March 28 & 29, 2026 |
Nashua Valley RR Assn Open House |
Shirley, MA |
nvrra.com |
|
March 29, 2026 |
NETCA Spring Toy Train Show |
Hudson, MA |
netca.org/shows |
|
April 11, 2026 |
Model Train Show |
East Freetown, MA |
203-906-8283 |
|
April 11, 2026 |
Great Northern New England Train Show |
Dover Elks – Dover, NH |
[email protected] – 603-363-4300 |
|
April 18, 2026 |
Southern Maine Spring Show |
Westbrook, ME |
Southernmainemrc.wordpress.com |
|
April 24, 2026 |
Bib Trains/Big Trucks |
Topsham, ME |
Topsham Library |
|
April 25, 2026 |
Great Falls Train Show |
Topsham, ME |
greatfallsmodelrrclub.org |
|
April 26, 2026 |
Model Train and Modeling Show |
Cawley Middle School – Hookset, NH |
[email protected], 603-627-4662 |
|
May 13-17, 2026 |
Great Lakes Large Scale Train Expo |
Girard, Ohio |
greatlakestrainexpo.com |
|
May 17, 2026 |
TCA Train Show |
Coventry, RI |
snetca.org/ |
|
July 18, 2026 |
Surplus Assets Sale |
Auburn, ME |
greatfallsmodelrrclub.org |
|
August 15 & 16, 2026 |
Great Falls Open House |
Auburn, ME |
greatfallsmodelrrclub.org |
|
August 16, 2026 |
Concord Model Railroad Show |
Dover, NH |
|
|
October 3 & 4, 2026 |
Railfair 2026 |
Boxboro, MA |
nvrra.com |
|
October 31, 2026 |
Great Northern New England Train Show |
Dover Elks – Dover, NH |
[email protected] – 603-363-4300 |
|
November 21 & 22, 2026 |
ExTRAINaganza |
Auburn, ME |
greatfallsmodelrrclub.org |
|
November 27, 28, 29, 2026 |
ExTRAINaganza |
Auburn, ME |
greatfallsmodelrrclub.org |
|
December 12, 2026 |
Surplus Assets Sale |
Auburn, ME |
greatfallsmodelrrclub.org |
|
March 14, 2027 |
Vermont Rails Show |
St. Albans, VT |
nwvrailroad.org/events/ |
|
April 3, 2027 |
Great Northern New England Show |
Dover, NH |