Well... this is a bit of a blast from the past for me! Just near where we used to live in the the Netherlands, there was a small exhibition centre, de Broodfabriek (the Bread-factory). No surprise, it used to be a bread factory (I think... or it was weirdly cunningly named!).
Anyway, almost every weekend, there would be some sort of exhibition or show. It could range from a gigantic flea market, to Gothic gatherings through to craft days... and on this particular weekend, a model train day!
Well, model trains are going to appeal to pretty much every nerd... and so the nerd in me suggested to my kids that we should walk down and have a look! After all, little kids are naturally nerdy... and we could leave the house for my wife to relax in!
So, the flyer says... "Train watching, for young and old". Interestingly enough, that pretty much turned out to be literally true. Most of the crowd were either quite old or very young...
... in fact, I quite suspected that most of the kids were there with their grandparents! Or more to the point, their grandfather... whilst their grandmothers were dragged along to "enjoy" a day with their crazy husband's grown up toys!
... and really, it was quite nice to see that so many of the model train fans were really like little kids again! Eyes all ablaze and chatting excitedly to their friends about the models and trains and scenery... and sometimes even forgetting that there were actual little children that ALSO wanted to experience the fun!
There was a little crafting section where kids could go with their parents or grandparents to craft some scenery... but unfortunately, no train or model kits! I think that my oldest child would really get into this... she loves the intricate details of crafting and making things, so this might be right up her alley. Although, trains and warplanes are not really her type of thing though... I will have to see if there is something else that might appeal more to her tastes.
Meanwhile, the little one loves the trains... but has no patience for the intricate details of putting them together!
The older guys could even take building tips from the pros!
Anyway, there are way too many photos and experiences from the day to write in detail about them all! I will just leave the photos here for the interested to look and marvel... I will have to say that the fantasy train was the biggest hit with the kids and me! You will have to scroll down a bit to find that one!
... but in the end, I was quite amazed by the amount of care and attention that was lavished on every display. This is the sort of thing that is missing in many fields these days... the focus is too much on cranking out the most possible units in the least possible time and cost.... not a good way to go! Hopefully, the pendulum will swing back to these good old days of loving crafting!
