The PopCulteer
March 24, 2023

You could say that I have toys shows on the brain this week.

ToyLanta is happening now. I told you about that Wednesday.  I’m not there in person, but I’m there in spirit and will be at JoeLanta in August. Your humble blogger is currently at the Lexington Comic and Toy Show, and you’ll be hearing all about that next week.

But today, I have the final batch of photos from the KVRA Model Train Show, which happened in Charleston a couple of weeks ago.

You can see the first batch of photos HERE, and the video I made HERE.

Below you’ll see photos of some of the train and non-train vendors, close-ups and details of some of the train layouts and even a personal holy grail that your PopCulteer unexpectedly stumbled upon.

So let’s look at the pics…

Cool paintings from a local artist.

A table was dedicated to diverse books.

If I had room in my house for more cool stuff, I probably would’ve snagged one of these cool repurposed industrial lamps.

Mel had to drag me away from this table, seriously.

Handmade wooden minatures that could be used with model railroading, or just for display.

The model train vendors mightily tried my self-restraint. I considered buying this.

This was also tempting.

This vendor’s display wrapped around the corner of the rather sizeable room.

Larger scale trains, taunting my wallet.

There were plenty of layout structures available too.

Though mesmerized by some of the vendors, we could’ve spent hours just staring at the model train layouts.

This layout is prominently featured in the video we made.

This was part of a huge, oval layout that ran through several real WV locations.

Going in for close-ups. The detail is amazing.

Espertly executed row housing.

A very realistic depiction of an industrial area.

An aerial view of cows at a watering hole.

More cool scenery.

A really nice way to enhance the 3-D modeling with 2-D backdrops.

Ultra realism with a 1930’s-era scene.

I couldn’t pass up this Mail Pouch barn.

Finally, the unexpected Holy Grail. I didn’t expect to find anybody selling vintage vinyl at this show. And I certainly didn’t expect to find a Crack The Sky album that I’ve been looking for since I heard their live cover of “I Am The Walrus” in 1978, on the waning days of the free-format WVAF. So this nice vendor, who is normally based at The South Charleston Antique Mall on D Street, helped me scratch a 45-year itch.

With that minor miracle we wrap up this photo-essay PopCulteer. Check back for our regular features and fresh content every day.