The first annual Cabin Fever Model Engineering Expo introduced
the public to model engineering, a unique hobby with an increasing
following. Model engineers take pride in building scaled-down
operating replicas of engines and other practical machinery using
the same material and manufacturing processes as the original.
More than 1,000 people from as far away as Iowa, Virginia and
New Hampshire attended Cabin Fever at the Leesport Farmers Market
the first weekend in February.
‘The show promoted model engineering and provided
camaraderie for people who build models more complicated than
plastic kits found in most hobby shops. We are definitely scheduled
for the same time, same place next year,’ says show producer
Gary Schoenly.
‘I believe people appreciated the skill and hours of work it
takes to design and build models, and get them running,’ he
adds.
Building models from rough iron castings or scratch requires
understanding complex drawings and operating metalworking
machinery. In the process, the model engineer gains a great deal of
expertise and personal satisfaction in fabricating working
models.
Visitors to Cabin Fever observed wheels turn, rods push, and
gears mesh on working models of gas hit and miss engines, steam
engines, model trains, hot air engines, boats, cars, and airplanes.
Some models are so tiny they fit in your palm while running.
Schoenly expects that next year more exhibitors will display the
working models they created, and additional vendors will sell
supplies for people who desire to build their own working
models.
Vendors on hand supplied kits to build engine models, machine
tools, and accessories, how-to books and magazines and
instructional videotapes.
New on the east coast, Cabin Fever is similar to successful
annual North American Model Engineering Society expositions held
each April in Wyandotte, Michigan.
N. A. M. E. S., organized in 1990 to encourage model building
and hold a yearly exposition, has grown steadily as interest in
this hobby increases.
The second annual Cabin Fever Expo is scheduled for January 31
and February 1, 1998 at the Leesport Farmers Market on Route 61 in
Leesport, Pennsylvania.
