Mohican Winterfest Returns with Model Train Expo and Ice Carving

Mohican Winterfest rolled back into Loudonville for a three-day community celebration that blended artistry and rails. The festival featured live ice carving demonstrations alongside the annual Dave Sheaffer memorial model train expo, bringing families and layout operators together for a weekend of hands-on shows, music, and community programming.

Organizers staged the train expo inside the fair building at 65 North Water St. to keep delicate scenery and electronics dry in case of warm or rainy winter weather. That move proved practical for operators showing a diverse field: the expo featured more than 15 layouts spanning O-gauge to N-gauge, offering everything from large-stepping steamers to tight-switching micro layouts for kids to follow. The expo continues a local tradition started by Dave Sheaffer and now organized by Doug Gray, who helped maintain the annual gathering as a hometown staple.

The weekend schedule packed family-friendly attractions. Live ice carving demonstrations drew steady crowds, while the train expo ran throughout the three days inside the fair building so visitors could move through layouts without worrying about outdoor conditions. A snowmobile show added a regional winter-sports angle, live music provided a soundtrack between set changes, and other community events rounded out the program for adults and children alike. The fair building location centralized activities and made it easier for families to transition from one attraction to another under one roof.

For layout operators and modular clubs, the indoor site reduced setup risks associated with wet or thawing conditions and kept sound and lighting consistent across displays. For parents and first-time visitors, the variety of scales on display made it easy to compare O-gauge power and presence with the delicate detail of N-gauge running through town scenes. Local vendors and community groups used the concentrated festival traffic to connect with neighbors, and the memorial naming kept Sheaffer’s legacy visible while introducing new families to the hobby.

The takeaway? If you missed this year’s action, mark next winter’s calendar and consider taking in both the ice carving and the expo early in the day to watch setups and test runs. Bring a camera for layout detail shots, wear comfortable shoes for walking the fair building, and plan to spend time at each scale, the show’s range makes it worth lingering. Our two cents? Come ready to ask operators about their wiring and scenery tricks; the real value at events like this is the hands-on tips you can put to work on your own layout.