Railfest 2026 Brings Ohio's Largest Two-Day Train Show to Kirtland

The largest continuously running two-day train show in Ohio wrapped up its 2026 edition at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland last weekend, with Railfest once again filling the halls at 7700 Clocktower Drive with operating layouts, flea market dealers, and railfans of every scale and persuasion.

Since it was started in 1984, Railfest has grown into one of the best and largest model railroad train shows in Ohio. The Western Reserve Division of the National Model Railroad Association sponsors the show, which ran March 21 and 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.

Roughly 5,000 people visited the show over two days in a recent prior year, a figure that reflects just how deeply the event has embedded itself in the regional railroading calendar. Attendees range from modelers adding to or upgrading existing layouts to collectors hunting for a specific engine, along with families drawn by layouts kids can actually run.

The show floor delivered the full spread: a large number of model railroad dealers, along with many operating model railroad layouts and displays. Tables from railfan groups, tourist railroads, and railroad historical societies rounded out the exhibit space, giving the floor a depth that goes well beyond a standard swap meet.

Single-day admission ran $9 per person, with a two-day pass available for $14. Couples could get in for $14, and families of two adults with children under 18 paid a maximum of $16. Free onsite parking and food and beverages for sale kept the logistics straightforward for anyone making a full day of it.

John Ward has been a member of the Western Reserve Division, Division 5, of the NMRA for the last five years and has volunteered at the show for the last three. Organizers can be reached at railfest@mcr5.org for questions about dealer information or future show details.

Railfest is held every year in March at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, with the date typically falling on the third weekend of March, depending on the college's schedule. For a show now in its fifth decade, that reliability is itself part of the tradition.