Import and Kit Car Nationals the best show at Carlisle?

What’s your favorite car show? I am not sure I really have a true favorite but the Import and Kit Car Nationals at Carlisle definitely rates near the top. The car show is held each Spring at the 150-acre fairgrounds in Carlisle, PA. It might not be the biggest nor does it draw many top dollar builds but it is very enjoyable. This year’s atmosphere was once again relaxed and laid-back making spending the day here a dream.

There are always a good selection of kit cars to look at on the fairgrounds. And, if you are interested in building your own, vendors like Factory Five Racing were on hand to help you out. Their GTM Supercar kit is really beautiful.

Do you like dune buggies? This is one of the biggest East Coast gatherings of buggies. You could find Meyers Manx, EMPI Imp, Dearborn Deserter, and other models stamped on these fun fiberglass toys.

Want something fun to drive while soaking up some sun? How about a Porsche Speedster kit car? You could find many on hand to make you smile.

Over on the import side of the show field were a number of quirky foreign rides. Christopher Meccia brought his 1978 KG Farfadet, Nauss Automtive had a 1950 Citroen Traction Avant, and Leslie Wood III drove a 1971 Citroen DS onto the field.

Peg and I both fell in love with a little 1960 Fiat Autobianchi owned by Ron Keenen. This was our favorite car of the show.

The friendly car owners and cars that you just don’t see everyday are the major draws for me at this show. If you only attend one car show a year, you should really consider this one.

Trip Report: The Electric City Trolley Museum

I was really excited to visit the Electric City Trolley Museum in Scranton, PA in late April. Many of the trolleys that ECTMA owns are from Philadelphia’s SEPTA. I spent a few years in Philadelphia as a kid, my grandparents had a house there as well, and I remember seeing the old trolley tracks around the city. Unfortunately, most of the trolleys stopped running in Philly before I was able to ride them.

The museum does have trolley excursions but we visited a week too early. The season is May-October, Thursday-Sunday. Drats! Still no trolley ride for me (I let loose one of my famous big sighs). We plunked down our money to wander inside the museum. 15 minutes and we were done. It’s not like it is a bad museum. There just isn’t much to it. I would say just look around outside the museum and see over half the trolleys for free. Or better yet, take the excursion and then tell us all how it was.

Urban Decay at Steamtown

Steamtown National Historic site in Scranton, PA is a great place for photographing urban decay. The train yard behind the roundhouse is full of old trains and cars just rusting away. If you are careful you can wonder around shooting what you like.

I’m a texture freak so anytime that I can photograph rust and pealing paint I am happy. Steamtown has plenty of it!

Take a tour inside the restored sections of the roundhouse and the museum to learn a little about steam trains. The displays are well done and very educational.

Inside we also found a restored mail car that used to service our neck of the woods. Bonus cool!

What’s the biggest steam locomotive you have ever seen? Here you can find one of the last remaining “Big Boy” locomotives. Union Pacific #4012 is 4-8-8-4 locomotive that weighs in at a whopping 1,200,000 pounds! If you look real close you can barely see Peg by one of the wheels.

Steamtown is a great place to hang out. If you are driving through that area be sure to check it out.