See David’s Trains in Person: Great American Train Show (WA) — Ridgefield, Puyallup, Kennewick

If you prefer to shop trains in person, these three January stops are your best chance to catch us face-to-face. All three shows are part of the Great American Train Show / Great Train Show circuit, with vendor tables, operating layouts, and family activities.

We have plenty of fresh inventory going into these shows so stop by and see what is new!

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Ridgefield, WA — Clark County Fairgrounds

Dates: Saturday–Sunday, January 10–11, 2026 greattrainshow.com+1
Hours: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (both days) greattrainshow.com
Venue / Address: Clark County Fairgrounds, 17402 NE Delfel Rd, Ridgefield, WA 98642 greattrainshow.com+1

Tickets (Adults):

• On-site: $14 Saturday, $13 Sunday (cash only; Saturday ticket good both days) greattrainshow.com

• Online discount: $12 Saturday, $11 Sunday greattrainshow.com

• Kids: 11 and under are free with an adult greattrainshow.com

Official event info: Great Train Show Ridgefield page greattrainshow.com
(Also listed on the venue calendar: Clark County Event Center “Great American Train Show”) clarkcoeventcenter.com

Other activities nearby: Head to Portland and check out Oregon Rail Heritage Center, home to the Southern Pacific Daylight. I first saw this beast in 1991 at RailFair in Sacramento, CA and it's just as impressive today. It still runs! They are limited to 5mph on the local tracks due to it's enormous weight.

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Puyallup, WA — Washington State Fairgrounds (Expo Center)

Dates: Saturday–Sunday, January 17–18, 2026 greattrainshow.com+1
Hours: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (both days) greattrainshow.com+1
Venue / Address: Washington State Fairgrounds, 110 9th Ave SW, Puyallup, WA 98371 greattrainshow.com+1
Entry note: “Park & Enter at Blue Gate” greattrainshow.com

Tickets (Adults): two official sources list slightly different Sunday pricing:

• Great Train Show listing: $15 Saturday, $13 Sunday (cash only at door; Saturday good both days; kids 11 and under free) greattrainshow.com

• Washington State Fair event listing: $15 Saturday, $12 Sunday; children 3–11 are $5 Saturday and free Sunday Washington State Fair

Official event info:

• Great Train Show Puyallup page greattrainshow.com

• Washington State Fair “Great America Train Show” event page Washington State Fair

Other activities nearby: Mt. Rainier Scenic Railway is a small heritage operation with big plans, including bringing back freight service on their right of way, which includes former Milwaukee Road main line. Unfortunately, January is not the best month to take a train ride up a mountain in Washington State.

So I'll suggest my next favorite local activitiy, Northwest Trek. A local treasure since 1975, when the previous owner turned down a huge cash offer and donated the land to MetroParks Tacoma, this is one of the only places in the world to see moose in captivity (they are expensive as they eat 20,000 calories a day of vegetation) as well as many other native Northwest animals. Find out more fun facts. It's only 30 minutes away from the Train Show.

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Kennewick, WA — Benton County Fairgrounds (Building 20)

Dates: Saturday–Sunday, January 24–25, 2026 PNR+1
Hours: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Saturday and Sunday) Facebook
Venue / Address: Benton County Fairgrounds, 1500 S. Oak Street, Building #20, Kennewick, WA 99337 PNR

Tickets / admission: I did not find posted admission pricing on the official pages available today for the Kennewick stop. The Great Train Show site notes that tickets and specific show info are typically posted close to the event date. greattrainshow.com

Official event info:

• Kennewick is listed on the NMRA PNR event calendar with the official show link PNR

• TrainShow.com schedule listing (dates) TrainShow

Other activities nearby: I don't know. It's my first time in Kennewick. But I'm hoping to check out the local train store and the Northern Pacific Museum.

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Before you go

Show details can change (pricing, entrances, ticketing links), so use the official event pages above as your last check before you leave. clarkcoeventcenter.com+1