Hey All,
I will be in Chicago for a week long conference and I was wondering if any of you know of any exceptional local hobby shops to visit there? I have searched online, but you know, nothing is as good as reviews from true conisseurs! I used to live there, but it was during my 20 year hiatus from trains (called med school and residency!)… Anyways, if you have any recommendations, let me know…
Brian
P.S. I am an HO scaler…
Try Des Plaines Hobbies - - about two miles north of O Hare Airport in Des Plaines.
Chicagoland Hobby
Ram Train Shop
Golden Spike Hobbies
Des Plaines Hobbies
LaGrange Hobby
Those are my favorites…Des Plaines is probably the biggest, Chicagoland is pretty big, Ram and Golden Spike are small but packed to the ceiling with amazing stuff, LaGrange is nice all around. Hill’s Hobby has seriously scaled back their HO/N model railroad selection to make room for RC stuff and the toy-train/large-scale stuff, but is still worth a look.
Thank you all! I look forward to visiting a few of these during my conference! Now the only question is how much money I can spend without the wife noticing 
Thanks again.
Brian
I always go to Al’s Hobby Shop in Elmhurst when I’m out there (the shop is within walking distance from the Elmhurst Metra station which is on the UP West line).
You need to plan ahead if you’re going to stop at Ram Hobbies- the proprietor has extreme respiratory problems that make him very sensitive to the chemicals in colognes, perfumes, soaps and deodorants. It is severe enough that he can stop breathing if his lungs are irritated too much.
As a result, avoid wearing deodorant, aftershave, cologne, etc. if you plan to stop at Ram Hobbies. This restriction is posted on the door to his shop. Having relatives who have milder forms of chemical sensitivity, I’ve always taken this very seriously.
Despite the need to plan around this, I’ve found every trip there to be worthwhile for the sheer amount of out-of-production stuff he has in stock. It’s not the place to go if you’re looking for discounts, but if you’re looking for something that hasn’t been produced in a number of years, he’s likely to have it.
Having lived in the neighborhood, I would agree with all of Fritz’s points about RAM. Also, don’t strike up a conversation with the proprietor if you don’t have some time to spend there. He can be quite talkative if the mood strikes him. That said, I’m looking forward to the next time I have an opportunity to stop in.
Steve
I stopped in for the first time on my last trip to Chicago–I think I spent as much money at Ram Trains as I did at every other shop I visited, because he had so much neat stuff that I couldn’t find anywhere else, like the Grandt Line 25-ton GE diesel-electric I built recently. Definitely worth the trip, and yeah, he likes to chat.
I took a 7 year hiatus myself and used to shop at LaGrange frequently. I stopped by there a few weekends ago and the floor space is about half of what it used to be. He has a fair amount of stuff, but he’s definitely downsized. Fair selection of magazine back issues though.
If you happen to be in Chicago on the first (?) weekend of the month and can make it to the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, there’s the Great Midwest Train Show. Check MR or their Web site for dates.
Is it? I thought so…I dimly remember visiting a hobby shop that I thought was LaGrange Hobby in around 1987, I was 18 and it seemed to have a lot more room–I bought some roleplaying game stuff there. For some reason the smaller LaGrange seemed familiar but I wasn’t sure if it was the same place…it’s still all right as hobby shops go, but the halved floor space suddenly makes sense.
I haven’t been to Lagrange since some old codger behind the counter gave me a long earfull about how much better the western roads were than the PRR. When I said once again I model the PRR and did they have anything in PRR he gave me fifteen more miuntes of crap so I never went back. The far south suburbs (New Lenox) has a great hobby shop in Larsen Hobbies on Route 30 between Schoolhouse and Wolf roads.
That explains why I got along fine in Lagrange–I model a Western Pacific subsidiary. No offense to the mighty PRR, though!
Hmmm, sounds like a good reason to visit my brother on New Lenox although I usually take I-80 to 30 from the west.
Full price[V]
Thanks for all the info, guys! I went to the Golden Spike and WOW. Great selection of new and old stuff. Some great prices on old Suydam kits!!! Anyways, thanks again.
Brian