Rich’s Hobbytowne 1971, Pine Brook NJ
MDC/Roundhouse 50’ plug-door boxcar
Page 60 of the May 1971 issue of MR magazine
Purchased from Rita’s Retros
The building was previously a Methodist church. The first floor was turned into a mini-museum named after the place, “Hook Mt. Junction Model Museum.” The exterior photo is a postcard made at the time of the relocation, taken from the website of a local history researcher. (retouched)
The history of the shop is considered to be as follows:
First, it opened in Greenville NC in 1949, moved to Boonton NJ in 1952, moved to Parsippany in 1954, then moved to Pine Brook in 1971, and went out of business in 1975.
Parsippany era in 1961 (flickr.com)
Shop owner Richard H. Palmer stands in the monster figurine section in 1964 (HyperScaleForum)
The April 29, 1973, issue of The New York Times, in its “Shop Talk” column, featured an article titled “It All Started With Model Gliders,” introducing the shop and museum, noting that it began 24 years earlier in Greenville, North Carolina.