I am trying to find a place, or places to buy HO model rail road products and not have to pay retail. I am building a large layout, and have some rolling stock, engines, etc, that I have collected over the last 35 years. Most of the the steam engines were made of plastic. It looks like some of the model maker company’s have made a lot of improvements, both in quality and prototype.
I plan to buy a lot of new, better quality rolling stock. any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
I’ve used this place with great success;
eBay. Shows and swap meets. Mail order houses that advertise in the magazines. Some LHS’s. You’ve got lots of choices.
Try Sharper Trains on ebay. Might have items you are looking for at good prices.
If you know what you want, Trainworld.com will almost invariably have the best price anywhere (ebay included).
M.B. Klein at www.modeltrainstuff.com is my first choice for locomotives. Their prices are similar to Trainworld, but I’ve found road names at Klein’s that weren’t available at Trainworld. On the other hand, I’ve also ordered from Trainworld and I was very happy with that, too. (I ordered my subway trains from them on Wednesday after dinner. I had them on my doorstep Friday afternoon, less than 48 hours for UPS standard shipping!)
By the way, both of these e-tailers have a lot of “blowout” prices on discontinued items. You can get a new-in-the-box P2K GP-9 for 40 bucks, but it won’t be the latest release.
But don’t forget your LHS, either. Good ones will give discounts to the regulars, and they can often beat the discount houses, particularly when you don’t have to pay shipping. They have closeouts and sales, too, and you may find some real bargains.
I probably should have said in my original post, that my local hobby shop is about 150 miles from where live.
Again you guys are the greatest, with the info. thanks train loads.
I have used Model Railway Post Office with very good results. I have a cousin that lives in that area and I visit them 2-3 times a year. MRPO is always on the To-Do list. Fair prices, fair shipping prices, and great selection for HO Scale.
I do believe to spend money in the local area to me. Finding the right place to do that takes some time also. But thankfully I have a newer shop that meets and has exceeded my needs.
Chris
Well, a 300-mile round trip to the LHS changes things, huh? You might want to look at www.discounttrainsonline.com also. They carry all the “little things” and have a very good web site, with good searching and pictures, too. You won’t find “blowout” prices, but it’s a good place for “one stop shopping” to get roadbed, turf, plaster cloth, figures, buildings, you name it. For me, I’ve noticed that it takes them a long time to get stuff out the door after the order is placed, but I’ve always been happy when I opened the box.
Edit - Oh, yeah. I’ve also ordered from MRPO. Great prices on Peco stuff, and fast shipping. They have a rudimentary web site, and you have to call to order, but I’m really happy with their products, prices and service.
phillip thats a nice pic i had a good laught
I just go to my local hobby shop. if there is a problem with it it is easy to return it. I don’t have to mail it back to someone and wait for a couple of week till I get it back. Then there is the shiping ti get it. In Canada the shipping from the U>S> is quite expensive I find and the exchange is usually no that good.
Hobby linc.com is a good resource for discounted train items. I buy from them for my N-scale layout.
Larry
For HO scale only products, check http://www.cchobbies.com
I would NOT buy from him under ANY circumstances. I know him for yesrs, grew up in Brooklyn and know him and his reputation TOO well. All i can say is CAVEAT EMPTOR (LET THE BUYER BEWRE), in other words, BUY AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!
From who?