Hello I was out taking some pics and found this place. It was in Model railroader a long time ago. Do you remember when? and why? If no one gets it right I will post the answer wednesday.
Have a nice day Frank
Im guessing that the station master didnt like to sleep at the station, and so the Railroad offered to get him a new mattress so he would be happier. To raise money for the mattress, the railroad sold off the old ones. lol. Im too young to know the actual answer.
That’s easy! That’s the old Furniture Depot. But the real reason it was in MR was it used to be home to a place called Railways of America owned by Mack Lowry. It’s located in Cuyahoga Falls on State Rd (Old Rt 8). Railways of America was a LARGE 2 rail O scale layout and gift shop. The gift shop was located in the depot building and the layout was in the large block building located behind it in the picture. The property also had on display a 0-6-0 steam locomotive and various heavyweight passenger cars. The was also a kddie train ran around the perimeter of the parking lot. The train was a ride in kiddie version of the Aerotrain. I remember going to it a few times and in particular having a birthday visit there. IIRC, they would only run the layout if they were more than so many people there.
Here’s links to old postcards of the layout
http://www.cardcow.com/246362/railways-america-cuyahoga-falls-ohio/
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150407016243
(the auction is long over)
In the 70s a developer built the Quaker Square retail area in Akron. I believe they bought the entire collection (models and 1:1) and moved into the old REA building on the grounds. In the early years there was an italian restaurant in the REA building and many of the models were displayed throughout the restaurant and an operating layout featuring many of the buildings, including the 3 ring circus and sideshow, and rolling stock was on the second floor. The 1;1 equipment was relocated around the parking lot of Quaker Square and incorporated into the facility itself. The old kiddie train was also in display, though they did cut so
You can’t have a contest without a prize, so I vote that the winner gets a New Atlas Gold locomotive. So can he send you his address? And when might that loco be delivered?
Hello
IVRW good guess but no.
Sliver Pilot You must live close. You definitely got the why and the what happen to it right and you know what they call the store now. The only thing you missed was the when it was in the mag. Care to give a guess?
Driline this was not a contest. It was a memory test the only prize is we can remember something we read that long ago [:D] Have nice day Frank
Well, since Quaker Square opened in 1975 and Mr. Lowry’s collection was prominently featured in it, the article had to be well before then. I would guess sometime in the mid to late 60s, but I would think a search of the magazine database would turn up the specific info.
Hello you were close so I will give it a way August 1974 page 28-32 the photo of the building was page 30. I have tried to find out what happened to all that stuff. I was 4 when my dad took me there so I don’t remember it. But he took me down to Quaker Square a couple years later and I remember that place very well. I went to Quaker 3 years ago and they still had the kid train out side and some pass car’s in side not much left there at all. Do you know what happen to all that stuff? I heard that some was bought and moved to Canton Ohio but that’s all I could find out and that was a few years ago. Have nice day Frank
I grew up 15 minutes away and remember driving by there all the time as a kid and seeing the locomotive and the train cars. As I said, there was a Aerotrain kiddie train that use to circle the parking lot. Where the trrack crossed the driveways there were grade crossing flashers. I can’t say that I remember riding it, but I’m sure I did. I also remember going to the REA restaurant at Quaker Square a lot. When it first opened it was always crowded and a wait to get a table. We used to outside and climb the 0-6-0, go upstairs and look at the layout anbd there was plenty of O scale equipment on display from the RoA. Later on the O scale layout was replaced by a LGB layout It was nice, but not the same as the O scale layout; not nearly as realistic.
So what prize do I win???
Here’s a quiz for you - Name what other model railroading event of note took place at Quaker Square?
Hello It’s been such a long time since there was anything train related there.The only thing I can think of are a few train shows that were held there. And it’s not model railroading but the cuyahoga valley railroad used to stop there. Not sure if it still does? Ok I give Frank
Kind of sad to see such a nice station turned into a mattress shop. The building deserves better.
Hello yea it’s sad but at least it is still standing and in good shape. I thought it was long gone years ago so I was happy to see it still there. Have a nice day Frank