Is there anything model railroading-wise going on in Eastern Montana? My wife has a job offer which would move us to the Miles City area. Are there any clubs or local hooby shops that specialize in model railroading in that area? If she accepts the job offer, we would not be moving until later this year, so I am just scouting things out before we move. I know we would be about 2 hours from Billing, MT and about the same from Williston, ND; so hobby shops there would be a plus too.
in Billings: http://www.jimsjunction.com/
[:-^]
The above mentioned is a great train shop.
I have a son living in the area and I always make a stop there (that’s what I call it, my Wife calls it an afternoon), when visiting him. They have a great selection and good stock. Lots of model kits RTR and detail parts and building kits. Even though it is 500 miles away and I am in Canada, I still think of it as my hobby shop. I don’t think you will find anything to rank with it any where else close.
Jim’s Junction is listed in the Hobby Shops in the back of your Model Railroader Magazine and has been for years. John who owns it now is a great and accommodating Fellow.
Johnboy out…and no connection other than a customer. [swg]
Bought a pair U25C’s from them on EBay, good thoughts on them.
Probably not much for RR clubs but an excellent area for 1:1 railroad history. (Milwaukee Road)
Drive hwy 12 west and follow the abandoned ROW.
Clubs in Great Falls, Helena, and Livingston.
It’s Montana, you’ll get used to driving…[swg]
Sheridan, Wyoming is closer than Great Falls or Helena. About the same distance as Livingston. Still a pretty good ways from Miles City, though. There’s a reason they call it Big Sky Country. Great club in Sheridan. Layout is in a nice old school building.
I love eastern Montana, and am jealous of your situation and would have jumped at the chance to move there.
You don’t need no “Stinkin” hobby shops! You will have to get used to mail order and online shopping and get fairly organized at seeing what you need and ordering before you need. Buy stuff in bulk: couplers, wheel sets, details, etc… I have been seriously involved in Model Railroading for 27 years since I left it as a kid and R/C airplanes since my early 20s and lived in rural America for 37 years and getting the things I need, has been a pretty simple matter of making lists and ordering things when you need them. Yes, I visit hobby shops when I get around them; but, I find them to carry less and less of the stuff I’m interested in buying, so I don’t miss them anymore!
I tend to think NP is right, hobby shops, while a convenience, are rather ephemeral these days so it’s better to not be dependent on one and have several good mail order sources at your disposal you can rely on. By all means, patronize your LHS if you have one where you move to but if they go poof as often happens, then you won’t be left in the lurch.
MILES CITY is not all that far (as western miles go) from the Land of the LION.
If yo have nothing to do some weekend come on out to Richardton and visit the LARGEST SUBWAY LAYOUT in North Dakota!
ROAR
Be sure to bring LION an antelope for good measure.
Yes I’m familiar with the Montana area, thanks.
Never noticed anything in Sheridan to speak of, thanks again.
I believe Lion is a gourmet. He won’t be satisfied with any old road kill.
Tom[C=:-)]
Thanks all for the words.
The wife accepted the postition in Miles City. She starts mid September. Hopefully the BNSF still rolls some trains through town on the old NP line. I have never lived in a town without a railroad that was still functioning. I also know that there is still debate about building the Tongue River RR out of Miles City to the coalfields south of town. I also noticed there is a car repair shop in town, so at there is that. I hope this is the last move for a while so I can start building a layout.
I also found a Yellowstone Model railroad club in Billings. Not sure if it is still a functioning club or not.
[:-^]
Robert, Congratulations to your Wife on the new job. I feel comfortable in saying, I believe you will enjoy Montana. My Son has lived in New York, Florida, Missouri ,Washington and now Montana. They really liked being in Spokane, Wash. and still own a rental property there. But they both say that the Billings area is a close second to the best they have found. We really like visiting there. Lots of summer activities (fishing)and of course great skiing and snowmobiling in the winter.
There is also a tourist train out of Lewiston on the old Miwaukke Road (dinner train). and as I said previously, you won’t be disappointed in doing business with John at Jim’s Junction in Billings. [tup][tup]
Johnboy out…
As you call tell from my location, I am a Miles City person myself. The BNSF still runs on the old NP line. BNSF trains are mostly coal drags along with the occasional grain train and the even more uncommon mixed freight. We also have an orginization trying to get a lease from the BNSF for the old NP passenger depot.
The debate over the TRR has been going on for over 100 years. As a matter of fact, the ranch that I grew up on south of town has a short section of the roadbed that was built for one of the original incarnation of a TRR.
The car repair shop uses the old Milwaukee yards for their operation and in their yards just east of the city limits one can sometimes see some unusual cars.
Unfortunately, as previously stated we don’t have a hobby shop or, to the best of my knowledge, a train club. I myself use eBay for quite a bit of my modeling and occasionally will order from Jim’s Junction for stuff that I need quickly.