I hope I’m not breaking any rules with this topic, and I want it understood ahead of time that I’m not advertising for anyone…
I live about fifty miles north west of Houston, and there are about three train shops that I do business with there. Of the three, my favorite is the Houston Roundhouse over near the dome. They have a good selection of stock, are friendly and helpful, and give you a discount if you’re a regular customer. And then there’s Spring Crossing… The guy that owns it has the personality of an iceberg, is sarcastic and thinks he’s God’s gift to the world. His shop is a disorganized mess, his prices are way too high and he won’t cut anyone any slack at all. The only thing I’ll say in his favor is that he’ll order items for you that you can’t find anywhere else - which is the only reason I do business with him.
Papa Ben’s would be at the top of my list, but their prices are sky high. The only reason I stop by there is when I absolutely can’t find an item anywhere else in the world…
I have to agree with you tracklayer…I live about 20 miles NE of Houston …the spring crossing is a bit far for me, was in there only once and probably the last…the Houston Roundhouse (formerly the Belaire Roundhouse) is the best pricewise, but sometimes he’s out of stuff…I’ve known the owner Wayne for years and he’s always been good to me…but then there’s Papa Ben’s …if you need it…he’s got it…quite the hobbiest store…but you’re right…sky high prices…chuck
Two of them–BRUCE’S TRAIN SHOP in Sacramento and RAILROAD HOBBIES in nearby Roseville. We’re pretty lucky here in Northern California to have them both. Both are well stocked, both sell slightly under retail, both order the usual weird stuff that a MR needs and nobody’s ever heard of, and both are staffed with genuinely nice people. I do about 50/50 business with them–pretty much depends on what area I’m in when I get the sudden (and frequent) urge to “Buy some more Boy’s Toys” (as my friends so gently put it).
Tom [:D]
Hi Chuck. How the heck are you ?. Hope you and yours had a good Christmas…
Yea. I like old Wayne. I talked to him on the phone the other day. I called to tell him that I bought a box car off ebay from a guy out in South Carolina that had been bought from his shop (the Roundhouse). He said that was like stumbling across a needle in a hay stack that you’re not even looking for…
Horizon Hobbies in Whitby ON(was this name long before the Athearn debacle) is the only one I go to unless I’m railfanning in the west end of Toronto.
I found him like I find most of the LHS’s I go to, in the back of MR magazine.
Bob usually has what I want or he’ll get it within a reasonable time.
His prices are decent as well. Somewhat cheaper than the “other” hobby shops in & around the Greater Toronto Area.
Most of the locomotives you’ll see in my signature were bought through him.
For me, Maine Trains in Chelmsford, Massachusetts wins that honor. Gerry is always friendly and very knowledgeable. He’s got an in-store layout which proves he’s quite the craftsman himself. He does custom painting and decoder installations in the shop. He’s always got time to spend with customers of all ages. He’ll order things for me, and gives discounts to the regulars. What more can you ask of a shop?
My personal favorite is Rider’s Hobby Shop in Kentwood, MI. Great selection, prices aren’t too terrible, and the guys who work there are friendly and helpful.
My all time favorite is Caboose Hobbies in Denver, get there once a year when we go take in an NHL game. For my home area of Omaha, Scale Rail (Frank) and Trainman’s Trading Post (Ron). There’s another new one but we’ll see how it goes.
I live in Colorado Springs and frequent Custom Railway Supply. The guys really know their stuff and are down to earth. They are always willing to help and go above and beyond. Their customer service is superb and that is very important to me.
Every couple of weeks we go to Denver, so I like to stop into Caboose Hobbies to see what they heve going on. Their stock is amazing and they have an awesome brass department. I love sifting through their detail parts to see what I can find.
I do alot of buisness with roys train world in A.Z Nice peaple to deal with ,but there stock is really run down ,im there alot but, eveytime i go there for somthing its out,then theres a affair with trains ,but way pricey im up there when i get the erge!
Carl…
If you live anywhere in the St. Louis area, you have to get to K-10 model trains in Maryville, IL (About 15 miles east of St. Louis). I am fortunate to live less than 3 miles away in the next town. I am also fortunate in that I travel for my job and I get to visit hobby shops all over the country. This has allowed me to shop in some of the big ones like Caboose Hobbies in Denver, M.B. Klein in Baltimore and Allied Hobbies in LA. Let me tell you, there is nothing more enjoyable in browsing one of these well established shrines to MRR. By comparison, K-10’s is very small. However, in its own way it is every bit as impressive. Ken carries a decent stock of all the every day needs in N, HO and O. His hours are not regular store hours, but they are great for folks with real jobs that can’t easily get to stores during regular hours. His pricing is excellent, usually 10-20% below the retail price. It is a very rare day that I can be in a hobby shop anywhere in the USA and find pricing better than I can get at home with Ken. What really sets K-10’s apart is that there is a huge display layout at the back of the store. http://www.k-10smodeltrains.com/layout_tour.htm
60’ x 81’ of well scenicked DCC controlled heaven. If you are in the store and want to see how a particular model will look, or how to make trees for example, Ken will take you out to the layout to see how its done. Talk about inspirational.
Anyway, there are lots more photos on the web site and details of opening times. Usually on the first Sunday of every month the layout is open for anyone to come and have an opportunity to run trains on the layout. Needless to say the hobby shop is buzzing on these ocasions.
Well If I need Lionel stuff I go to Collectible toys and trains. For HO I go to Discount trains in Addison. Unfortunatly its about an hour from my house so I do not go often good news is my office is moving about a block from Discount so I can go on my lunch hour.
As for people the Lionel place has lots of helpful people. Discount has 3 regular guys working it that are very nice although the owner seems a bit unfriendly, thankfully he isnt there that often.
P & D Hobby Shop in the Frazier area is the best that I know of. Pat, the owner and Russ, the manager are both great guys. They will special order anything and stock lots of detail parts and kits for the serious hobbyist. A huge selection of O gauge, Lionel as well as HO. More Athearn BB kits are being stocked lately. I have been going there for years. They helped get me started.
Joes Hobbies in Farmington is also good and they have a great selection of detail parts. A much smaller store and NO BB kits however. Some Lionel. Nice people work there.
Great Lakes Hobbies in Utica is okay for track, engines and cars. Not for serious hobbyist as they have no detail parts, decals etc. Huge selection of BB kits however. More like a giant toy store.
Last and certainly least is Riders in Madison Hgts. NO BB kits or details. Small selection. They have a nice layout in the window. If you want a good laugh, go there on a Friday after work. The Dungeon and Dragon gang hang out in the center of the store and play some stupid game with their little statues. A pathetic group of humanity.
A.B. Charles & Son in Dormont (a few miles south of downtown Pittsburgh) is awesome. I’ve been going there nearly 15 years, and never had a problem with them. Esthers Hobby in Millvale is pretty good too. Esthers has mostly N scale stuff, while A.B.C. has it all.
I don’t live in Canada but while there I was planning to buy some rolling stock and they advised the smart thing would be to buy the same rolling stock back in the US where it would cost less because it didn’t have to be shipped to Canada.
I’m always impressed with a shop of any kind where they give you advice that actually eliminates a sale for them. Needless to say, I have made other purchases there in person and via their web site and will continue to do so as I find things which they can provide and not easily obtained elsewhere. Ironically I have a set of four CNW bi-level commuter cars which I found there. They are not Walthers but the wooden ones which came out a long time ago. The price was right and they were assembled.
Davis Trains was mentioned in another reply. I live 225+ miles from Davis but they too are a “must stop” when I get to Cincinnati.
I have a similar experience with an amateur radio equipment store but that’s for a different forum.
Mine is Sheapaug Railroad Company in Leominster Ma. actually it is the only one i go to. The shop is kind of small but it is 5 minutes from my house the guy is freindly has good prices and gives diacounts if it is a special order. He has been selling me Atlas N scale manual switches for $8.40 a switch. He is a New England roads specialist so he has sections for B&M. Maine Central, BAR, Rutland Guilford etc. he has 2 layouts a Ho switching and a cool little N scale. He gets 100% of my Railroading money. Tim
My favorite is The Train Shop in Santa Clara, CA. They are strictly model railroading, cater to all scales and gauges, have a knowledgeable staff, and sell from 10% to 20% below MSRP.
