I’m from Philly and next month I wanted an excuse to take a trip out to Harrisburg but I don’t want to come home empty handed, know of any good hobby shop stores near that area?
About 2/3rds the way there is the Strasburg Rail Road http://www.strasburgrailroad.com/
They have a shop on site. About a quarter mile to the west is another large hobby shop that has a large layout attached. http://www.etrainshop.com/.
Hey, thanks. [tup]
Set aside a day. They also have a very large railroad museum [:D]
Be prepared to pay retail for everything in that store. I went there this week and was shocked at their prices. Stock was good but prices were sky high.
Need at least 2 days to see it all. I’ve been there dozens of times, last time back before the 4th of July. I got an all-day pass for the Strasburg Railroad this time, first trip in a regualr coach, then I paid the difference and did a trip in the parlor car. Third trip they ran the LO&S gas (ok well it has a diesel in it now) car so I road that for the first time ever considering I’ve been a regualr visitor since I was about 4 years old. I also did the shop tour.
I used a complete second day for the museum, left about 2 hours from closing - had it not been so hot I probably would have been there straight through til closing, and I’ve been there 5 times previously.
Shop was stocked but not much to fit my era, did get a 44-tonner on sale for half MSRP. I also hit up the second store in the outlets back out along 30, fewer trains but a HUGE selection of books and DVDs, picked up a couple of books.
–Randy
There’s a couple of shops around York, too. You can probably find them by doing a google search. Not exactly in the neighborhood, but there’s an outstanding shop in Blue Ridge Summit, Main Line Hobbies, (Adams County) and about an hour down I-83 from Harrisburg will put you at MB Kleins in Cockeysville, Maryland. If you dig brass, you could check out Tommy Gilbert’s in Gettysburg, too.
Lee
Also “The Station” on 9th street in New Cumberland (directly across the river from Harrisburg). About 45 minutes East of Harrisburg there’s a nice store in Lebanon called Draude’s Derailment. Right up the street from where Arlen Specter got hollered at for an hour.
Matt