I am getting ready for my annual trip through the Carolinas, and I am going into Virginia this year as well.
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I am devastated that Antique Barn Trains closed in North Carolina.
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So… Where should I head to this year? Please let me know.
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Thank you.
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-Kevin
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Spencer NC.
I just Googled “model train shop spencer nc” and found the Little Choo Choo shop. Looks good, and near a museum! I am spending three days in Charlotte, so that looks like I will be stopping there.
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Thank you.
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Please keep suggestions coming.
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-Kevin
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Nothing in Charleston SC., Brookland Hobby Shop in West Columbia, SC is good, they have something like 2400 square feet of model railroad stuff in a 1200 square foot building.
Yes! I made it to Brookland Hobby last year. They had something I wanted on a lower shelf, and I had to contort to reach the item without knocking everything over on the shelves behind me.
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It was a great shop to poke around in. Tons and tons of great stuff.
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-Kevin
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I was at Brookland Hobby 2 years ago. I was getting ready to check out and noticed at the left end of of the counter, there were boxes of old stuff. I checked it out and found 2 Bars Mill “Purina” billboard signs that had been discontinued for a long time. I had been searching all over the net forever for this sign and there were 2 stashed away in one of the boxes and they were regular price, not marked up beyond fiscal reach. You never know what you’ll find in an old established brick and mortar hobby store.
OK guys… I really need some help here.
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Even though I knew they were permanently closed, I stopped by the Antique Barn Model Train Shop in Wilson, North Carolina just to get a picture. This was a melancholy moment to be sure.
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At least the day was not all sad. I did find time to stop by Dillon, South Carolina and see my old friend Pedro. I have been stooping by his place regualrly since we first met in 1986!
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Please advise me on some more good shops. I will be stopping in the Little Choo Choo Shop and Brookland Hobbies on the way back South.
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Thanks.
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-Kevin
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Kevin,
In Savannah,Ga there’s Bull Street Station on Bull Street. Give em a call after 9am. It’s not far off I-95 and you’re headed south anyway.
I haven’t been there in many years. They sell art supplies to collage kids too. Great little shop with tons of kits& detail parts.
If that turns out to be a bust. You can stop in Jacksonville,fla Hobby World on Blanding Blvd . Ok HO train stuff. Nice folks here too.
Best one is the Lil Choo Choo in Spencer. Gotta go to the North Carolina Transportation museum while there. There is also Nicks Trains on Oak Park road in Raleigh- lots of older stuff there and packed. There are a couple that I have not been to- Train Buddy in Wake Forest and Chucks Trains in Landis, NC (about 15 miles away from Lil Choo Choo) Not sure where you are headed in Virginia but in Roanoke is the Rail Yard Train Store plus the Virginia Museum of Transport. In Staunton is Staunton Trains and hobbies (a little smaller) if you are headed to Shenendoah. (gotta go through the huge Factory Antique mall while in the area there) Cant speak to all the Hampton Roads area but know there is Engine House Trains in Virginia Beach (lots of used stuff there too.) We are a little out of the way but if you go through Danville VA on a Monday or Thursday night look us up at the Danville Model Railroad Club. (www.dmrrclub.org) e-mail us there Unfortunately we do not have a shop here.
DRGWCS:
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Thank you for all the information. I am going to take you up on lots of that advice.
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-Kevin
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Glad I could help. I should have added a few notes to that. The one in Staunton is a lot smaller only been in it once however if you were going to be in the area it is worth it to go. It is a way up there for us so we do not go often but the Factory Antique mall there is the largest in the country- although I haven’t seen a lot of railroad stuff there. Railyard in Roanoke is MSRP but has a nice selection. Hobby shops are pretty spread out here- It is about an hour and a half to each one for us. I got spoiled when we lived in Chicago but on the other hand with traffic to get to them…[:S] Not sure how long you will be in the area but there are two train shows coming up. On May 5th is the Neuse River Show in Raleigh https://nrvclubdotnet.wordpress.com/spring-model-railroad-show/ and the North Carolina Museum of Transport has theirs on May 12th http://nctrans.org/Events/NTD.aspx Lil Choo Choo is just across the street so a two for one.
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Thanks for the tip on the ENGINE HOUSE. Neat little shop. He had a few items I had been looking for. I think 95% of the stock was used, but that is OK if you find something you can use.
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I am only about 20 miles from Staunton right now, so I will be checking it out tomorrow.
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-Kevin
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Last time I was in Engine House pucked up a neat assembled Campbell mine for reasonable- fun store to look through. The have a section up front in Staunton that is used stuff that had some neat stuff in it last time I was in. Let me know if you see HOn3 in that. They had a guy that was bringing in some of that. While in town allow for the Factory antique mall- you will be in there a while absolutely huge. It is in Verona just north. I have noticed some train stuff in there occasionally. https://factoryantiquemall.com/ If you do head to Roanoke the Roanoke Antique Mall often has some railroadiana scattered about too. It is much much smaller though.
I’m in northern Virginia and I can’t really think of any shops worth visiting in my area. I do pretty much all of my buying online - thats the way things are going so increasingly the old ways are going away.
Even the vaunted MB Klein has chopped their walk-in store to 1/3rd size and when I go there on train show days it is over packed and you have to wait a long time to get them to bring you stuff out of the warehouse and wait in a l-o-n-g line to purchase. I’m thinking anymore it’s not going to be worth my time unless I really want to get a major item at the show day discount. Of course if you go the rest of the time it probably won’t be such a negative experience.
Out of curiosity is there anything in Richmond? In Danville we are really closer to anything on the North Carolina Side so I don’t get up that way much but was curious. We are blessed with a great railroad club here but hobbyshops are a ways away.
If you do come to Spencer NC and if your trip takes you south from their I-77 south from Charlotte to Rock Hill SC their is one called Hobby Stop they have more RC cars and airplanes but a good supply of trains also.
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I was able to make it to Staunton Trains today. GREAT STORE! They had about 10 HOn3 freight cars for $20.00 - $25.00 each. I found a real score. They had two MINT Walthers/Shinohara #7 curved turnouts for $20.00 each. These were the old style with solid metal frogs that I want.
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I also went to the Factory Antique Mall, and it was amazing. It was the second best antique mall I have been to. Ian Henderson’s in Georgia is also amazing.
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-Kevin
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Looks like I need to head there again…it is a 2 1/2- nearly 3 hour drive to us but it is a train store and antique mall in one trip- helps balance out the train store, kinda like we go to IKEA in Charlotte after Spencer…keeps the wife happy too. [:D] Since I don’t know your routes inbetween places I’ll let you know on a couple of huge antique malls in North Carolina. Granddaddy’s Antique Mall in Burlington is quite big and worth a stop. There is one vendor that has a few train things in the back. Burlington is on I-40 inbetween Greensboro and Raleigh. If you are headed south to Charlotte from the wonder that is Spencer [:D] there is the Depot at Gibson Mill antique mall in Concord, just north of Charlotte (I don’t know why they call it the depot- no relation to trains it’s an old cotton mill) Both are very big but not quite as big as the Factory.
I made it to the Rail Yard Hobby Shop in Roanoke today. Found a Sunset three dome tank car that I wanted for a while. Also found an unbuilt Ramsey Journal Building complete on sprues for only $7.00!
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The clerk must hove thought “Who is this weird guy buying a $100.00 brass tank car and a train-set plastic building”, but hey, I found some things I really want! Awesome!
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We also made it to the Virginia Museum of Transportation. The angle of the sun made it impossible to gte a good picture near the steamers. J 611 is down in Spencer for service, that was a bummer. I did have a great time.
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We also went to a store called “Black Dog Salvage” that was awesome. Not really an antique store, but they had lots of cool old stuff. Spent way too much $$$ in there, but I found some antique fittings for my bathroom remodel that I really wanted to incorporate.
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I will be in North Carolina next week Monday-Thursday. Can’t wait for some more shopping and trains.
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-Kevin
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I wish I would have known about these on the way up. We drove through Jacksonville and Savannah on Sunday. I guess that probably would not have worked. Not many hobby shops have Sunday hours of operation.
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I will keep these on file for my next trip.
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Thanks for the help.
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-Kevin
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