I am going back to Alexandria, WV on leave and wanted to know if any of you could refer me to any decent Train/Hobby stores in the area?
Thanks.
MPF
Alexandria WV? or VA?
Granddads in Springfield.
In Winchester VA there is a small train shop that has stock of many basic things, a nice layout and a ton of display locomotives. It is called Benny’s Train Shop and he is in the phone book. If you are going to be in the area on March 11, the Winchester Model Railroad Club is hosting a sale with 60 some tables and they have an open house of the club’s layout on the same day.
Looks like I am gonna miss that one by 5 days. Thanks very much for the info. I will look online and try to locate this shop.
By the sound of your response, you will be in the area around the 17th. If you are here for a couple of weeks and have access to a car, you could attend the April 1st-2nd show at Timonium: www.gsmts.com.
Grandad’s in Springfield is pretty well stocked, but everything is full price. Although I live closer to Grandad’s, I frequent the following shops more often:
If you do have a car and want to travel a little far afield, but have an ‘adventure’ in the process, I’d recommend the following, all 100% trains:
M.B. Kliens (Baltimore): www.modeltrainstuff.com
Peach Creek Shops (Laurel, Md.): www.peachcreekshops.com
Mainline Hobby Supply (Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.): www.mainlinehobby.com
The people at Mainline are very nice and they have an extensive inventory. Plus, it’s a nice drive up Rt. 550 from Thurmont to Sabillasville and then on to Blue Ridge Summit. You follow the old Western Maryland R/W (now Maryland Midland) for most of the trip. To get to Thurmont you just go around the D.C. beltway and take I-70 north to Frederick and then U.S. 15 north to Thurmont. A trip to Mainline could also include a trip to Tommy Gilbert’s on Water Street in Gettysburg (continue north on Rt. 15from Thurmont).