I had to go to the DC area on business this morning so I decided I was for once and for all going to a REAL hobby shop. Mine LHS is a slot car mail order business and has a few EZ track components and Woodland Scenics.
Welll I borrowed a Nothern Virginia yellow pages and found one that led their ad with Train supplies for all guages. There were some others that looked better, but they were all 30-45 minutes in the wrong direction.
Well I got there and was excited that they had three rows of train stuff. My goal was to find some Kadee uncoupling magnets, some couplers, some Proto metal wheels, an NMRA guage, and a wheel tool. I thought that was a reasonable list.
I asked the guy where the NMRA guage was and he had never head of one. I had to explain it to him and then tell him what it was for. I took this as a very bad sign. In fact, the store did not have a single thing on my list. They did have about 15 different Bachman train sets and a few Bachman Plus engines–and about 10 Althern engines. The only Spectrum (and I think the only DCC ready engine) was a Critter.
They did have ballast–which my local store doesn’t-- so instead of spending every cent on me, I walked out with some ballast, some old west figures and some cows and horses.
I’m beginning to think that the hobby stores I’ve heard you guys speak of only exist in the Alderon System.
In Northern Virginia, Granddad’s is probably as good as any. But I was in there today and their stock looked a little low.
Towards Baltimore (in Laurel) is Peach Creek Shops, and in Baltimore is MB Klein. Peach Creek is good, and I have not yet been to MB Klein (but will be).
The best train shop I’ve been to is Caboose Hobbies in Denver. Second best is probably the Train Shop in Santa Clara, CA. We have nothing close to that level here in Northern Va.
Head west young man! to Denver, Colorado, Caboose Hobbies. You will enter, will not come out for days. Fortunately, they do have a rest room and pepsi machine
next time, call then up before you go and randomly ask them if they have a specialty items that only a good hobby shop would carry ( like coal loads, floquil paint, plastruct or evergreen styrene, cork roadbed, HO scale flex track in code 83 and 55, a woodland scenics product display, what different types of locomotives and rolling stock do they carry besides bachmann or lifelike, do they carry hand layed turnout assemblies or a bag of ties…stuff like that)…chances are if they say no to most of the items then it’s not going to be a good MRR hobby shop…Chuck
Those stores do exist I garuantee!! Even here in little old Geneva, NY, we have better than that. It is a very tiny little downtown shop but totally devoted to trains (well they have a few other things, but mostly trains). Most everything people need is in stock most of the time. If not, they will order it for you. They will even give a discount to those of us that patronise them often. The owner is a manager at the local Pepsi Bottling plant and does this as a part of the hobby. His wife usually runs the shop and he is there Thursday evenings and Saturdays. Since he is an active model railroader, he is very knowlegable. The nice thing is that he does not have to make a living on the store so it works out good for him and us. I get almost all of the small, need it right now, stuff there. I do make some big purchases that he can’t match prices on on line. There are two or three good stores within driving distance to where I live. One is way out in the middle of nowhere, NY (near Ovid, just go out that-a way til ya get to the 4 corners with the big tree), does a good business and I hear is also excellent.
Where do the others at your club get stuff? I hope some others here may know of some good shops near where you live. Was the business trip a “training” session? [:D]
I wrote down 5 that looked good. Grandad’s is one I saw but I didn’t write it down. It was the one that if I would have followed my hunch I would have gone to. But I rejected it thinking it might be all O scale. I have one of those about 15 miles from my house.
The one I went to was called Hobby Works in Fairfax–in the New Fair Mall. If you don’t know it, don’t bother.
I am fortunate to have two very good ones sort of close. Hobby Craft in Campbell River is only 45 mins away, and they are set up for the average modeler with most stuff, except a QSI loco and a DCC controller. All the track (18" radius EZ-Track or flextrak- other stuff you have to order), figures, scenic materials, model wood, rolling stock, paint, etc. Even has a nice brass Shay. Mostly Bachmann.
Leisure Time in Nanaimo is also well set up, but he has the DCC stuff and more rolling stock and locos. He is also 90 mins away.
I went to the Mall of America in Minn seven years ago and walked into a great store with die-cast tractors, trucks, trains everywhere (oh, oh, ooohhhh!) my wife had to taser me and truss me up with gun tape, put me in the trunk, and she didn’t stop until we got to Chicago.[|(] Apparently the store owner objected to my fondling the moichandice; said it was indecent.[:P]
I haven’t heard of Hobby Works and, based on what you said, I won’t go out of my way to find them. Granddad’s might have had some of your list (just depends on their stock at the time), but Peach Creek would have been the best bet. But that would have been a haul. Probably an hour from Fairfax.
Most of the places closer to me are either mostly O or Large Scale stuff. No wonder I buy a lot of stuff on ebay and online retailers!
If you come to Cincinnati for the NMRA convention this year check out Davis Trains. Two floors of two buildings filled with trains of all scales. There is so much that I have to ask for almost anything I want but I think I will learn their layout eventualy. You may see them advertise of this page.
Take a little road trip over towards Butler/Cranberry and go to Cranberry Hobby Depot, and Hobby Express. If you’re coming from Indiana, it’s only an hour/hour-and-a-half. They are both great stores with great selection. Hobby Express is a little better on track and scenery, and Hobby Depot is a little better on locos and rolling stock. I was just at both today. It’s worth a trip for you.
Here in Southern California there are two totally killer shops - the Whistle Stop in Pasadena, and Allied Model Trains in LA. They’re each within 100 miles from me, which isn’t bad. Living in So Cal, you’re bound to end up in LA every now and then. These shops are model railroading paradise. It doesn’t hurt that they’re not “hobby shops” - they’re purely model railroad shops. Although I think Allied is starting to carry some other things.
Chip, if you ever come east I’ll take you to a good one.
Trains and Lanes in Easton. They have a pile of RC cars and planes, but they also have a TON of railroad stuff. About the only thing in short supply is paint. That’s where I keep digging up the P2K tank car kits. About the only thing I won’t buy there is DCC stuff, because they get their stuff through Walthers, they are not Digitrax or NCE dealers and thus with the Walthers middleman markup, their prices are WAY too high compared to Tony or Litchfield.
ARRRGH!!! That place is a joke as far as MRR is concerned! It’s a chain operation, I used to go to their store in Laurel (MD) for generic supplies. Their forte seems to be R/C vehicles, with trains as an afterthought.
I wish I had known you were coming, I’d have directed you to Peach Creek - they DO have at least 90% of the stuff that cwclark mentioned. And they sell all of their standard stock [non-brass] items at 25% off list[tup].
Chip, Chip, you’ve GOT to come visit your Home State again, I’ll personally escort you to Bruce’s in Sacramento and Railroad Hobbies in Roseville, and just let you spend the day (or two or three) playing and salivating. Guaranteed you’ll leave either one a Very Happy Camper!
Tom [:P][:P][:P]
I’ve been to the Whistle Stop in Pasadena, but it’s been several years. A wonderful place to browse. Has most everything. Wa-a-a-a-y better than the LHS up here in the NW. Thank goodness for the internet locations and credit cards!!
Those are the two closest good train shops to me. There used to be some good ones in the San Joaquin Valley, but all have eighter closed or downsized. I keep meaning to make it to Bruce’s Trains Shop but I spend so much time at the Roseville yard and Railroad Hobbies every time I go up there I do not have the time.
Here’s the problem I found with most shops. The trains are ither afterthoughts or the stores to stuck in their laurels to grab onto new technology. Though I’ve found my hobby store in my area. Good selection knowldgable staff, We actually have a good base one guy knows about large scale modelling the other knows a good deal about steam and transition and I know a fair deal of 70’s- present. We are all about making the costumer happy. If we don’t have it we’ll find it for you and if you ask us a question we’ll find the answer for you. Lately a lot of people hav been bringing in their trackplan for us to look over and most of the time they leave with ideas. I think what makes a store great is not how good the stock is but how the staff treats you. If you have a bunch of workers that know what they are doing they are more likely going to know what’s worthwhile and what’s trash.
Andrew
I think that store has been gone for about 5 years now. It was a GREAT store but it seemed to attract far more lookers than buyers. Your typical shopper treated it like a free attraction, but the real modelers all seemed to shop elsewhere.
Besides Davis, South Park Hobbies in Middletown and Golf Manor in Cincinnati probably all had everything one your list. I have not found Golf Manor or Davis to be all that economical however. Arnold at South Park is usually cheaper than mail order for me, very knowledgeable and a friendly place.
to Denver, Colorado, Caboose Hobbies. You will enter, will not come out for days. Fortunately, they do have a rest room and pepsi machine 