Kansas City metro hobby shops?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

It looks like I will be travelling to the KC area in the next 1 - 2 weeks so I’m soliciting opinions on local hobby shops there from those who are in-the-know.

I’ve done a bit of sleuthing on google and have found the following. Would appreciate any feedback on what is and is not worth my time - which is limited as I also want to take some time to do some railfanning after my wife corrals me into picking up items at IKEA…

North Kansas City: Hobby Town on N. Oak Trafficway.

In The Bottoms: Doc’s Caboose.

Overland Park: Fred’s Train Shop (Santa Fe Drive) and Hobby Haven (on Metcalf)

Southern Overland Park/Leawood: Frank’s Train Shop

Southern KC (Grandview): Show Me Model Railroad Co.

I will mostly be looking for Atlas switches so I can continue track laying. My LHS has been out of code 100 #6 and #4 for a good year+. It’s ridiculous. Anyone in the KC area consider one or more of these a “go to” store?

Thanks.

2

Andy,

Mentioning Ikea, and wanting to have a successful trip (with a wife’s interests involved [:-^]), I’d be sure to check on the availability of the particular items you’re to pick up there. Much to my surprise, recent journeys to Ikea have met with a few unexpected out-of-stock issues. Ensuring that they’re in stock will surely make your LHS-ing more pleasant.

John

3

My wife and IKEA have resulted in some great hobby shop trips to Tampa.

Have fun.

-Kevin

4

While this isn’t one on your list, I order quite a bit from Midwest Model Railroad.

They’re in Independence on the east side of Kansas City. I have never been in their store, but it looks like it’s a pretty good place.

I’ve always been real happy with the service I get from them:

https://midwestmodelrr.com/

5

I was just at the Show Me Model Railroad Co. in Grandview last week. They have a HUGE selection of Atlas track; code 83, 100, and True Track. It’s been my go-to train store for decades.

6

Thanks all for the feedback. I somehow missed Midwest Model Railroad: I was aware of that place and should have added it to the original list. With the big storm that just rolled thru KC (not that “big” by Wisconsin standards lol) we pushed our trip back a day to let them clear the roads. Excited to hit a few of these stores.