Hi,
At the end of January I will be in New Orleans for a couple of days before I leave on a ‘company paid’ 7 day cruise to the Carribbean. Does anyone know of any Model railroad attractions or even prototypical railfan spots in the area that I could visit while I am there?
Location and admission (if required) information would be great.
Thanks.
blueriver
I’d jump on the streetcar system ride some truly vintage Pearly thomas cars heck streetrail is pretty much an endangered species so enjoy TB
We go to N’Awlins at least once every two years or so (love that city), but it’s not exactly a train hot spot these days. Other than the Amtrak trains at Union Station, and of course the streetcars, the only trains I’ve seen there are up in the Riverbend section (near the end of the St. Charles line), running along the levee. The mainline that Amtrak runs on come in on the lake side of town, and there’s probably some action up there, but it’s not particularly close to or easy to get to from the French Quarter, which is where you’re probably staying (and where the cruise ships leave from).
And if there’s a decent hobby shop there, I haven’t found it yet…[:(]
blueriver,
The streetcars have returned to Canal Street, so you could ride those. Find time to ride from one end to the other on the street cars through the Garden District (St. Charles Line). Bring a camera for pictures of some really beautiful homes. The Red Line runs along the river by the Quarter. There is a new model railroad exhibit at city park in the Botanical Gardens. Pay at the entrance, then walk to the rear at the far left for a representation of New Orleans with structures from local biomass products and stories of different areas of the City. G-scale trains and trolleys, automatically run. Very nice. It has been in operation 5 or 6 months. You could ride the City Park Railroad which circles the park for about $5.00 ($2.00 entrance fee to Carousel Park, $3.00 to ride train.) It used to be the longest miniature train ride in the South. While there, take an hour to see the Sculpture Garden across the street from the Botanical Gardens. The entrance is behind the New Orleans Museum of Art. Really neat, and the City Park Railroad passes over the canal bridge on the north edge of the Sculpture Garden. This time of year, it may not be running during the week, but it should run on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
I’m not sure where the hobby shops are. There used to be one in the mall on the river front at the end of Canal Street, but it was too expensive. It may be out of business. There is one in Kenner (by the airport), but I have never been to it. There was one on the east side, but I looked for it several months ago and it was gone.
That should keep you busy for a few days. If you can, stop by the car barn for the street cars. (It is near Carrolton at Claiborne, the end of the St. Charles Line.) The track in the street is something to see. I got a “tour” one Thanksgiving years ago and saw some rare cars. You could always ask to take photos. I’m not sure what security is like nowadays.
And if you can, go to the Audubon Park zoo.
The Louisiana Rail Site has some great photos of rail sites in Louisiana and New Orleans. Here is the web site you should check out for Louisiana Rail fan sites and historical info:
http://lrs.railspot.com/index.html
blueriver,
One other thing about the trolleys - they are broad gauge, 5’ between the rails! You can check it out easily at one of the pedestrian crossings along the riverfront, where the railroad tracks parallel the trolley tracks. Toe to heel, you’ll get five full steps between the trolleys and 4 1/2 on the rr.
Have a wonderful time.
Mark C.
For a hobby shop, I’d recommend the Hub. They are close in, and it was a reasonably good hobby shop when I was there back in 1980. I had been living in Denver when I moved there, so was pretty spoiled; nothing compares to Caboose Hobbies. The Hub’s website is www.hobhobbyshop.com.
If you’re in Nawlins the thing to do is listen to music and eat the good food. Let the good times roll!
Peter
conford
For a model railroad club in N.O. try www.ccmrc.com They meet on Friday nights, their web site says it all. Also try the Yahoo group “LRMRG” They post a lot of N.O. area info and I am sure that if you ask, someone there might even be willing to show you around when you get down here. Charlie A.
Yep, Hub Hobby on Broad St. is a good LHS. Also, in nearby Kenner there is the Kenner Train Shop and Mark’s Hobby Shop, both are on Williams Blvd.