Going to be in Lafayette and Attica Indiana this weekend. Google maps says only that there’s a club at Purdue, but I don’t think we’ll be around during their open hours and we won’t be anywhere near Indianapolis.
Are there any other clubs, shops, antique dealers, etc in the area that have model trains?
For that matter are there any particularly good places to watch trains? I notice a couple yards on the south side of Lafayette that I might try and drive around.
Since Hawkins Rail Service (one of the best hobby shops I have ever been to) closed, I know of no reason to go to Lafayette.
One of my lifelong friends I have known since Middle School is a professor at Purdue. If not for that, I would never go back.
Sorry.
-Kevin
That place was legendary, and so was Jack Hawkins.
There are no hobby shops left in the Lafayette area.
I believe The Train Exchange in Kokomo is OPs best bet, about an hour east of Lafayette. Search for the wesbsite because their hours of operation can be a bit uncommon.
Thanks guys. Sad to hear it, but at least I know I won’t be missing anything. A good reminder to be thankful for the shops we have here in Chicago. I’ll have to content my self with a bit of resaling and maybe some antiquing.
Train Exchange looks neat, but unfortunately we won’t be traveling west of Lafayette.
I am however, looking forward to a trip a bit later this spring to Grand Rapids, MI that will bring be past “Hobby Recyclying” which is a fantastic used train shop.
Now THAT sounds like my kind of place [Y]
Mike.
As some of you know, my son played football at Purdue, and over the 5 years he was there I spent many enjoyable hours (and dollars) at Hawkins. I was somewhat lucky in that the Saturday I moved him out of Indiana was the last Saturday that Hawkins Rail was in operation, and I got to say goodbye to Mr. Jack.
There is a large group of model railroaders in West Lafayette / Lafayette, and Mr. Jack was going to get me to an operating session, but I never was able to do so.
I didn’t do much railfanning there, but on Friday nights, the local that works what used to be Alcoa (now Arconic on Google Maps) used to run. An old wide vision caboose is used as a shoving platform; it also works the Catapillar plant on occasion, as I have seen a flatcar with new Cat engines on them in the NS yard on Saturday morning. It was kind of neat to see that caboose creeping down the track, lit up like something that belonged on the front of a train.
Kokomo is actually SE of Lafayette, but probably too far anyway.
If you have the chance to visit, it’s a fairly small store, but well organized and absolutely packed with used HO.
This was my haul last year.
cutting to the chase
Yeah,
That was the cream of the crop from that trip. EJ&E is my favorite road and compared to average Ebay pricing, that was a 3-for-1! I don’t run alot of freight over 50’ but I make an exception for EJ&E mill Gondolas.
I love that Train Shop! I spent over an hour there last summer digging through their stuff! About half my trains came from there, infact I’m not sure I’d be in the hobby if not for Hobby Recycling cause I bought my first loop of track there for a fabulously low $5!
I want those GONS!!! [:'(]
Mike.
I understand that sentiment completely.