What would you consider to be the best part of the U.S. for model railroaders? I would consider ease of getting supplies, popularity in the area, etc. If you could move somewhere just to enhance your model railroading experience and that was the only factor in your move, where would you move to in the US?
Denver. I chose to move there partly for just that reason.
San Diego, New York or, Chicago. These areas should arguably be given seriously consideration ( You can look it up) but mostly because that’s where my kids and grandkids reside. Peter Smith, Memphis
I’m already there - central Maryland, near Baltimore. There are 3 excellent hobby shops within a 30-minute drive from my house (MB Klein, Peach Creek and Moose Caboose), several excellent clubs including the modular one that I’m in (Four County S.M.E.) and lots of cool places to watch prototype train action. The quarterly Great Scale Model Train Show in Timonium is also a short drive away when they have it every 3 mos.
“Best” depends on your interests. If your interest is Colorado narrow gauge, Colorado Springs would be the best place to live, but Chicago would be a bad place to live. However, if your interest is interurbans, it’s the exact opposite.
Other factors include the strength of the economy, the visibility of railroads, the availability of “model railroad friendly” houses, climate, and the nature of the hobby business. That said, I think the most model railroad friendly areas include
Chicago / Milwaukee (Lots of railroads, CTA L, Metra, IRM, etc.)
Philadelphia - Harrisburg - Pittsburgh (PRR heartland)
Denver / Colorado Springs (Colorado narrow gauge)
The least model railroad friendly areas include
Honolulu
Puerto Rico
New York City (mostly apartments)
I know thats a tough act to follow but we’ve got Micromark, Atlas trains and MRC we’ve got The Model Railroad shop in Piscattaway NJ and Hobby Masters of Red Bank and with in the state we have the Model railroad club of Union NJ, Tony Koester, Harold Werthwein,and just over the border Ken McCrory so we’ll claim him…lol but you do have that crazy man from Columbia who hardly ever leaves his basement only to come out for the Timonium show so it’s a tough call lets just call it a draw.
In all seriousness with the internet and being able to get just about anything you want with in a few days give or take I think every where is a great place to live for model railroading. I pity those poor folks in Hawaii who have to wait for weeks to get stuff, all the humility must reak havoc on scenery etc. and imagine the shipping charges! and no big name rail roads of their own to model who do they have the Pineapple Express? poor poor people.
NOTE: I here by claim Howard Zane as another good reason we are a model railroad friendly state., he may live in Maryland but he’s a Jersey Boy see another great NJ treasure gone!
Well, Northern California ain’t a half-bad place, IMO. We’ve got our share of avid model railroaders, and quite a few young people interested in the hobby. And where I live happens to be the site of the first transcontinental railroad (western half) and there’s a lot of history–to say nothing of one of the best Railroad Museums in the entire country. And a lot of awfully good MR hobby shops both in the Bay Area and here in the Sacramento area–in fact two of the biggest in Northern California are within six miles of either direction of my house.
And the yearly Roseville Model Railroad Show at the fairgrounds takes up three buildings and the amount of people that attend makes it look like Casting Call for a Movie Epic.
So the hobby isn’t hurting around this area at all.
Of course, if you moved here, you’d have to put up with all of the (mostly) mild weather, and our ‘basements’ are two-car garages. But what the Hey–out here, NOBODY parks their car in the garage anyway, and all you have to do is leave the wife with enough room for the washer and the dryer. [:-^]
Like I said, it’s not bad out here at all for the Model Railroader.
Tom [:D]
I live in the Sacramento area right now and I’m considering moving to Omaha. When is the Roseville Model Railroad Show? I love the Western Depot up in Yuba City…that’s a hobby shop for just trains. Bruce’s Train Store down in Sacramento is ok, they aren’t the friendliest people in the world for sure. I think Omaha would be ok.
John:
The Roseville model railroad show is usually about the second or third weekend in November at the Roseville Fair Grounds. It’s HUGE! Sometimes there is a smaller show there during the spring.
Have you tried Railroad Hobbies in Roseville? They’re in downtown, near the west end of Vernon Street, the main street in town. Great store. Nice guys. I do a lot of business with them. Very helpful. You might want to try them.
Tom [:)]
+1
There seems to be alot of people on this forum from the Denver area. I’m one of the few natives, born and raised here. Of course we have Caboose hobbies too!!
You can’t go wrong with the rocky mountains.
Been to Railroad Hobbies. The older fella is not too optomistic about helping and pretty quiet and reserved towards me. I’m not the poster child for model railroading either. I’m younger and darker than most model railroaders I know. I dont know if that has anything to do with it but I find the cold shoulder at some local hobby stores is undeserved. The younger guys help me out, I just like a hobby shop that’s kinda like a barber shop where there is friendly conversation and I find that at western depot in Yuba city. But I don’t mind the other two stores, they’re ok.
Jersey City. Halfway between Timonium and W. Springfield.
Well…once upon a time the hub of model railroading could be considered the New York metropolitan area, since many of the manufacturers and custom builders were from that area. Then, too, a directory appearing in Model Railroader in the early 1950’s listed something like 125 hobby shops in just the city itself! There were countless clubs and individuals with world-class layouts here in the 50’ds. Likewise, the lower Hudson Valley at one time boasted the largest model railroad retailer/mail-order business that the hobby has probably ever seen: Hobbies for Men (anyone remember them?).
Today that’s all history. The great train shops and showrooms are gone, as are most of the clubs. The entire Hudson Valley between NYC and Albany has only two or three model railroad hobbyshops of any note.
From my own observations, I’d say that the most active region of the country now is probably the mid west. You certainly hear a lot more about big clubs out that way and especially NMRA activities - some of their newsletters and websites are truly outstanding. The only general hotbed in the northeast seems to be eastern New England, where there are still a number of sizable clubs and quite a few craftsman kit manufacturers.
CNJ831
I’d like to put a vote in for Kansas City as far as all around goodness towards MRR. It has 2 very nice hobby shops that’s I’ve been too and some more that I haven’t gotten to yet. I visit there about once a year just with friends just to have ops sessions on several very well done home layouts. Every model railroader I’ve met there has been very gracious and very helpful in my own endeavors to build a layout.
And where I live just up the road in the Omaha area, we have 4 well established hobby shops, a fairly stong NMRA group and several modelers with home layouts that are just great.
Ricky
What to people think about Ohio? If there was anywhere in the Midwest I would want to be as a model railroader, it would be Wisconsin or the Chicago area.
When I hear all the horror stories about modelers who have to hike 150 miles each way through the snow, uphill, and lose their sled dogs to wolves, I’m happy to be here in Massachusetts. I’ve got a great shop that I can drive to in 10 minutes, or bicycle in 20 if I feel like it. There are 3 or 4 other reputable shops within a half-hour’s drive, and even a gamers’ shop that has Woodland Scenics supplies. Add to that Michaels and A.C. Moore art supply stores, multiple hardware stores and big-box building supply places, and we are well supplied.
We have not only the Springfield show each year, about an hour and a half away, but 3 or 4 smaller shows within that nice half-hour driving range.
There are quite a few clubs in the area, too. I’m not currently involved in club activities, but it’s something to consider once my own layout doesn’t demand so much of my time.
We aren’t blessed with much freight activity anymore, although we have both commuter rail and the Boston subway system nearby. I’ve heard that our local freight carrier, PanAm / Guilford, is teaming with Norfolk Southern, and we will be getting more intermodal traffic into the region.
Each Thanksgiving weekend, there is a popular layout tour known as the Tour de Chooch. A couple of dozen modelers open up their homes for a free, self-guided tour of layouts in the area.
Oh, and we have lots of basements and attics.
I’m very happy with the Seattle area. Within the Seattle area we have at least 5 good sized model train shops and more smaller hobby shops that have a good selection of model train supplies. There are 3 good model train shows within easy driving distance each year, and quite a few clubs and open houses to go to. Ken
if model railroading would be the only factor, then i would say west suburban Chicago. with the internet these days and the factor that i am somewhat of a lone wolf (partly due to my caustic personality) i would just try to avoid any area with a low tooth per head count.
grizlump
I think it would be fun if we could have a map of the world connected to this forum. Then we could stick a pin in it showing where were from. Maybe with our avatars on them. Yes,no maybe so?
Brent
Interesting thread. A particular thought came to mind after reading the original post and all subsequent comments seem to reinforce it.
Model railroading seems to flourish, with only a few exceptions, in areas with long, cold winters. Maybe that’s why the next T/C may never be completed, as there are many outdoor activities vying for time.
“Sunshine is a terrible thing to waste”