Hi, I live in a small town in Montana and don’t have any hobby stores that are closer than a couple hours drive. What online hobby stores have people used that are reliable and have good prices/service?
I too live in a small Montana town and frequently use MB Kline and Caboose Hobbies. They both are very reliable, and provide excellent communication and service. A few years ago I was able to visit Caboose Hobbies in Denver and found their brick and mortar store extremely well stocked with merchandise and with very friendly sales people.
If you get to Billings, please try Jim’s Junction, I’ve been there several times and this is a very nice Model Railroad Store that offers a decent discount on all items other than magazines.
Welcome to the Forums, you’ll enjoy this place,
Wayne
Welcome to the forums.
I have delt with MB Kline and several others that advertise in MR magazine. I have never had an issue with any of them, though I have not done a lot of buying from any but MBK.
One thing I do is to make up my desired order, then check the various on line site. Some items are better priced at one store than another, so what you are ordering and what they have in stock can make a difference where you want to order from. One time on an order of about $150, I turned down a free shipping on a large order. I ordered from two different places and still saved over $10, even paying two shipping charges. Also got more of what I wanted, as neither store had all the items I wanted. Shop around.
I spent a year and a half in Great Falls many years ago while serving with Uncle Sam. I know what you mean towns not being close together. Beautiful country though. At the time I wasn’t modeling, so didn’t check out what was around. Since getting on these forums I have noted there is apparently quite a strong group in Great Falls, wish I’d known then.
Good luck,
Richard
Well, you didn’t indicate what scale you’re interested in, and that can have some bearing on which companies some of us might recommend over others.
For example, Cherry Creek Hobbies in Torrington, Wyoming is a very good place to shop, but for HO scale only. There are some shops that cater only to N scale, O scale, G scale, etc.
I’ve bought HO locos and rolling stock on-line for the last 9 years; at last count, I’ve bought from 40+ e-tailers. I markedly increased my on-line purchases within the last three years due to the closing of two major train hobby stores in our area (Cincinnati).
Favorites for locos: Model Train Stuff (MB Klein), Internet Hobbies, Wholesale Trains (Lantz Hobby), Caboose Hobbies, and Ed’s Trains in Longmont, CO.
Favorites for rolling stock: Model Train Stuff (MB Klein) and Wholesale Trains (Lantz Hobby)
I almost always check Model Train Stuff (MB Klein) first for any item because of their great prices, selection, service, and real-time inventory. I then go to the others if I can’t find what I want from MB Klein. I also sometimes check Walthers for special sales, even though their regular prices are too high.
I frequently use EBay a lot for older, out of production items. I find Favorite Spot to be one of my favorite EBay sites.
Best of luck,
http://www.internettrains.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc
decent with lots of options but will hold your order until its filled so time for shipment varies
options to bypass the above issue in the shipment options but to me they seem to have higher prices and orient most of their stock for their products.
I enjoy both and i know there are more out there but its something to start looking at. Happy shopping
Sorry about that- I am an N scaler. Thanks everyone for your posts and recommendations!
For N Scale, I have gotten excellent servise from Brooklyn Locomotive Works. Broad range in stock, discount prices.
For N scale Fifer Hobby in New Mexico have provided excellent service for my son’s n scale needs. Competetive pricing as well.
I have been building a new railroad and needed a lot of stuff and have ordered primarily from MB Klein. There website works great, they are fast, tells whether in stock or not. The best to do business with. I had a defective unit and emailed them they emailed me the return info and it was a painless transaction. Highly recommend.
corey
Give Chuck at www.featherrivertrains.com a try. I have ordered from him many times with very good luck.
Here’s my on-line “A-list”: Some offer a variety of merchandise; some are more specialized - e.g. DCC
- Caboose Hobbies
- Empire Train & Hobby
- HogTrains
- Litchfield Station
- M.B. Klein
- Tony’s Train Exchange
- Ulrich Models Hobby
- Walthers - If you don’t already have one, Montana, it’s worth purchasing a Walthers catalog - even if you only use it for reference.
There’s also good e-stores available through eBay. But, like any online auction, you have to consider the seller and whether S&H are worth the savings. I’ve found some very good deals through eBay.
Tom
Unless things or ownership has changed within the past year, this one has been the source of many complaints over the years because they immediately charge your credit card even if they do not have the items in stock, and will then repeatedly deny a refund when you try to cancel the order.
Cacole - I’ve only had the issue of back-log with these guys but do have to say it annoyed me not hearing from them. As for your mention, i never noticed, thanks
[:-^]
My two favorite Sellars are:
Dallas Model Works
A big thank you to Craig of Dallas Model Works for all of his free online Model Railroad help pages for inventories, weighing, clocks etc…that he calls “My Railroad Tools and Utilities”
and
Thank you for shopping with T-J Model Trains - Lord Bless
T J Model Trains
P.O. Box 309
Eltopia, WA 99330
(509) 528-3161
Fax (509) 266-4375
Both firms treat you as if you were family. Great selection,service and shipping. Even to Canada.
Johnboy out…
LION uses Trainworld in Brooklyn. That was his local hobby shop when he lived in Brooklyn (and on Long Island) and I have never really thought of looking elsewhere. Besides he has the best deal on SUBWAY equipment, and that is all I run now.
I still drop by there when I am in New York, but I have my purchases shipped back to North Dakota rather than taking them on the airplane with me.
ROAR
Pacific Western Rail Systems is a great place. They are in South Surrey, BC but have a warehouse to ship from in Washington State as well. They also deal in N scale.
http://www.pacific-western-rail.com/main.php
Definitely take a look at them.
Dan
I am in HO, buy I also like wholesaletrains.com. They Do have a lot of N scale available there, here is the “headlining page” for N scale:
http://www.wholesaletrains.com/NProducts2.asp?Scale=N&SPECIAL=0
Just click on the buttons on the left side for each catgory/maker.
My other favorite is M.B Kline {modeltrainstuff,com} . Here is their “headlining Page” for N scale:
http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/N-Scale-s/3.htm
Hope you enjoy the hobby the way you like!
[8-|]
I live near Tallahassee Florida and have the same issue. Only one hobby shop and he mostly likes to fly things. Next train hobby shop is over a hundred miles away. Therefore I mainly purchase online. As the others have said, some shops are more specialized and pricing will vary accordingly. Also outside of state will save you sales tax but will increase shipping usually. I check a lot of stores when making my list, but one shop I have used several times is First Hobby at the link below. Seems to have discounted pricing and great service, now located in Texas after a move from central Illinois. I use Walthers as a benchmark, to find the product, then venture out to other e-shops to check pricing. If you create a purchase at Walthers site, it will even ask if you would like to purchase their product through a store listed in their network. A great way to find shops. Find a link or google a store in that list and can go from there.
I highly recommend MB Klein. Excellent service and inventory in N scale. They have a real-time inventory on their website. Their prices are competitive and shipping is very quick. For example, I ordered some in-stock items from them recently. I placed the order in the AM via their website and had the items on my doorstep the afternoon of the next day via UPS ground. I’m located in Martinsburg, WV and they’re north of Baltimore, MD.
I seldom buy any place else.
Bob