Does anyone know if the Purdue University is open to the public? I’m headed to Indiana in a couple of weeks and would like to see it. The only website I could find is pretty stale. It looks like it hasn’t been updated in over 6 months. Any link to an alternate website or other information on the club would be appreciated.
Hi. I am sorry I don’t know about the availability of the Purdue Club but if you are going to Lafayette or West Lafayette a must see location is Hawkins Rail Service in Lafayette. I live in Indy and a couple or three times a year I have to go to Hawkins Rail Service. It is a fantastic hobby shop. It is in the back of an old school building. If you do not see what you are looking for ask Jack and he will pull it out of his hat. He is also very knowledgable about railroad history. He advertises in Model Railroader someplace in the main body of the magazine—not the back that I recall. Let us know what you think!!!
Thanks. I was also planning to try and stop by First Place Hobbies in Bluffton during my stay in Hoosierland if time and the better half permits. Have you ever been there? Is it worth the trip?
Hi, regarding First Place Hobbies. I called them last year and was going to go up on a Saturday but they said they do not have much of a store operation,so I did not go. I do not know if that has changed or not. There is a good store in Kokomo called The Train Exchange, well worth a visit. Check their hours of operation since several of the owners have “real jobs”. Hope this helps
The Purdue Layout is not usually open to visitors except that they do have open houses on occasion. I haven’t been in a couple of years, but they were going to be upgrading to DCC shortly after my most recent visit. If you email someone listed on the website, they may let you stop by. I gotta tell you though, it can be a bit tough to find the room in the basement of the student union.
I just remembered, that this is finals week for the students, so you may be out of luck trying to find a student who is still around in a couple of weeks. There are faculty members, and they’ll probably be around.
I also have to second the idea of going to see Jack at Hawkins Rail. His shop is a sight to behold. Let me look at Jack’s business card and I’ll give you store hours…
Mon,Tues,Thurs…12:00 - 6:00
Wed, Fri…12:00 - 5:00
Sat…10:00 - 5:00
Usually the best time to catch any of Purdue’s RR crowd is mid semester, and its still in the student union bldg’s basement. Thanks Hoosier Daddy for the update on Hawkins rail, but it seems like every time I go there the place is closed!
Thanks for the replies and info on the LHSs. I sent an e-mail to the only address I could find on the Purdue website.