Disappointing participation but here are the results:
5 votes M.B. Klein
4 votes Walthers
2 votes Discount Trains Online
2 votes Toy Train Heaven
2 votes Cherry Creek Hobbies
2 votes Brooklyn Locomotive Works
The following had 1 vote and a couple are nich retailers, N scale, DCC but deserve mention because at least one person thought enough of them to add to our list.
udisco.com - located in Canada
central-hobbies.com - located in Canade
As an overseas customer I’ve always had good service from Walthers, but personally my own preferred US supplier is Midwest Rail Junction of Rockford, IL (also on eBay), who I have always found to be excellent.
Looking through the list posted above there is one supplier named which I certainly wouldn’t use again, though I don’t know if it would be fair to identify them here. I’d ordered an Athearn Genesis Milwaukee Road MP15AC as part of a larger order, and when it arrived the locomotive’s box was empty. I saw the funny side at first, and assumed that they’d had the model on display and had sent the empty box by mistake. However after several unacknowledged e-mails I phoned them, and they claimed that this was impossible but that they would look into it and get back to me. They never did, and after further communication was ignored I gave up. If anyone wants to buy an empty Athearn G66060 box I’m open to offers…
I would, you would not hesitate to compliment them if the reverse were true. They have to take the good with the bad.
Send me a private message. If they are one of the one vote merchants I will remove them.
I don’t want to risk inviting the thread to degenerate into a forum for complaints about suppliers, but I will say that it was a Milwaukee Road MP15AC. In fairness, I’d used them several times before with no problems.