We will be in Seattle soon and were looking for recommendations on good local train shops (n-scale) as well as any train museums or good public layouts (any scale).
Thanks in advance, and apologies for the OT
Two shops I have been to in the Seattle area are Eastside Trains and Tacoma trains. I model HO but I am sure they would have n-scale as well. A really good museum layout is in the Washington State History museum in Tacoma open Wed - Sundays. These technically are not in Seattle proper but if you have a car its not that far.
Here is a blurb about the museum;
The Puget Sound Model Railroad Engineers (PSMRE) are constructing the largest permanent model railroad installation in the state of Washington. An HO-scale (1:87) model representing local railroading in the 1950’s, the 25’ by 95’ exhibit area provides a compressed view of local historical landmarks from Tacoma’s Asarco Tunnel to Stampede Pass, with trackage and equipment from the Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Union Pacific, and Milwaukee Road railroads.
The exhibit is located in the History Lab Learning Center, on the fifth floor of the museum, and can be viewed during most normal operating hours. When no PSMRE operators are in attendance, four trains run automatically at the push of a button.
Regularly-scheduled operating sessions occur the first Saturday of every month, running from noon to about 4 PM. During these sessions, club members operate the model using “real railroad methods”, running passenger trains and freight trains according to correct procedures. On duty is a dispatcher, who communicates with the train “crews” via radio. Bring the family and come on down to watch the dedicated volunteers from PSMRE bring the history of railroading in Washington to life.
Have fun,
Bruce
Another shop we have here is, Seattle’s Train Center. They specialize in N scale. You can find them on their web site of the same name.
x2 on the tacoma museum, very nice layout to see. been there many times since i live 10 miles away. nice to go see on a rainy day.
later
g
Next September, the national narrow gauge convention will be centered in Bellevue, which is a suburb of Seattle. Many of the attractions and museums on their web page are open year round (check days to match your itinerary)Seattle 2012 | National Narrow Gauge Convention
copy and paste the link into your favored browser.
Don H.