I usually get my stuff from my LHS & freind but I have boight some stuff at shows.
Gordon
When I can save over the $8 shipping in one order, I buy from www.1stplacehobbies.com. I have had very good experiences with fast shipping and great selection. If it is a few little things, then I go to the not-so-local hobby shop. It’s about and hour and a half away. In general, it’s whatever is cheapest.
Reed
Most items from my LHS, Happy Hobo Trains.
A few items from Ebay.
Three places I use most and worthy of mention as an FYI are:
Hobbies USA - Mitch is a real charm to deal with. He sends out regular e-mails that usually are among the first with the latest announcements (only that German website AllAmericanTrains seems to ever get the scoop sooner).and his prices are among the best. He can usually find most anything too. I can’t say enough about Mitch and his outfit… I think he’s solely mailorder, but I couldn’t say for sure because he’s in Virginia and I’m in California. Check them out and definitely get on his e-mail list. The website is:
http://www.hobbiesusa.com
I also usually shop at two LHS’s that are in Moreno Valley, (So Cal). My favorite being TrainQuest. Jim, his wife Marina, and their staff Jessie, Andy, and Chris are all very knowledgeable and very fun to deal with. Their prices are pretty good too. I usually stop in there once a week if only just to chat or to see what’s happening in the hobby. They’re great. They do a ton of mailorder as well as having a store to visit. Their website is:
http://www.trainquest.net
The other LHS that I visit regularly is Long’s Drugs in Moreno Valley. It’s the only drug store that I know of that has an incredible model trains department. It was started by Jim Bromar who later retired and opened Trainquest (just mentioned above). They used to do a ton of mailorder, but they stopped advertising and the mailorder has slowed accordingly. They have tremendous selection (and even have walls full of detail parts) and their prices are decent. The website isn’t really well maintained lately. You really need to call them for product info and ordering. Their website s:
http://www.longs-trains.com
If you ever make it to So California, you really should take a trip to Moreno Valley to see Trainquest and Long’s. The Original Whistle Stop in Pasadena is also worth visiting. Their prices are usually MSRP, but the selection is quite large and still worth seeing,
The poll does not cover multiple sources. I could vote for each and every one except the other or Other, whatever that is.
What is this Poll used for?
I have Ordered by internet / e-mail.
I have Seen items in catalog then called in an order.
I have Seen items in a catalog then mailed in an order.
I have purchased many items from stores, way too many…
I have Purchased and traded items from friends, and they are still friends.
I received train items as gifts, but I have never used one received as a gift.
Sorry, never won a train. Win trains. Ex: MR 70th Anniversary Boxcar?
I have purchased many items from Ebay type Auctions
I usually buy them for stores like modellers choice. But I sometimes get them as gifts.
It all depends. My LHS disappeared when the owner divorced his wife and he and his girlfriend moved to Mexico. Since the only other LHS I know of is halfway across the state, I get most of my stuff from Walthers, at shows, or from various places on the internet.
Poll questions like this are poor questions simply because most people buy from different sources.
Ok, that said, I picked hobby shop because that where MOST of my purchases come from. I will not buy Internet unless I know that the company has a brick and mortar store, and I have only purchased two items mail order in the 30+ years that I have been in the hobby and they were tools. I have also purchased a few items, mostly books, from dealers at the CID Meets. I consider them to be legitimate dealers and many of them also have store front operations.
If you buy all of the high end items from the Internet or Mail Order, there will be no LHS to supply all of those little misc. needs when you suddenly find that you can’t get them Internet/Mail Order.
I’ll usually try to buy from hobby shops, however, since the railroad I model isn’t carried too heavy (Milw. Rd.) in Minnesota, I resort to train shows or the internet for harder to find passenger cars or specific engines.
I’ve got two excellent hobby shops in my area (Sacramento), Bruce’s Trains in Sacramento, and Railroad Hobbies in nearby Roseville. I can usually get what I need there, and Bruce always seems to have some of my prototype road (D&RGW Standard Gauge) in stock so that’ I don’t feel like a total outsider in SP/WP country. Both stores usually have a good selection of used brass locos in case my bug is biting. I have bought some equipment at model railroad shows, and occasionally I’ll shop the Walthers catalogue. But I prefer the idea of supporting the local hobby shops. It’s kind of hard having a conversation about the product you’re considering while you’re shopping on E-Bay.
I am getting my stuff at the local train shows like GATS and a couple of clubs
There are not that many options in Central Iowa, but whenever I go to So. Cal. I go to Arnie’s Trains in Westminster and the Godzilla of train stores Allied Model Trains in Culver City. When I am in my hometown of NYC I go to Trainworld.
Getting US models here in Germany isn´t easy.
One of our three LHS here in Liburg has a liite sortiment of LL and MDc equipment - BUT EXTREME EXPENSIVE !!!
So my LHS is All American Trains in Kaarst ( near Cologne). http://www.aat-net.de
There I will become everything I need and they make also a good support.
The rest I order direct in the USA.
LHS
Trainworld
Standard
Friend
Santa Claus (That would be the Other OTHER)
Internet, internet, a little e-bay, and more internet. I have purchased from M.B. Klein, Discounttrainsonline, and T and K Hobby. I buy what I need when it’s on sale. I will buy from the least expensive place at all times. Their are no LHS very close to me. I stopped in at one the other day 30 miles away, and they had a huge selection, but the prices drove me away. Even some of the online retailers others have mentioned are asking ridiculous prices for some things. For example, Athearn 86’ box cars for $9-12? They have them at Discounttrainsonline for $6.60.
Hobbiesusa web site is closed
Trainquest has such a limited selection-3 Atlas HO engines, 2 Kato HO engines, and 10 LL P2K engines. These aren’t the quantity of styles, with various roadnames, but their quantity including various roadnames.
Nobody subsidizes my business to make sure I stay in business, so I won’t do it for others. If they can’t compete with a storefront, maybe it’s time to close and do mail order.
Like many others, I go to multiple sources.
Local store is 15 minutes away, and gets most of my business.
www.tsghobbies.com
Internet sources, never used more then a few times, but never unsatisfied.
www.caboosehobbies.com,
www.trainworld.com,
www.republiclocomotiveworks.com, source for GHQ locomotive kits.
www.internettrains.com,
I’ve done some barter deals with a friend and have gotten some neat stuff that way.
Don’t know what the fat man in the red suit will bring this year.
Alvie.