Where do you buy your train items ?...

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I was just curious to see where you folks buy most of your train items.
I personally buy the majority of mine off the internet from sources such as ebay.

trainluver1

2

I have the good fortune of being near a great MRR shop…Englishs MRR supply. They have from Z to G and a bountiful supply of scenery/paints/details etc. If any of you get to the Williamsport PA area they are worth checking out![8D]

Mike

3

Hello littleboom (Mike), and let me be the first to welcome you to the forum.

You lucky stiff. Very few people have “great” train shops close by. Oh well. Thank goodness for the web…

trainluver1

4

Now that I’ve located a shop that I like I get my stuff there.

Jesse

5

Pretty mixed - I get quite a bit of internet shops and via ebay generally Loco’s and cars. However I also buy a lot of scenery items and structures from local shops. I’d like to buy more locally as nothing can beat seeing it before you buy it but issues of range and price come into play…

Tim

6

There are two places I buy from I never buy from the UK as its far too expensive (though i never understand why because they all buy at the same price from the factory) anyway, the place I would recomend for things is;

http://scholz.schwaben-surf.de/

This place is the cheapest I have found, of corse if you are a non EU resident you get the VAT back at 16% for Germany.

I also found this comprehensive model shop http://www.modellbahnecke.de/en_home.htm which has the site in English, great for looking at new things and when they are in stock.

7

I purchase off the internet. My favorite LHS, Jimbo’s Whistle Stop- Parkersburg,W.Va.
closed several years ago. I believe the owner passed away.[:(]
I hate doing a lot of driving, but there is a real thrill about going to a good train store !
I’m going to check out another shop that a forum member told me about.
Still a long drive.But it will be worth it, if it is well stocked.

8

Loco’s & rolling stock, mostly from the Internet stores, NEVER eBay. I have a decent hobby shop here, but they are the only game in town, and it shows in their prices. I buy small parts and supplies there, such as for weathering, but hardly ever anything major. The Internet inreases my buying power by about a third. Retailers don’t realize there is a shopping world beyond their city limits?

9

I think your ‘choices’ in the poll are incomplete. I just lost our LHS when the owner passed away. That said, I do have several very good shops on 75 miles away. For some folks, that is better than they currently have. The ‘other’ problem with those shops 75 miles away is cost - they are full MSRP type operations for the most part. There is a 3rd shop about 85 miles away that gives about a 20% discount on some items and will special order. I tend to ‘mix’ my purchases…
Then there is the internet. I only buy off off eBay when looking for some ‘out of production’ item - I can do much better(cost wise) ordering though a larger dealer like M B Klein or Toy Train Heaven.
The 3rd avenue is local train shows. Selection can be ‘hit or miss’ and I have noticed that the discount is not as good over the past couple of seasons. The ‘social’ aspect of the shows is the main reason I attend them!
Now, where have my ‘hobby dollars’ gone this year? Not exact, but here is a rough gauge of my spending pattern:

Locomotives - 1 FP7 - got it for $36 off of eBay
Structures - about $100 so far - bought at train shows
Track - code 83 flex/turnouts - about 50/50 through the internet and train shows
Detail parts - $150 - got at those distant LHS…
Rolling Stock - Walthers/P2K/Accurail - about $200, split between my former LHS, internet, and train shows.

Future purchases:

Intermountain FP7 - if it ever is released
more Walthers HW passenger cars
Athearn/MDC rib side cars next month
…and whatever I happen to find at the NTS/NMRA convention this summer!

Jim Bernier

10

I buy the most at train shows, followed by the Internet (not ebay), mail order, and last my LHS. This is mainly because my LHS doesn’t carry S scale.
Enjoy
Paul

11

I buy basicly from ebay and yard sales .

12

Track I get from the LHS near my parents. I see them more often now that there are two reasons for the drive. I have also ordered from the same LHS’s web site.

So far most of my rolling stock has come from eBay. Cheap stuff that if I mess it up I don’t care.

All the lumber for my modules has been recycled from other projects.

13

I get stuff where I find it.

Can’t say it any better.

14

Internet, LHS, yard sales and train shows.

15

Chip said my answer…I also buy my supplies, loco’s, rolling stock, and everything MRR related wherever I find what I want.

Sometimes it’s the LHS, sometimes the internet online. However, If I’m looking for something “very” specific I’ll most likely buy it online cause chances are that my LHS wont have it[V]

Trevor[:)]

16

If it is in Walthers’ catalog, I will order it through my hobby shop provided it is in stock. If not, then the search begins, usually on the Internet mostly using Internet Model Trains or Discount Model Trains. The exception to this is DCC components for which I order from Tony’s.

REX [:)]

17

I would love to be able to buy from my LHS but the nearest is a 3hr round trip & they don’t have a godd stock of MR. I buy most of my stuff on ebay or order off the internet. We visit our kids on the coast(250miles) frequently so I hit the LHSs down there. Ther e
are many good ones in Vancouver & area.

Tom [:)]

18

All of the above.

19

Locomotive’s i tend to get at train shows or online because they are usually around 25-33% cheaper then my LHS, anything else, i tend to try the LHS first, then online, train shows. etc.

20

I like to support my local hobby shop.