East-side Puget Sound-
Trains, Planes & Automobiles, in Bellevue (advertised in MR as The Inside Gateway).
Probably 80% of his stock is trains. Love that place.
Brian
In Wichita, KS, it’s Engine House Hobbies. They have just about everything, including vintage Lionel repair. What they don’t have, they are quick to order.
Ort007
In Northern Virginia, its Grandad’s, just off the beltway at the Braddock Road exit.
Great hobby shops!..but i’d have to rate them in this order…
1.Papa Ben’s
2. Houston Roundhouse (formerly the Bellaire Roundhouse)
3. then G and G Model Shop
there is also one in Spring that is an excellent hobby shop…don’t remember the name but if you take the exit for Spring it’s on the left…Chuck[:D]
None in this town! Nearest two are around 45 miles away (one in Aberystwyth, one in Hereford), there’s another about 60 miles away (Totally Trains in Ross on Wye), and another two about 70 miles away (one in Cardiff, one in Chester). It usually takes about an hour to get to the nearest ones, and about two hours for the longer distances. Worth the trip though.
In Baltimore, MD, it’s M.B Klein - HUGE selection, discount prices. Heading south to Laurel, MD, be sure to visit Peach Creek Shops - 100% model railroading, all scales, great brass selection, and discount prices[:p].
ANY HOBBY SHOP! PLEASE!
I live in Redcliff Alberta which is right outside Medicine Hat Alberta. Theres two hobbie shopes in the area one is Avalon Hobbies which is the one I most commonly use for the other one is in short demand of N scale things. Bothh shops have been lots of help and have given me great ideas. If your ever in the area stop at (Raceway Hobbies And Trains) they have an awosme layout thats fun too look at, and if your lucky they let you take one of their trains for a spin.
Benjamin R.
Kennesaw Trains & Hobbies in downtown Kennesaw, Georgia, home of the Civil War locomotive GENERAL which is housed at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. Kennesaw Trains is an excellent shop for HO, N and O scale trains and has alot of detail parts for model trains. This shop will order any model train items that are not in stock in the store, but are currently manufactured by the model train manufacturers for their customers. David Briel in Acworth, Georgia a suburb northwest of Atlanta.
I’d suggest The Train Shop in Santa Clara, California if they are in the San Francisco Bay Area. This hobby shop is strictly model railroading, caters to all scales, has a big inventory, and sells 10% to 20% below list prices.
Since I just moved to Minneapolis, I’ve been checking out the local establishments.
The largest model train selection in the area is at Scale Model Supply in St. Paul. I think they have about everything.
A close runner up would be either of the Hub Hobby stores in Little Canada and Richfield.
The best trains only store would have to be Becker’s Model Railroad Supply in New Brighton.
The other shops I’ve been to are pretty small and/or have a pretty small train selection.
Apache Junction? I work there. I live in queen creek. Anyways made my first trip to a place called Roy’s Train World in Mesa, AZ, I was very pleased when I left, The staff was exceptionally friendly and very willing to answer my plethora of questions. As I am just starting out I found this to be most comforting. I only wish all buisnesses treated customers the same way. stopped by a HobbyTown and a Toy’s R Us also neither impressed me and the people at hobbytown are only interested in you if you are buying/talking Radio Control Cars.
You beat me to it [:D] – I second Grandad’s!
In Milwaukee, there is the end-all of all hobby shops:
Walthers Terminal Hobby Shop. It’s where everything in the Walthers catalogue is kept, they have just about everything that’s currently in production.
But if out of print is what you’re looking for, there is a good place called Greenfield News And Hobby has still got a lot of old stuff, like a pair of Athearn SD40Fs
And if you really want to find some OLD stock, there are a few Happy Hobby stores that still have old Athearn rubber band drive.
~METRO
Any LHS would really be nice. The next town has one with not much selection. The best selection is about an hour down the interstate.
Hobby connection in Wausau WI.Nice people run the store and they offer great services and he has a LARGE layout in the basement.
When I lived in Omaha, I always enjoyed Scale-Rail, owned by an older man named Frank McDonald. Great guy, didnt have a huge shop, but could order anything you needed (only HO). The best store in that area as far as stock is The Train Cellar in Lincoln. Now that I live in Dallas, im spoiled with Discount Model Trains. This store is probably one of the best in the U.S. Tons of stock and 20% off everything in the store, with some items 40% off.
In Los Angeles, I would say
Whistle Stop in Pasadena,
and Allied Trains in West L.A.
New York City,west 45th street off 5th Ave.Lots of old stuff, boxes of Kemtron ,Cal Scale etc. to look through. Other kits, and scratch built parts to ask for.
Called “The Red Ccaboose”
Uncle Nick’s, Just outside of Philadelphia on West Chester Pike.