Any Train Stores That You Miss?

Jim Sutter's and Sean Marchev's shops are the two I miss.  

-Greg 

Jim's Trains in Homer City, PA.  I started buying from him when my daughter went to Indiana University of PA.  Great guy and reasonable prices.  If he was still in business I would have bought most of  my MTH purchases from him. 

Jimmys

Yes, of all the Hobby Shops I have been fortunate to Have Visited, Davis Electic Trains in The Cincinnati Ohio area, was the Largest, most Complete Model Train Store, Fully Staffed, that I ever visited.  They carried most everything in Lionel, MTH, Weaver, K-Line, G GUAGE, LGB, HO, N, Whatever.....They have been out of business for many years....But, The Memories, Their Displays were simply Amazing....WOW...Great Thread, Thanks for Posting....

Sure do....the best of the best.

Ditto on Davis Trains in Milford, Ohio.  If they didn't have it, you didn't need it.

Tom

The Train Clinic • Detroit, Michigan

13950 Hubbell Ave. Between Grand River and Schoolcraft / VE 7-6430

Their specialty, was American Flyer and Lionel, Sales and service. Yes: HO - Brass

We had like 6 hobby shops here in Tampa when I moved here in 1973, now we have none! There's a couple across the bay in Pinellas County.

Barrilaro's in Colchester, CT.  Anyone remember their modular layout ads in OGR?

Jon

I miss H&L Childs in Northampton, MA (and later Hadley, MA). Used to drive by their store twice a day on my way to the University.

There was also a great small store in Pawtucket, RI that I used to frequent while a graduate student about 1980.

Living in Cambridge, MA I loved visiting Ernest Fuchs in Boston.

Having grown up in Scranton, PA, I miss the train displays of the Globe, Scranton Dry, Household Furniture, American Auto, Bill's Sporting Goods, and Eynon Drug (what a mouthful!)

Lad Nagurney

Train Express, Indianapolis.

Lots of memories as a young boy dreaming of all those trains.  Larry was a great guy also, made me some  deals during the final sale.

Yes, earlier when I mentioned Davis Electric Trains, I forgot it was in Milford, Ohio. Also, there is still a Really Nice Model Train Store in Milford, Ohio...Dixie Union Station......Its a Rock Solid Hobby Shop, just ask for Rocky.....Wow.

Mizell Trains, Westminster, Colorado ( Northwest Denver )

In Feb 2012 I bought a 3472 Milk Car with platform in the original box for 56 bucks, works great !

Steve

Yes, I also remember Train Express, many mail orders came to Tennessee....

Mail order:  Jim's Train Shop - PA, Ma & Pa Junction - MD, Just Trains - DE, Island Trains - NY.

Local: Ted's Engine House - Pennsauken, NJ == M & G Hobbies - Delran, NJ == J & B Trains - Delran/Maple Shade, NJ.

Fred

86TA355SR posted:

Train Express, Indianapolis.

Lots of memories as a young boy dreaming of all those trains.  Larry was a great guy also, made me some  deals during the final sale.

Yes:  Train Express, they were a K-Line Super Store, all my K-Line Shadow Rail, came from there.

Gary

Fred Brenek posted:

Mail order:  Jim's Train Shop - PA, Ma & Pa Junction - MD, Just Trains - DE, Island Trains - NY.

Local: Ted's Engine House - Pennsauken, NJ == M & G Hobbies - Delran, NJ == J & B Trains - Delran/Maple Shade, NJ.

Fred

Just Trains is most certainly still in business - alive and well I'd say. They have a wonderful brick and mortar store as well as a very good mail order operation. 

Ma Webster' Model train shop 45 th St.  Manhattan. Besides missing the fabulous store I also miss my youth! The ultimate of shops.

Nate

Steve24944 posted:

Mizell Trains, Westminster, Colorado ( Northwest Denver )

In Feb 2012 I bought a 3472 Milk Car with platform in the original box for 56 bucks, works great !

Steve

Ahh, Mizell's! I never actually visited the store, but Chuck was always helpful getting me any parts that I needed.

Tom 

SJC posted:

Fred Brenek posted:

Mail order:  Jim's Train Shop - PA, Ma & Pa Junction - MD, Just Trains - DE, Island Trains - NY.

Local: Ted's Engine House - Pennsauken, NJ == M & G Hobbies - Delran, NJ == J & B Trains - Delran/Maple Shade, NJ.

Fred

Just Trains is most certainly still in business - alive and well I'd say. They have a wonderful brick and mortar store as well as a very good mail order operation. 

Just Trains just isn't the same since the founder died and a new manager took over.  I have to say, I miss the owners more than I necessarily miss the stores.

Fred

Madison Hardware in Manhattan,  the Closter Hobby shop in Closter NJ...more recently, HiWay Hobby in Ramsey NJ on RT 17

-Mike

Anybody remember All Nation Hobbies, Downtown Chicago ?  Is it still there ?   I use to go there back in the 70s when I was in High School and College.  They had a HO layout with working signals that traveled through various Landscapes.

Steve

I miss Mizells in North end of Denver.  They were always there for me.

Chesterfield Hobbies, Midlothian VA.........Adrian retired and no buyer materialized......a great shop and, a local hangout for us local train nuts.....most of us purchased most of our trains there.....Adrian gave us a nice discount and stood behind/serviced what he sold......very sad to see him gone......but, I'm glad that he's enjoying his retirement.......

Peter

G&M Trains and Hobbies in Martins Ferry,Ohio. great place for new and used, and always found something in the junk box.

Carriage House Trains and Antiques in Monaca,Pa. A small place I found when I drove delivery van when I first got married. Tom had a great lay a way that worked out for a newly married guy. as long as you needed as long as you paid something each month. great prices.

just remembered.....

Yorba Toy Trains Yorba Linda,Ca. Found them when we were visiting in laws, and everytime time we went out there I went over. was proud of myself for being able to find it on my own.

Last time out (2013) I got to visit Mile Post 38. Then they closed after that. hope it's not me......

no

leapinlarry posted:

Yes, earlier when I mentioned Davis Electric Trains, I forgot it was in Milford, Ohio. Also, there is still a Really Nice Model Train Store in Milford, Ohio...Dixie Union Station......Its a Rock Solid Hobby Shop, just ask for Rocky.....Wow.

Dixie Union Station is located in Mason, Ohio, north of Cincy, near Kings Island Amusement Park.  Rocky is one of my go-to guys.  Great shop!

Tom

Steamer posted:

G&M Trains and Hobbies in Martins Ferry,Ohio. great place for new and used, and always found something in the junk box.

Carriage House Trains and Antiques in Monaca,Pa. A small place I found when I drove delivery van when I first got married. Tom had a great lay a way that worked out for a newly married guy. as long as you needed as long as you paid something each month. great prices.

Dave,

 You reminded me when you mentioned the lay-a-way plan. I was able to do that at Trent's Trains too, which was a nice feature back in the 1990's.

Tom

Al Moyer's Coventry Trains in Pottstown Pa. Also Train 99 in Concordville DE. 

Brick and Mortar stores;

Rayvin's hobby shop in Jefferson La. was a favorite of mine when visiting my grandparents. It was just a few blocks from their house. I also liked going to Kenner train shop and Mike's train shop when in town. I don't remember going to any of these stores when I lived there, only when going back to visit.

I liked shopping at Allied Model trains when I was a teenager living in Santa Monica. I used to go there when they were on Pico, when I was on my way to my Orthodontist in Brentwood.

More recently, I would shop at Trainmaster of Montgomery and Uncle Al's hobby shop/Lil Bobbie's hobbies. Both went out of business about 10 years ago.

On-line stores;

Jim's train shop and Ma & Pa. (Jim has actually called me long since the store closed just to say "hi". Great guy, still missed.)

Warren's Model Trains in Fairview Park, OH....but only when it was owned by Tom Podojil....who passed away much too young several years ago.

The Hobby House on Huron Road in downtown Cleveland was always exciting.

And while I'm too young to have vivid memories of the place, my grandparents used to take me to Jaye & Jaye trains in Euclid, OH once a year.  I still remember picking out two items from the 1982 Traditional Catalog there.

Not all good times are behind me, though.  Stockyard Express in Oberlin has become a favorite place of mine to stop by.

I've also found buying and selling on this Forum is a good way to "meet" people and make some new friends.

Tom,

   We had the best 3 Trains shops in the USA right here in Western Pa, and now 2 of them are gone completely, the Iron Horse & Jim's Train Shop are gone, and yes I do miss Frank's place & Train Club most of all, but Jim's was big time also.  Dave at Bill & Walts has long down sized, from his big shop on the Blvd of the Allies, and I miss that Monster Train shop also, his little place in White Oak is nice, but his big store at the foot of the Blvd of the Allies was something special in Pittsburgh, for many many years.

PCRR/Dave

III Rail Trains in Coon Rapids, MN. It wasn't around long, maybe 7 or 8 years, but boy did George know how to stock and sell trains. Nobody like him around here before or since. I have to mail order everything now.

 Collectible Trains & Toys  Forney TX  (Dalls)

Brent

I, too, was about to comment that Dixie Union Station is in Mason (Ohio), and is still there.  Sadly, the one in Milford kind of enlarged, doubled in size, and then vanished, almost right in front of my eyes,  I bought some K-Line aluminum passenger cars there, but usually I did not find much of interest, but they had tons of stuff, and upstairs, too.  I have not been in a shop that had more inventory, when they were at their largest.  I used to stop at G&M in Martins  Ferry and the one mentioned south of Pittsburgh on the posting about a tunnel entrance  on my way east (the last time I stopped at each, gone).  Fischer's Hobby Shop in downtown Louisville, Ky,, a tiny little shop (name unremembered but I was there every weekend in my teens) on a backstreet off the main drag in St. Matthews, a Louisville suburb, where I became derailed into HO for a while, and, as mentioned, Mizell's, in Denver area...all visited, and all their passing is lamented.

There are quite a few stores now closed which I miss. As several of them have already been mentioned, I'll limit my response to a few which haven't. My first would be the Hazlet Train Stop in Hazlet, NJ which was owned by Mr. Boyd Mason. His wife closed down not long after he passed on. Although the store didn't carry model railroading equipment, another of my now-gone favorites (you'll like this one Tom) would the Depot Attic in Dobbs Ferry, NY. The Depot Attic had a fabulous selection of railroadiana. Two of my other favorite sources of memorabilia were Broadway Limited Antiques owned by Mr. and Mrs. Howard Samelson and Mr. Arnold Joseph's Railroad 'N Things, both located in Manhattan. Ah, the memories.

Great thread!

Bob

Steve24944 posted:

Anybody remember All Nation Hobbies, Downtown Chicago ?  Is it still there ?   I use to go there back in the 70s when I was in High School and College.  They had a HO layout with working signals that traveled through various Landscapes.

Steve

Sorry, it's long gone.

And one I forgot:  There were three shops in a line in western Chicago  ...'burbs....Hills is the one that closed, and it was in an east-west  line of three I visited when going to Wheaton...the most western one downsized and moved into a smaller place in the same shopping area, and the other, which I had visited for O scale stuff, went to tinplate.  All three of these I had visited for O scale, one gone, one still has a little, most eastern one does not.

Gandy Dancers in Chamblee, Georgia. (Outside Atlanta)