Is there anything train related in or around Richmond area, I would also like to visit a good hobby shop.
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Canals
If last week, I would have said the Bob McDonnell trial (former governor).
I beleive there is a place where threee railroads cross each other in downtown Richmond. I can't recall the name or location, but someone here posted that a few months ago.
There is an excellent museum of science in Richmond in the old passenger station. If you look out of some of the windows you can still see the old platforms.
Stuart
You guys nailed it:
1. Main Street Station....now the Science Museum of VA
2. Triple Crossing downtown
Lost our really good shop, Chesterfield Hobbies, in June 2013, when the owner retired.
Peter
Until recently there were two very good hobby shops devoted mostly to model trains. Ashland - just up the pike from Richmond - had Train Town Toy and Hobby. Owner Jim Donlon retired and the shop relocated to South Carolina.
Chesterfield Hobbies was another great place, but it too has closed. I do not know of any other shops in the Richmond vicinity.
Steve
Thanks for all the information
Peter, do you have an address for the Triple crossing and the main street station
Here you go.......
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd...e+museum+of+virginia
http://www.rvariverfront.com/sites/triple.html
Peter
The problem with the Triple Crossing is since the construction of elevated roads and the flood wall next to the crossing, its difficult to find a location to get a good look at it. I think the last pictures taken of locomotives staged at the crossing was taken from on top of the flood wall.
The C&O's old Main St Station is nearby. It is now an Amtrak station so you should be able to walk inside. Great turn of the century architecture.
Suggest you take a canal boat ride on the old James River and Kanawha canal through the city. On the eastern end of the trip you will get a good view of the elevated C&O mainline and a bascule bridge on the old Southern.
http://www.rvariverfront.com/sites/canal.html
The local chapter of the NRHS has a small museum in the old Southern station just across the river from the Triple Crossing. There are a few pieces of rolling stock outside and an under construction HO layout inside. I think they are only open on the weekends though.
http://www.richmondrailroadmuseum.org/
If you're looking for train shops, the closest is Rail Tales about an hour's drive west on I64 in Charlottesville.
If you are up for a longer drive go east on I64 to Norfolk and go to Dales Trains. Lots and lots of O gauge and a small museum area showcasing old trains and toys. Its a fairly disorganized shop which makes it kind of fun looking through all the boxes to see exactly what he has.
http://www.dalestrainstation.com/
In Portsmouth there is Davis Hobby Supplies who carry a lot of MTH.
http://www.davishobby.com/index.php
Also in Portsmouth is a Childrens Museum which has a large O gauge layout and displays of old toy trains.
http://www.childrensmuseumva.com/trains.html
Ken
thanks for all the information, looks like I will have a lot to do. (After work of course)
I dont know if they are still there ( maybe someone else can verify) but there used to be a C&O 2-8-4 on display at the science museum (former RF&P Broad Street station) along with a couple of RF&P passenger cars, and a caboose used to hold birthday parties for children. A couple of miles north of the science center is the Staples Mills Rd Amtrak station. There, you can also view CSX freights into and out of the north end of Acca yard.
