I am looking for photos from inside trains stores from the 40's=60's especially of the sales counters. i am working on designing the interior of a building I am hoping to get to display my display stuff and want to give it the flavor of the period with a sales counter, shelves behind, etc. Will also feature Matchbox casr,dinky etc. Any help appreciated
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Here are some vintage photos of Christmas featuring toy trains. Several are window fronts of hobby stores.
Terrific look back!! Thanks!!
Very nice... 
Mark in Oregon
I did a Google image search on Madison Hardware to see what would come up. The pictures looked more like junk dealers than idealized hobby shops though. 
George
If you check out those special issues on PW Lionel that Classic Toy Trains did a number of years back they had some pics of hobby/train stores from the period. There were two issues. Something like 1950-54 and 1955-59. This must have be about 5 years ago.
All through my childhood (1950's-60's) I never went to a hobby shop that was primarily a train store and those hobby shops that I did get to visit never had a dealer display - just racks of Lionel boxes in shelving behind the counter and trains on display in cases below the counter. The only places that had dealer displays were places that typically only offered trains for sale around the holiday season.
A hardware store in Minneapolis, Minnesota whose name I've forgotten, had one of the smaller dealer displays off to the right hand side as you entered through the front door. It was positioned so that you could see it from the street. The counters for display and the shelving for product were to one side.
Payless Department Store - Sacramento, California - would position one of the larger displays in the center of the toy section during Christmas. All of the product was in help-yourself shelving off to the right hand side of the display (you came in from the front, walked back to the toy section, found the display (shorter side facing the store front, longer side facing an isle - product shelving on the right-hand long side)
Rhodes Department Store - Sacramento, California - pretty much the same set up as Payless except the shelving did not have as many courses as Payless.
Joe the Motorist Friend - State College, Pa. - Medium sized display all the way at the back of the store - as above Christmas time only. They had the same display and brought it out several years running - it began to look a little shopworn towards the end. Banner above the display announcing Lionel Trains. Product on shelving on either side of the display - the display and shelving were portable and all of it went back into their storeroom after the holidays.
I realize these are only word pictures but perhaps they will give you some ideas.
Here are some images from the Joe McDoakes "So you want a model railroad" episode. These are not "real pictures" as it is probably just a tv/movie set, but I'd imagine they patterned it somewhat from a 1940s-1960s hobby / train shop.
make it as cluttered as you can and you've nailed it!
Here's another:
https://www.afar.com/places/am...nd-hobby-shop-itasca
I know these are current stores, but they have been around awhile.
George
Will be so cool!
George S. Where is that train store?
Eddie,
Berwyn’s Toys & Trains is in Berwyn, IL a Chicago suburb. The Metra BNSF West line stops in Berwyn.
America's Best Train, Toy & Hobby Shop was the link I posted and is in Itasca, IL near the Metra Milwaukee Road West line Itasca train station.
George
JD2035RR posted:Here are some images from the Joe McDoakes "So you want a model railroad" episode. These are not "real pictures" as it is probably just a tv/movie set, but I'd imagine they patterned it somewhat from a 1940s-1960s hobby / train shop.
Well its the guy who later voiced george jettson.I liked that layout he built in the living room.
Bobby's death is the Sopranos while buying a Blue Comet
Page 118 of Hollander's All Aboard! has a great image of the interior of a store with a counter which is a replica of a Capitol Limited passenger car. By far one of the coolest sales counters I can recall.
tcox009 posted:Bobby's death is the Sopranos while buying a Blue Comet
Wow I have seen some aggressive guys at train show but this is ridiculous!! Also $8000 was a little high
Jagrick posted:tcox009 posted:Bobby's death is the Sopranos while buying a Blue Comet
Wow I have seen some aggressive guys at train show but this is ridiculous!! LOL
Also $8000 was a little high
And you wonder why people think that any "old train" is worth a fortune. 
Northwoods Flyer - owner of a multi million dollar prewar American Flyer Collection.
I wonder if I could get $8000 for mine. It doesn't have any bullet hole damage.
Northwoods Flyer
So at that rate any rusty scout is worth $500? Lol
If it is Dennis...you and I are set for life!
Here's a few pics I snapped at the National Christmas Museum a few years back, their interpretation of Woolworths at Christmas:
Presumably 1930s, maybe a bit later. Anyway, a fine effort. The place closed a couple years back...glad I got to visit before they packed it up.
PD
Thanks for these keep em coming
Looking at a 30x40 foot building to build and work with as a dedicated postwar area. One idea I have is to gather pictures of the ends of set boxes, print them and mount on appropriate sized piece of wood and make a false wall behind the counter I have to give the illusion of stacked boxes of train sets. Also will give me some room to reproduce some of the wall shelves from Lionel. Just have to get it past zoning now!
I need to create graphics and make the track display board for the Super O track as I already have reproduced for O and O-27 above.
Also you can see the cardboard top of the flimsy cardboard shelves Lionel made in the late 1950's to display train, so I am planning and reproducing this in 1/4" MDF (if I can find any 4x8 sheets) or masonite. 
A google search came up with quite a few including:
Notch 6 posted:Page 118 of Hollander's All Aboard! has a great image of the interior of a store with a counter which is a replica of a Capitol Limited passenger car. By far one of the coolest sales counters I can recall.
I believe that was on US-30 in New Oxford. PA at the WM crossing. There were two cars in a "V" formation. The store closed some years ago but the cars stayed in place for a while but are now gone.
Right on topic.
The latest issue of Classic Toy Trains has an article (with pictures) of a guy who has re-created a vintage toy train shop.
Check it out.
they didn't have to shoot the trains...
Saw the one picture, quite the collection. Mine will have about 9-12 lionel dealer layouts, glass cases and try to look more like store than museum.
Jagrick posted:Saw the one picture, quite the collection. Mine will have about 9-12 lionel dealer layouts, glass cases and try to look more like store than museum.
Sounds really fun! Will yours be open to the public? Which part of the country are you located?
I used to visit that New Oxford shop in my HO days, before reverted to childhood three rail. After that, l only stopped a couple of times. Before it was a twice a year stop when at car shows. Still miss it when l pass...and that tiny three rail shop on center square, too...
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