If I admitted that, it would no longer be clandestine. LOL
Keep Smilin!
At one time there was a small shop just south of Statesville on the right side going North I-77. It was small place but almost 100% O scale with lots of MTH. GONE??
Dave,
I think I remember that place I believe it was on US70 but I can't remember the name of the store to save my life.
ELGuy,
I didn't know Carolina Fishing and Trains had been closed that long.
I have to say that you guy's have really worked hard to making that show a success. I believe this past show was the largest and best yet. Plus I always looking forword to this show being in April it make it easy for me to buy my own birthday present! So it the Newton Depot also home to the musuem. It would be a good reason to stop by since my dad's family is from the Newton-Conover/Claremont area.
Do any of you know if Jack Parker is still around. He and Luke owned the Whistle Stop. I worked for them for a few months and liked both. I moved back to Raleigh and lost track of Jack. I know Luke passed away several years ago.
George Lasley
I ran into Jack at a train show near Charlotte but it was maybe 6-7 years ago. I know he was up in years then but doing very well at the time. Jack had a great HO layout but I never got over to see it myself.
Where was Whistle Shop located?
When I moved here, over in Waxhaw, from Illinois about 12 years ago, it didn't take long to realize that here in Southern NC was nothing like living close to Chicago, a railroading and modeling hotbed. I remember a place on South Boulevard that I went to once, came back and it was gone. The problem I have with distant hobby shops and driving a significant amount of time, is that it is the luck of the draw as to what I want versus what they have. What I found interesting was Charlotte once had a gorgeous train station, the Piedmont and Northern interurban service, etc.
I went downtown out of curiosity and I have never been in a city where history was so wiped clean. Uptown as they say, is largely a blank. I think there's some connection here in relation to the local environment that translates to railroading being under the radar screen here, as well as younger folks growing up here just don't get exposed to it like we did up North. All I can say, if it were not for Ebay, etc, I would be out of luck.
Bruce
Originally Posted by Southern Railway Sean:
Where was Whistle Shop located?
Show my age now..........
First time I went to WS it was on Park Road in trhe Dilworth area. The building is still there but I forget the cross street. Late 1970's.....77 maybe, they moved to East Blvd near South Blvd. It's the building thats sit on top of the light rail tracks. A perfect setting for a model train shop! After that they, as stated, moved to South Blvd in the Segfield shopping center across from the Pepsi plant and within the old Southern rail line that's now the light rail.
When John bought the store, he had been working under Jack for a while, he ran it on South Blvd for a while but moved it and changed the name. It's gone now too.
Charlotte is a odd place. Some of the best model train shops I've been to......and now none. Whistle Stop, Modelers Hobby, Charlotte Electric Train, Trains LLC, Science Hobby, Jack & Jill, Toy Circus and Hobby, Deb's Model car & Hobby, and a store at Cotswold Mall I can't recall....all had decent model train selection. Wow.......
Originally Posted by electroliner:
I went downtown out of curiosity and I have never been in a city where history was so wiped clean. Uptown as they say, is largely a blank. I think there's some connection here in relation to the local environment that translates to railroading being under the radar screen here, as well as younger folks growing up here just don't get exposed to it like we did up North. All I can say, if it were not for Ebay, etc, I would be out of luck.
Bruce
Having seen most of Charlottes history torn down I had to comment. Charlotte fell into the economic boom almost by accident. They had the most liberal banking laws of any in the US. This allowed NCNB and First Union to buy up corespondent banks as they were called. Long story short it led to the BoA and Wells Fargo we have today, both with headquarters in Charlotte.
This boom, that about no other city saw on this same scale, led those in control to wipe out most of downtown history. They had the money and they had, in their mind, the reasons. They wanted to get the old Charlotte, based on agriculture and cotton, off the map and the new banking center and the buildings needed to promote that image in place. Very little left for sure.
Originally Posted by electroliner:
When I moved here, over in Waxhaw, from Illinois about 12 years ago, it didn't take long to realize that here in Southern NC was nothing like living close to Chicago, a railroading and modeling hotbed. I remember a place on South Boulevard that I went to once, came back and it was gone. The problem I have with distant hobby shops and driving a significant amount of time, is that it is the luck of the draw as to what I want versus what they have. What I found interesting was Charlotte once had a gorgeous train station, the Piedmont and Northern interurban service, etc.
I went downtown out of curiosity and I have never been in a city where history was so wiped clean. Uptown as they say, is largely a blank. I think there's some connection here in relation to the local environment that translates to railroading being under the radar screen here, as well as younger folks growing up here just don't get exposed to it like we did up North. All I can say, if it were not for Ebay, etc, I would be out of luck.
Bruce
Bruce not long ago someone was advertising in OGR an O-Gauge model of the old depot. Cannot recall if a kit or built-up.
I believe that model was in HO Ron although as I recall he was willing to take orders for "O".
Fortunately the 1927 Depot in Greensboro was restored by the citizens[photos below]. The old 19th century brick Depot is also still standing. NS tore the roof and distinctive turrets off and made it into a two story administrative office.It sits at the corner of North Elm St and the dual mainline.
Greensboro Electric Trains LHS is located about a mile from the Depot out on Spring Garden street---west of the UNCG Campus.
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Dave and Ron thanks now I remember it.....On another foot note the Southern Railway Station is now offered in "O" Scale along with the Charlotte Hotel. Here's a link here on the forum that I posted. The State of NC is currently in the process of Building a new Train,Bus,Car rental Hotel/Office tower at the site of the former station which is now the current Charlotte Grayhound bus station (Ironic) Also north of the current bus stations where Southern Railway Charlotte admin and dispatcher office building which where torn down in the early 80 and so now a parking lot.
Dewey,
I remember going to the Greensboro depot AKA "The Depot" when I was at N.C.A&T I was really interestered in walking around looking at the station rather then dancing and picking up girls!!
myself and my fellow LCCA member TIM would be very glad to get together to discuess an o scale club , running trains , working on each others layouts , visiting train shows together, etc... feel free to contact me anytime 704-219-9886 we livge in the Mooresville NC area which is about 20Mi north of charlotte I have no problen at all traveling to hang with other o scalers on a regular basis
John
So I see that this post is about 5 years old now. I live near Charlotte just right across the border in South Carolina and was curious if anything has changed in the past 5 years.
LionelLegend posted:So I see that this post is about 5 years old now. I live near Charlotte just right across the border in South Carolina and was curious if anything has changed in the past 5 years.
Simple answer....Nope. I still have family there....was there 3 weeks ago.....no hobby shop of any kind that I could fine.
Oh well thanks for the update
There is nothing new in Charlotte, but a new store has opened in Thomasville, called Mike's Trains. Here is his website:
Thomasville is about halfway between Spencer and Greensboro. Lots of good deals on Lionel MTH, etc.
Hello Forumites,
My name is John Giuliano and I'm a transplant from N.J. and have been in search of an "O" Gauge Modular or permanent Layout group for a little while. I moved to NC on 1/7/22 and believe me the move was "interesting" to say the least! Two weekends ago I attended the Spencer show in search of an "O" Gauge group, but came up empty. Spencer is a place that train enthusiasts need to see to believe. Before that I was at the Hickory show 3 to 4 weeks prior, and again the results were the same,no go.
Anyway I'll get to the point, like some of you,I'm looking for that group and may have to put out an APB on guy's who might be interested in starting a group. This specific area (Charlotte) is big on Stock Car Racing, and that's o.k., but that's not exactly what people like us want. This subject/topic goes all the way back to 2/25/13 and I wonder how many guy's are still interested in doing something with the hobby.
I came from 2 different groups and for the "Raritan Valley Hi-Railers" which was a modular group, my position was coordinator. I am a retired electrician after 41 years in the construction industry and have been out of the work force for 9 or 10 yrs. been with the group for close to 20 yrs. My function was mostly wiring at the work sessions and sometimes building the actual module. The layout can be found on facebook & Instagram.
The other Club that I was with were "The N.J. Hi-Railers" and I was on the electrical team there. The club consisted of 70+ members, whereas RVHR's were15-16 guy's. My home is considered the Charlotte area (Huntersville). It would be nice to at least get together with anyone who is considering this venture and discussing what the individuals want to do. I can tell you one thing, don't procrastinate with your decision to at least sit and talk with others to see where you want to go with this. Time moves quickly and time is short for all of us!
I had already considered selling everything because it doesn't pay to keep the trains if I can't enjoy them. My email is in my profile which hasn't changed, but there are some address changes that have to be made soon along with a few other changes.
Rest assure, I live in NC. Hope to get lots of responses! Will talk to you!
Steam Forever
John
You still have the stores in the region. The Train Loft in Winston Salem, The Little Choo Choo Shop in Spencer and of course Lionel's company owned store in Concord. There is also a used train store at one of the antique malls north of Charlotte. What you need is space and cheap rent to start a club. I am 3 hours north of you in Roanoke. We have a club in the basement of the Virginia Museum of Transportation. We certainly welcome visitors and even new members. We have one associate member that travels to see the club a couple of times a month from Bluefield about 90 miles away. Associate membership is only $5.00 per month. We had a little issue with the fire marshal and we are currently rebuilding the O-Gauge layout. He said we were blocking a secondary exit and made us tear it down.
We have 7 layouts, I have built and run the tinplate layout. There is On30, HO and N scale layouts currently running. This is the rebuilt benchwork for the O-Gauge.
We are open Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8:00. We do have a once a month club meeting which makes a poor time for anyone to visit. I only bring this up since it is this coming Tuesday May 31st. You are certainly welcome to come and visit on any other Tuesday. We are usually open for special events at the museum.
Here is a video of my tinplate layout which is O-Gauge and Standard Gauge tinplate.
The On30 layout is very cool looking and is getting a makeover. We have been fortunate to have some several very nice buildings donated by OGR forum member VA Golfer (Paul Strickland).
If you are looking to replace your NJ Hi-Railers experience, you will be disappointed . The NJ Hi-Railers have no equals.
Scott Smith
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Hey Scott,
Thanks for chiming in,but size of the layout is not a first priority, but it helps and you grow the layout as time moves on with a larger membership, if that happens! Anyone doesn't want to be doing more than their share because it cuts into their "playtime". I was doing that to myself at the RVHR and I got to the point where I told everyone," It's not fun for me anymore" because I was doing the Lions share of the headaches when it came to show time. Fortunately after threatening to leave, things did change for the better and I was glad because I was set to leave but in my heart I really didn't want to. 20% of the people do 80% of the work. I'm not trying to sound like a savior, but anyone who has been in a leadership position knows what it is. By the way, pics look great!.
Steam Forever
John
I thought it was 5% of the people do 95% of the work. Who are those 20%
Hey Ben,
Great for you to chime in an it's always a pleasure to hear from you ("my old boss"). Yeah, well you know what I mean. Miss all of you guy's at NJHR's. I hear you're the new straw boss (LOL). How's the scenery end of things goin at the club? How about sending me some pics of the work going on, whether it's on my e mail or on OGR. Can always see that smiling face of yours. You're a gifted ambassador to the hobby! Remember: Santa Fe all the way! nyuk nyuk!
Steam Forever
John
John, I'm up in the Raleigh area and have been looking for a modular club similar to Raritan/NJ Highrailers in terms of attention to detail and well done modeling. I heard there's a O-gauge modular club in Winston Salem, but it appears to be mostly Fastrack on carpet.
I'd be down to help start a club like Raritan/NJ if there was enough interest.
Hey PSM,
You must be really lathering at the tongue. You're 2hrs. 31 minutes (155 miles) from Huntersville, not that that is bad! Apparently you have seen some of the layout on facebook (old pics) and instagram. Matt Sniffen is the master of scratch building for the Raritan Valley Hi-Railers. Not too long ago he signed up to the N.J. Hi-Railers and is doing the same. That layout will shine more in time with his talents added. The layout is 200ft. X 30 ft. and is permanent. A real monster and you can catch it on their website: njhirailers.com Check it out, lots to see and it kept me busy!!!
Steam Forever
John
I'm still a member of NJHirailers, I relocated to Hendersonville, NC which is 2 hours west of Charlotte, 6 years ago and miss everyone from the club and the Wednesday's lunch and dinners.
The nearest O gauge club to me is the Smoky Mountain Model Railroaders, located in Clyde NC on the grounds of Buffalo Creek Vacations.
Hopefully at the 2023 LCCA convention in Concord, NC I'll be able to connect with more NC train people.
The below is a picture of my layout.
Steven Maier
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@N&WY6b posted:Hey PSM,
You must be really lathering at the tongue. You're 2hrs. 31 minutes (155 miles) from Huntersville, not that that is bad!
Eh, I've done the RDU to uptown Charlotte drive in about 2hrs 15 minutes. All depends on the time of day and whether the pack of unmarked SHP are out in the Greensboro area. I often have to make day trips to Charlotte for work.
I can't wait until they finish moving the Charlotte Amtrak/NCDOT station from the middle of NS's yard into Uptown. Then it'll be an easy train ride where I can work on my way.
@N&WY6b posted:Hey PSM,
You must be really lathering at the tongue.
Steam Forever
John
Also, I grew up with a nice New England basement to take over build a layout in, and my current house with just a crawl space doesn't really have space to build a layout where any equipment can really stretch its legs.
John. welcome to the Desert of O-Gauge trains or any model trains for that matter. If you were a the NCTM Spencer train show on the fourteenth wish we would have run into each other, I was were a Cleveland Indians ball cap.
I drove into Charlotte Oct. 15, 1978 staying at a Howard Johnsons to start a ne career at Duke Power the ext morning. Things were different back then.
Made a post here on2/25/13 that speaks a little to this.
Ron
John,
Welcome to the club
Having spent my entire life living in 6 different southern states, I can only say that for most southerners, trains are fairly irrelevant and something they primarily see in movies. Unlike NJ and New York, where I have also spent considerable time, there aren't train tracks and crossings every 100 yards in the large and small towns. As I mentioned before on this board, you can go for years living in the south and never see a train!
Really too bad, since model railroading is a great hobby. But the vast majority of people in the south do not have any childhood memories of seeing trains on a daily basis, or hearing them close to home at night, or using them for travel purposes. Hunting, bass fishing, stock car racing and golf are THE hobbies that dominate in the south, to the point of folks being fanatical. We just love being outdoors, even if it is 100 degrees!
There are exceptions of course. Memphis, Chattanooga, and other major distribution cities have very large trainyards, but they are in industrial and run-down sections of town. No reason to go there unless you work there.
I think probably that your best hope is to go to every train show within a 100 miles, and talk to folks on this board, and maybe meet some people in your area so that you can start a club. Three people may be enough. And, you certainly seem to have a great amount of experience in club matters.
P.S.- My wife was born in Jersey City. (Fugettaboutit! )
Mannyrock
PRRronbh,
Err. , , , I think the name of the company is now Duke Energy, not Duke Power.
My son was an executive there for 8 years, at the headquarters building in Charlotte :-)
A very great city!
Mannyrock
@Mannyrock posted:PRRronbh,
Err. , , , I think the name of the company is now Duke Energy, not Duke Power.
My son was an executive there for 8 years, at the headquarters building in Charlotte :-)
A very great city!
Mannyrock
Yes now it is Duke Energy. But when it was a good company it was Duke Power!
Ron
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I really do relate to this subject. I moved to Myrtle Beach SC in 2018 after spending 68 years of my life in Northwest NJ and Northeast PA. I was a member of the Lehigh Valley Hi Railers out of Allentown PA and We ran our modular layout in shows in Ag Hall in Allentown spring thaw and other places. Here in Myrtle Beach we have a club with a beautiful HO layout and O gauge is small. Nice club and good group of people. The other club is in Charleston which is 90 miles away. I haven’t been to it yet but hopefully this summer. We do have 3 of us here that are looking at starting a club and we are looking to find a building that is cheap in rent and big enough to hold it. We would like to get just a few more people to even the load. Our little group of people are talking to the local club with the chance of moving to a different location where we can expand the O gauge layout. If anyone in the Myrtle Beach Area is reading this and would be interested in joining us please check my profile for my email address. Also check my Facebook page Pocono Model Trains.
@N&WY6b posted:Hey Ben,
Great for you to chime in an it's always a pleasure to hear from you ("my old boss"). Yeah, well you know what I mean. Miss all of you guy's at NJHR's. I hear you're the new straw boss (LOL). How's the scenery end of things goin at the club? How about sending me some pics of the work going on, whether it's on my e mail or on OGR. Can always see that smiling face of yours. You're a gifted ambassador to the hobby! Remember: Santa Fe all the way! nyuk nyuk!
Steam Forever
John
John
The NJHR hasn’t been the same since you decided to become a hillbilly. If you find a club down there they are going to be very fortunate to have a member like you. From dismantling the spaghetti bowl of wiring in the subway control panel to replacing all those junk atlas switches you have left a legacy in New Jersey. The subway control panel is a work of art now.
the scenery is getting there I will post some new pics soon.
You know that Santa Fe stuff is like kryptonite with me
I live just north of Raleigh and haven’t had any luck finding local 3 railers in the two years we’ve been here.
In my experience, here in central NC, there are plenty of guys who are interested in trains. But they are scattered in Raleigh, Charlotte, Winston Salem, Greensboro and everywhere in between. The attendance at TCA meets, the Lionel open house and other shows prove there are plenty guys interested in trains.
Unfortunately getting people to join, volunteer is a issue. For example our local TCA Division, the Southeastern, has a problem getting members to step up and take leadership roles. That’s the problem here IMO.
Unfortunately I am a member of the TCA Southeast. Most of the focus has been in the Raleigh area. That's a long ways from the north side of the TCA Southeast territory here in Roanoke. When I attended a meet I felt like an outsider, even when I had table. Another issue is that your membership stays in the division you were in when you joined. For those who have moved from NY, NJ ect. your membership doesn't get transferred to the Southeast it remains in the division where you joined. So if you are a TCA member and moved across the country you really can't run for office in the division closest to you.
Scott Smith
Greetings to all in the NC area,
The Neuse River Valley Model Railroad Club in Raleigh is alive and well. We have a clubhouse , 1615 Old Louisburg Rd, 27604, with layouts in O, S, HO and N. See our website for more info. It is
nrvclub. net
We put on the longest running (38 years) show in the state. It is 96,000 sq ft of trains. The date this year is Nov 5-6. Again see our website for details.
Also in Raleigh we have Nick’s Trains at 5201 Oak Park Road. It is an all scales shop with half the space dedicated to O scale. Lots of post war and modern Lionel and MTH. Prewar and std gauge in stock as well. A full line of Woodland , paint and scratchbuilding supplies. Also books and magazines and a very friendly shop cat.
Come visit us both.
George Lasley
@poconotrain posted:I really do relate to this subject. I moved to Myrtle Beach SC in 2018 after spending 68 years of my life in Northwest NJ and Northeast PA. I was a member of the Lehigh Valley Hi Railers out of Allentown PA and We ran our modular layout in shows in Ag Hall in Allentown spring thaw and other places. Here in Myrtle Beach we have a club with a beautiful HO layout and O gauge is small. Nice club and good group of people. The other club is in Charleston which is 90 miles away. I haven’t been to it yet but hopefully this summer. We do have 3 of us here that are looking at starting a club and we are looking to find a building that is cheap in rent and big enough to hold it. We would like to get just a few more people to even the load. Our little group of people are talking to the local club with the chance of moving to a different location where we can expand the O gauge layout. If anyone in the Myrtle Beach Area is reading this and would be interested in joining us please check my profile for my email address. Also check my Facebook page Pocono Model Trains.
Email sent. I am in the Florence area which can seem like a black hole. Not close enough to the low country nor coast and not close enough to Charlotte or Raleigh. There are a few avid modelers in this area that could be interested.
Hi everyone,
This is Meghan Fraser, Associate Project Manager here at Lionel Trains! I was so excited to see this thread was active and talking about train clubs in the area of our headquarters in Concord, NC.
I wanted to pop on here and let everyone know about a fun event we're holding at our Concord Mills Mall Retail Store on June 15th. I'm sure you all are familiar with Ryan Kunkle's Workbench Wednesday series that he hosts live on YouTube and Facebook on Wednesday evenings. We've had such a great response to the show and decided to host an in-person live WBW on Wednesday, June 15th!
This would be an excellent opportunity for those looking to connect with other modelers & hobbyists in the surrounding areas to come on down and visit our retail store, participate in the event and do some after-hours shopping to check out all the new exciting products we have available in our Retail Store. I'm copying and pasting the event info below and including the flyer. I look forward to meeting you all should you decide to attend.
Happy Railroading!
YOU’RE INVITED!
To attend an exclusive Workbench Wednesday Live Stream Event at
the Lionel Retail Store in Concord, NC!
June 15th, 2022
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Registration Fee: $30
Must be paid at time of registration
Registration Includes:
- Participation in WBW “Build With Me” Live Stream Hosted By Ryan Kunkle (Director of Production) & Special Guests Meghan Fraser (Assoc. Project Manager) & Chuck Hunter (Repair Technician)
- Your Choice of a Lionel Building Kit in either O or HO Scale to build during the live stream!
- Private Afterhours Shopping Experience & More!
EVENT LOCATION:
Lionel Retail Store in the Concord Mills Mall
8111 Concord Mills Boulevard, Concord, NC 28027
LIMITED SEATING AVAILABLE!
OPEN ONLY TO THE FIRST 20 TO REGISTER
REGISTRATION CLOSES ON JUNE 10*
*Cancellations made after the June 10th deadline will be charged full event pricing
TO REGISTER: Call Lionel Customer Service 1-800-454-6635 (Mon thru Thurs. 9AM to 6PM, Friday until Noon)
or visit the Lionel Retail Store in the Concord Mills Mall in Concord, NC.
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