Retailers for O Scale

Al,

Give Caboose Stop Hobbies a try. I think you'll find the prices very competitive and people very pleasant!  

I think you are over reacting--Lots of great O scale shops that support this forum, and a few others too (non forum sponsors).  I just got into O gauge 2 months ago, and do not feel I have had any difficulty getting what I need (and want too) and at a good value.  Of course, with o gauge, shipping tends to be a thorn in my side (Alaska), but there are frequent free shipping/reduced shipping offers.

If you want to save on shipping first off always try to ship to a business address. That can cut about $5 to $9 off the shipping depending on where it your house is. more if its out in the middle of nowhere. Then you can also request the package be shipped without a declared value. that will also cut down on significantly on shipping. I have never had a UPS package arrive at my house with any damage, USPS is another story. I buy as much as I can from Nicholas Smith, Joey goes out of his way to take care of me and he is an all around great guy to deal with. Hes given me the best price on Atlas O over anybody.

Alan Hummel posted:

Was just checking out The Public Delivery track & found Beth Marshall's post on this forum-NOT VERY ENCOURAGING.

While I respect other's wants & priorities in their lives,to make a long story short,it sounds like that O Scale store is vanishing fast.

Norm's O Scale,Diechman's,Model train Stuff & Mr.Muffin's are the better priced shops,in my limited O scale knowledge. 

My concern is with another retailer heading out,it kind of "trips me up," while headed full speed ahead in O Scale.I can't afford the higher prices of other major shops that carry O Scale,so this kind of slows me to thinking if I'm making the right forward move into O Scale? Am I just getting "over reacting" here?

Al Hummel

I agree with Mike on Caboose Stop Hobbies. They are my first choice for 2-rail models as they have the best price & if you have a chance to visit them, you will be impressed by their “Blue Room” which is packed from floor to ceiling with Atlas-O (2-rail & 3-rail) models. They also participate in a lot of shows almost every month in the Midwest & I pick up models from them at these shows too.

I also recommend Norm’s O-Scale as another dealer who offers good discounts.

But it seems like many 2-rail hobbyists know that Caboose Stop Hobbies & Norm’s O-Scale offer the best prices & so they would be the first to run out of 2-rail models in popular road names.

If you waited too long & missed a specific model, you could contact Des Plaines Hobbies, P&D Hobby or Petersen Supply. I have got deals from them occasionally but they usually list their models around full MSRP & so expect to pay more. Sometimes I don’t realize how good some of these 2-rail models are until I see them in person or online on this forum. By that time, they seem to be sold out at dealers who offer good discounts & I am thankful that Des Plaines or P&D still have them available.

I haven’t had much success with some of the other dealers you mentioned. I have visited some on my road trips & it was opinion that they could preorder 2-rail items if you planned ahead but they didn’t usually carry much 2-rail models in stock.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

I also recommend Just Trains in DE. I don’t buy many MTH models but the MTH models I bought & preordered were exclusively from them as they seemed to offer the best price for MTH 2-rail locomotives when I shopped around. But as with many other dealers they don’t carry many 2-rail locomotives in stock. Fortunately they are located an hour away from the MTH headquarters & they can quickly pick up & ship the models as soon as MTH has them in stock.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

Your threads are always intriguing.   You keep presenting us with the question " Should I leave O Scale?"  None of us can answer that for you.  How about listing all the reasons why you should stai in O Scale?  Maybe that will help the decision making process.

Sorry about the mis-spelled word.  Cannot edit.  Well, I can, but the "Update Now" button doesn't work.

Thank you gentlemen,you listed a couple places I didn't know about.

The reason,to answer bob2's question, I stay in O Scale primarily, is the almost double size of HO. That as well as the fact with 58 year old eyes,I don't concern myself so much with the "I can hardly see it," syndrome.

The Public Delivery Track thread on here,sort of threw me,sort of a "knee jerk reaction." I have found Norm's O Scale the best on price next to JD's which went out because,I guess,of work related issues. Diechman's is also good & great people to deal with.

High Country Hobbies is high,no pun intended,but every now & again,runs specials.

Anyhow,I'm over the fear I temporarily had. One of those,"Put brain in gear before engaging mouth",(in this case fingures," sort of things. Lol

Al Hummel

In my limited experience in this hobby I've found that Merlyn Lauber at Caboose Stop Hobbies in Cedar Falls, IA and Nicholas Smith Trains in Broomall, PA have the best prices on Atlas products. I would buy more from Nicholas Smith except that I'm a PA resident so I'm subject to sales tax on all of my orders which rules out any major purchases like locomotives.

Just Trains in Newark DE is good for Atlas product you can preorder O 2 rail at competitive priceing ,although they do not stock 2 rail, they are big on MTH and Lionel . As an aside no sales tax in De.

Alan, nothing new going on with Public Delivery Track.  I've ALWAYS gotten what I pre-ordered or ordered by phone or on the website.  Most often in a timely manner.  But, off and on Beth does get in situations that cause delayed shipping.   It's just a hobby so that's usually okay with me. 

Bill

Alan Hummel posted:

Am I just getting "over reacting" here?

 

Caboose Stop Hobbies is the finest O Scale dealer on Earth in my opinion. 

Merlyn and Carol are amazing folks. 

O scale is blessed to have MANY great retailers and lots of them have an amazing amount of RTR stock. 

And there are many simply nice guys.  Len Deitschman,  Merlyn Lauber,  Norm Pullen as well as bricks and mortar stores like Nicholas Smith or Justrains. 

Train shows, yep.  March meet. O scale west, Indy.  Strasburg shows.   Great fellowship with lots of O scale guys.

Finding the money for purchases are much larger issues.

Rule 292,

So true on finding the money!! Much I'd like to have,but just don't have it available. I don't get to any shows & am in an O Scale desert here.

Al Hummel

I see Merlin from Caboose Stop at all my local shows in Minnesota. He's a super nice guy, has lots of new inventory every show and his prices are always good. 

I have purchased from just about every dealer mentioned in the thread, Andy, Norm, Muffin, Charles Ro,  and others that are Forum sponsors have always treated me nicely and fairly. No issues. Price is important and I do shop around but that is because most of the dealers in the Northern NJ / Orangeburg / Tappan NY sadly are gone.  The ones that remain sell at SRP, don't have the traffic nor the volume therefore have limited supplies. Therefore, I am forced to shop around for what I need or want. 

Such is life.

If you can get to an O scale show, it if fun, and you get to see stuff in person.     It helps the shopping.    And at almost every show I go to, I find a good deal - something I want (even if I didn't know it before), and I get a good price on it.   

The best one in my opinion is the "March Meet" in Chicago.    It is a large show and attracts both dealers and private sellers from all over the country due to its central location.

Let's not forget in the southeast  we have a ton of good sellers and forum sponsors: pats, Mario, and Jamestown trains, not to miss sidetrack and Just trains. All are excellent and competitive. Also legacy station!

I like P&D Hobby / About a 40 minutes drive.

Click here to see this page.

Home page, click here.

They are also a dealer for the OGR Magazine.

Gary

I have been in 2 Rail O scale for ten years now. I came from HO scale (45+) years of that scale. I have learned the "ropes" of managing O scale by persisting in my efforts to build a realistic model railroad to my chosen prototype...faithful prototype modeling helps one maintain focus. 

My quest therefore is not to accumulate shelves full of stuff per se...but to steadily gain on my overall project. To that end I have rarely had any issues in finding what I needed, and if it was too expensive, I learned to pace myself and save for what was temporarily out of reach budget wise. I watch for the elusive items and they usually become available all in good time. So never be impatient, always be persistent, have some sort of budget...and go build something today to take up some of those collecting doldrums.

Bob

Listening to these wailings and lamentations about how O scale is dying reminds me of the same discussion over Harley Davidson.  Only old people ride Harleys and if Harley doesn't make a sport bike or an adventure bike they'll die off. 

Unless the fountain of youth is discovered we'll all grow old and some of us will want bigger trains or ride big, comfortable,  slow motorcycles.

These are truly the best of times (so far) for model railroading, especially O scale... and motorcycles!

I'm not going to Red Caboose anymore. I was looking at what he had and he yanked me out of the way so someone else could get through. Gave him my two cents and I'm not going back. If your in NYC,go to Trainworld. It's in Brooklyn on McDonald and Ditmas. Take the F train and get off at the northeast side over Ditmas.

In rounded numbers, 0 scale in not just twice as large as HO.  0 scale is 8 times the volume of H0.

hokie71 posted:

Let's not forget in the southeast  we have a ton of good sellers and forum sponsors: pats, Mario, and Jamestown trains, not to miss sidetrack and Just trains. All are excellent and competitive. Also legacy station!

Do any of the dealers you listed carry any 2-rail models? I have visited Mr. Muffin’s Trains & Legacy Station on my road trips & I was unable to find any 2-rail models, at the times I visited. Yes both of them told me that they could order 2-rail items but I already have dealers I have been using for years for planned purchases or for preorders & unless these dealers go out of business or unless I have to relocate for job needs, I have no need to make arrangements with a new dealer for 2-rail purchases.

I had never heard of Deichman’s Depot before I read this thread. I visited their website & they seem to carry a lot of 2-rail models. I plan to stop by their store the next time I have to drive that way.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

Alan Hummel posted:

Rule 292,

So true on finding the money!! Much I'd like to have,but just don't have it available. I don't get to any shows & am in an O Scale desert here.

Al Hummel

If you're really in Indiana like your profile says, then you're not that far from the Indianapolis show in September and/or the Chicago show in March.

Yes I'm REALLY  in Indiana. I don't drive distances because I'm 48 years an Epileptic. I have a wife but as with most,she could care less about trains.

Al Hummel

Alan Hummel posted:

Yes I'm REALLY  in Indiana. I don't drive distances because I'm 48 years an Epileptic. I have a wife but as with most,she could care less about trains.

Al Hummel

You'd be surprised at how many wives accompany their husbands on outings to such meets.  Mine even goes to Strasburg with me

Tom Tee posted:

In rounded numbers, 0 scale in not just twice as large as HO.  0 scale is 8 times the volume of H0.

Or O is 1.8125 bigger than HO which makes it ~5.95 larger in volume....

And, O has been dying for decades now along with model RR'ing..... There was so much stuff on tables in Chicago in April that it should last another couple of decades and most here won't care by then as well,

Alan Hummel posted:

Thank you gentlemen,you listed a couple places I didn't know about.

The reason,to answer bob2's question, I stay in O Scale primarily, is the almost double size of HO. That as well as the fact with 58 year old eyes,I don't concern myself so much with the "I can hardly see it," syndrome.

The Public Delivery Track thread on here,sort of threw me,sort of a "knee jerk reaction." I have found Norm's O Scale the best on price next to JD's which went out because,I guess,of work related issues. Diechman's is also good & great people to deal with.

High Country Hobbies is high,no pun intended,but every now & again,runs specials.

Anyhow,I'm over the fear I temporarily had. One of those,"Put brain in gear before engaging mouth",(in this case fingures," sort of things. Lol

Al Hummel

Hi Alan,

I have bought all of my atlas O 21" scale amtrak cars from high country hobbies because they had the best price. I get great service from them every time I call.

Alan,

Just 'Up North' from your state is MEEEEEEshigan!   You are aware of P&D Hobby Shop in Fraser, north of Detroit, right?  40+ years serving.  O gauge specialists. 

P&D Hobby Link

KD

naveenrajan posted:

Do any of the dealers you listed carry any 2-rail models?

Thanks,

Naveen Rajan

Naveen, Merlyn at Caboose Stop as mentioned in this thread stocks a lot of two rail.  And I agree that he's pleasant to deal with.  

They have a list of in stock Atlas on the website.  And you can also catch him at the March meet (and I wouldn't be surprised to see him at Indy in September).

If you are into 2 Rail Scale, MTH is now the leader for 2 Rail Scale with the scale wheels on locomotives and the mounting plate for Kadee Couples on their Premier Rolling Stock.  Any MTH Dealer can do a factory preorder on these items. Also sign up the the MTH 2-Rail Scale email news letter.  MTH does show this email on the OGR Forum, just look for it under 2-Rail Scale.

If you want to control you locomotive from a phone, with DCC, check out the following. Just move the switch on the locomotive to the DCC position.

r

Use Engine Driver for your smart device and Wi-Throttle for an Apple device.  The best part of MTH is there service department stands behind their products.  Plus you are only a phone call or email away from their help desk, 

Gary

First off, you don't have to buy EVERYTHING at once!

Second, just because it vanishes from a retailers shelves, doesn't mean it's not still out there. There's a TON of stuff on the secondary market, and a bunch of it has NEVER touched a rail.

Go to some shows:

http://ww.indyoscalenational.com/Dealers.html

Look on that well know auction site.

Don't get hung up on brand names like the 3 rail crowd tends to do.

Simon

mwb posted:

You'd be surprised at how many wives accompany their husbands on outings to such meets.  Mine even goes to Strasburg with me

I always thought that was Brian Scace at your table. Learn something every day.

rheil posted:

mwb posted:

You'd be surprised at how many wives accompany their husbands on outings to such meets.  Mine even goes to Strasburg with me

I always thought that was Brian Scace at your table. Learn something every day.

That's pretty clever - managed to insult both Scace and my wife at the same time. 

Obviously, you like to live dangerously.............

That's outrageous!

If he was a member of my forum, I'd delete him.

MaxSouthOz posted:

That's outrageous!

If he was a member of my forum, I'd delete him.

Assuming you mean me, might it occur to you that Martin and I are friends sharing an inside joke with no evil intent whatsoever? Happens all the time on this forum, but, if you feel compelled to do so, then inform the moderator that you would like to have me deleted from the forum.

rheil posted:

MaxSouthOz posted:

That's outrageous!

If he was a member of my forum, I'd delete him.

Assuming you mean me, might it occur to you that Martin and I are friends sharing an inside joke with no evil intent whatsoever? Happens all the time on this forum, but, if you feel compelled to do so, then inform the moderator that you would like to have me deleted from the forum.

No worries here.