Train Stores in Chicago

You will need to travel to the suburbs for the two below, but both are large O-Gauge shops like Chicagoland Hobby.

Berwyn's Toys and Trains 

America's Best Train, Toy and Hobby shop

BNSF-Matt posted:

You will need to travel to the suburbs for the two below, but both are large O-Gauge shops like Chicagoland Hobby.

Berwyn's Toys and Trains 

America's Best Train, Toy and Hobby shop

 

Bingo!

Joe,

There is a Metra station 10 blocks from Berwyn's. You could take the train to Berwyn and get an Uber to the store from the station and back. The Gladstone Park Metra station is 1.2 miles from Chicagoland Hobby. America's Best is . 7 miles from the Itasca train station. Most are only open until 6PM, but America's Best is open until 8pm on Monday's and Thursday's. Itasca is further out, but America's Best has more tinplate and older items than the other two stores. They are all great shops. We are very lucky in Chicagoland.

George

Chicagoland Hobbies is definitely worth the trip out.  Will your have a car while in Chitown?

George, sadly there's a bit of a flaw with the Metra theory. All three stores are on different lines. Meaning, if you only use Metra (and the short Ubers) you end up back downtown after each store. Fun train rides, but not particularly efficient from a time standpoint.

Joe, no matter how you do it, it takes the better part of a day to hit all three stores. I've done it before and I had a car.

Logistically speaking, I would start by taking the train out to Berwyn's. From there a cab or even a bus straight up Harlem Ave to Chicagoland. If you still want to get out to America's Best, another cab. When you're done take the train back downtown.

Best for you to plot all three stores out on Google maps so you can see what you are up against.

Berwyn is great for toy trains.  

Chicago guys - is Zientek's still open?

Strictly scale, but if you want a train store experience like no other and they're still in business, check it out.  Ask to see the layout if they're not busy.  

Address is 2001 W 18th St.  Their internet presence is almost non-existent, but here is a link with address, phone, and email:  sites.google.com/site/zienteksmodeltrains/.  Googling them will bring up several other links with interesting background info.   

Des Plaines Hobbies is also in the Chicgo Suburbs.    They had All gauges and scales the last time I was there.   I think they are the best for 2 rail in the area now, but have a lot of 3 rail also.    And they are a big S Scale shop.

Where is Zienteks?    I have never heard them before.

Used to hit Hills (closed), Chicagoland when had O SCALE, and Des Plaines, downsized. These were kind of in a line west out of downtown.  More info on "Zientek's", please.

To answer the original question, the answer is "depends". There are no other shops within walking distance of Chicagoland Hobbies, but if you have a car, that will make it much easier.

However, Des Plaines Hobbies would be the next shop, a bit further west.

Will you have access to a car? I think that will make a difference as well as what do you want to see or what are you "into" in terms of interest?

Basically, you have:

Chicagoland Hobbies

Americas Best Train and Hobbies

Berwyn Toy and Trains

Des Plaines Hobbies

There are a few others, but those are the big, O gauge/scale shops in the area.

Charlie

There used to be a place called Townhouse or Town and Country. Ring a bell anyone? It was 30 yrs ago.

MattR posted:

There used to be a place called Townhouse or Town and Country. Ring a bell anyone? It was 30 yrs ago.

Townhouse TV and Appliance.

Gone.  Mike Moore passed away several years ago.

Rusty

Rusty Traque posted:

MattR posted:

There used to be a place called Townhouse or Town and Country. Ring a bell anyone? It was 30 yrs ago.

Townhouse TV and Appliance.

Gone.  Mike Moore passed away several years ago.

Rusty

Bummer. Good memories going there to dream when I was a kid while visiting Grandma from Upper Michigan. Got a few small things.

There was another one on Irwin? Don't remember the name.

George S posted:

Joe,

There is a Metra station 10 blocks from Berwyn's. You could take the train to Berwyn and get an Uber to the store from the station and back. The Gladstone Park Metra station is 1.2 miles from Chicagoland Hobby. America's Best is . 7 miles from the Itasca train station. Most are only open until 6PM, but America's Best is open until 8pm on Monday's and Thursday's. Itasca is further out, but America's Best has more tinplate and older items than the other two stores. They are all great shops. We are very lucky in Chicagoland.

George

Thanks George I would be looking for tinplate and hiraillers items.

Joe

Trainlover160 posted:

George S posted:

Joe,

There is a Metra station 10 blocks from Berwyn's. You could take the train to Berwyn and get an Uber to the store from the station and back. The Gladstone Park Metra station is 1.2 miles from Chicagoland Hobby. America's Best is . 7 miles from the Itasca train station. Most are only open until 6PM, but America's Best is open until 8pm on Monday's and Thursday's. Itasca is further out, but America's Best has more tinplate and older items than the other two stores. They are all great shops. We are very lucky in Chicagoland.

George

Thanks George I would be looking for tinplate and hiraillers items.

Joe

I looked up Americas best, and I saw very little on their website for tinplate, and not sure about Hi-rail? Unfortunately we will not have access to a  car, and will only have one day to look for trains, sobased on all this really not sure  where to go?

Joe

Berwyns is by far the nicest most organized store in the Chicago area hands down.

I'd start there, then if you have time run up to Chicagoland.

IMO America's Best leaves much to be desired.

Stuff piled up everywhere, no rhyme or reason. Its impossible to know what's there or not.

If your considering actually making a purchase, everything is pretty much at msrp.

It's also a good 30-40 minutes farther from the city than the other two stores.

I frequent both America's Best and Berwyn Trains. I enjoy both stores and they each have their own vibe.

If you want Lionel especially engines - America's Best is your stop. They have walls of locos on shelves in the back it's a site to see. Contrary to that if your looking for MTH then Berwyn has a great selection of rolling stock, buildings, and shelf locos.

Joe, since you don't have access to a car, you only really have one option and that is Chicagoland Trains and Hobbys. Located about a five minute walk from the UP-Northwest station, Norwood Park.

If for some reason you do get a car, then do yourself a favor and hit Chicagoland, Des Plains and Americas Best. You will basically hit a store in transition from trains to R/C, but still a nice visit. 

Des Plaines will amaze you with the various train scales, (O, S, HO and N scale), books and detail parts.

Americas Best, hands down has the best inventory of new and used O gauge out on display... nothing even close.

Berwyn is nice also, most like Americas Best, but just not as much inventory. The trio listed above will give you the most varied options of model railroading. We really do have some nice shops in Chicago. I would hate to see any of them go out of business.

Charlie

rattler21 posted:

Joe,  Call ChicagoLand Hobby and ask the name of the commuter train station which is two blocks NW of their store.  Then search the commuter lines for that station, departure point in the loop and schedule.  John in Lansing, ILL.

Edison Park Metra station is actually 1.4 miles NW of Chicagoland Hobby.

Trainlover160 posted:

Trainlover160 posted:

George S posted:

Joe,

There is a Metra station 10 blocks from Berwyn's. You could take the train to Berwyn and get an Uber to the store from the station and back. The Gladstone Park Metra station is 1.2 miles from Chicagoland Hobby. America's Best is . 7 miles from the Itasca train station. Most are only open until 6PM, but America's Best is open until 8pm on Monday's and Thursday's. Itasca is further out, but America's Best has more tinplate and older items than the other two stores. They are all great shops. We are very lucky in Chicagoland.

George

Thanks George I would be looking for tinplate and hiraillers items.

Joe

I looked up Americas best, and I saw very little on their website for tinplate, and not sure about Hi-rail? Unfortunately we will not have access to a  car, and will only have one day to look for trains, sobased on all this really not sure  where to go?

Joe

They don't list it on the website. None of the stores are great for tinplate, but Americas Best has a little more. The best stores I have found are far from Chicago. Sommerfelds NW of Milwaukee and the best by far is Train Town in St. Louis. You won't find any reasonable tinplate in a store in Chicago.  

All three stores are good for high-rail. Chicagoland Hobby started selling some Pre-owned, Postwar and modern items. I almost bought a TMCC Texas Special set there at a real good price.

George

One of those shops was next door to St. Peter's Church Inside the Loop in Downtown.  Long walk from Union Station.  One trip on an Amtrak layover they had a Lionel crane and boom car set.  Let it slip by.  Could have kicked myself in the caboose.  Next year I came back.  Set still there.  Bought it.  Packaged it carefully because I told them I was going to Houston via New Orleans.  They had an ABA warbonnet ATSF F3 with LL lines O 31 cars I wanted to buy, because I got off the train from LA.  (Could argue it was an early Amtrak.)   Still have the MOW set.  Do not run it much.  But it is a memory of good time from 40 years ago.

I enjoy visiting all three of the major Chicago area hobby stores.I always buy my hobby items from them whenever possible.My favorite is Berwyn's Hobbies.Great selection and decent prices.My dad bought most of his O tinplate collection from Berwyn's.They used to have a display case with reproduction tinplate,but they cut way back because there was little demand.

George S posted:

rattler21 posted:

Joe,  Call ChicagoLand Hobby and ask the name of the commuter train station which is two blocks NW of their store.  Then search the commuter lines for that station, departure point in the loop and schedule.  John in Lansing, ILL.

Edison Park Metra station is actually 1.4 miles NW of Chicagoland Hobby.

"How about the Norwood Park station?  Decent restaurant right across Northwest Highway?" 

Yep, missed that one.  Looks pretty close.  I don't remember seeing it when driving on NW Hwy. I looks like there is a park between it and the road.

Dominic Mazoch posted:

One of those shops was next door to St. Peter's Church Inside the Loop in Downtown.  Long walk from Union Station.  One trip on an Amtrak layover they had a Lionel crane and boom car set.  Let it slip by.  Could have kicked myself in the caboose.  Next year I came back.  Set still there.  Bought it.  Packaged it carefully because I told them I was going to Houston via New Orleans.  They had an ABA warbonnet ATSF F3 with LL lines O 31 cars I wanted to buy, because I got off the train from LA.  (Could argue it was an early Amtrak.)   Still have the MOW set.  Do not run it much.  But it is a memory of good time from 40 years ago.

I think that was Chicagoland Hobby. They talk about their history on their website. I may have visited that location many years ago. 40 years is a long time!

George S posted:

George S posted:

rattler21 posted:

Joe,  Call ChicagoLand Hobby and ask the name of the commuter train station which is two blocks NW of their store.  Then search the commuter lines for that station, departure point in the loop and schedule.  John in Lansing, ILL.

Edison Park Metra station is actually 1.4 miles NW of Chicagoland Hobby.

"How about the Norwood Park station?  Decent restaurant right across Northwest Highway?" 

Yep, missed that one.  Looks pretty close.  I don't remember seeing it when driving on NW Hwy. I looks like there is a park between it and the road.

The Norwood Restaurant is at 6101 N. Northwest Highway, at the corner with Raven St., kiddie-corner from the Norwood Park Metra Station. Its a family restaurant that is in a building that was a bank that failed in the Depression. Chicagoland Hobby is 1/8 of a mile southeast from there (about a city block), just beyond Newark and Nettleton Streets. (Northwest Highway is on a NW-SE orientation.) 

Of the hobby shops mentioned in this thread, Chicagoland Hobby is the closest to a Metra Station.

Your best friend for public transportation information in the greater Chicago area would be www.goroo.com.

I am partial to Grayslake Hobby World & Bicycle Shop who are an authorized Lionel dealer. There is a great Hockey theme micro brewery just a few short blocks walk from there called Light The Lamp Brewery.