Train Stores in Memphis

Brian...about the only place that I know of is Mid South Hobbies and Games.  Memphis used to have several nice train stores but most if not all have closed.  By the way....if you have time....you are certainly invited to visit our layout.  We live in north-central Arkansas and are not that far from Memphis (by our rural standards!!).  Several layouts to see in this area that you may enjoy!!

Alan

I'm sorry I do not.

BUT, may I recommend some tasty BBQ?!!! Have a meal at Corky's and enjoy some good eating!! I mail order their seasonings and sauces for home use. Rendezvous is also a favorite. So many good options! Enjoy!

Plus I'd take Alan'a offer to see his amazing layout over visiting a hobby shop any day of the week!

bigtruckpete posted:

I'm sorry I do not.

BUT, may I recommend some tasty BBQ?!!! Have a meal at Corky's and enjoy some good eating!!

Marlowe's BBQ on Elvis Presley Blvd is the best BBQ I've ever had anywhere. My wife even wanted to go back the following night, it was that good (and she never goes to the same place that soon and isn't a huge BBQ fan).

But as for hobby shops, I went to a cool old-school hobby shop that had a little bit of everything the last time I was in the area. I think Mid South Hobbies and Games was the place...

There are some vestiges of the Memphis of old when it was a big railroad passenger town  - Southern, Illinois Central, Frisco, etc.). There's a downtown station that still serves Amtrak (the City of New Orleans) and there are some photos and memorabilia inside, which is worth a visit. There is some interesting trackage around the station where the train backs in and out, and some north-south trackage down by the river. You can see where the Illinois Central use to leave downtown heading north through town. There's also a very large and cool RR bridge across the Mississippi at the south end of downtown, with a highway bridge right next to it, and great views of trains crossing on the bridge are possible, right next to you in your car. There's a lot of freight action at the bridge and other locations, with a large yard south of downtown as well. Check out some Memphis maps showing rail lines, and you can find some hotspots. Note the numerous elevated tracks running on the west side of the river (the Arkansas side) above the flood plain. There's probably a lot of water there now below the tracks, given the current flooding. There's also a fair amount of action in West Memphis (in Ark.)

Yes the only real train/hobby shop left is Mid South Hobbies.  They don't have any active layouts but they have a decent selection of train stuff in HO, N, and O, a ton of RC cars planes and truck, and lots of models, a large Slot Car Track and stuff for that, and plenty of RPG stuff.  

As for other train stuff..... the Station downtown is pretty cool and has layouts in the museum inside.  There are a few good train spotting places as Memphis is a large rail hub for Norfolk Southern, BNSF, CN, Union Pacific, and Amtrak.  There is a spot on the Memphis side of the Harrahan Bridge that is prime for seeing the trains cross the might Mississippi!  Just be aware of your surroundings as this area is not super safe.  

Collierville Town Square (just east of Memphis) has an old Frisco Engine and passenger cars in it to look at.  There is a park in Germantown TN (where I live) between Memphis and Collierville that has an old Caboose and SP Boxcar among other train related stuff.  While your out there, go eat at the Germantown Commissary BBQ.  Thier BBQ Nachos (yeah we all said that's too weird until we tried them) are LEGENDARY!

Too bad the Trolly isn't running right now.  A year or more ago a few burned up due to bad maintenance and so they shut it down until they can bring all the trolly's up to code.  They were fun to ride as one line goes down by the river and right past the train station.  

You can also hit up the Casey Jones guys on here.  That club is big in Memphis.  I haven't joined but I may someday.

tackindy posted:

Too bad the Trolly isn't running right now.  A year or more ago a few burned up due to bad maintenance and so they shut it down until they can bring all the trolly's up to code.  They were fun to ride as one line goes down by the river and right past the train station.  

 

That stinks. My wife and I did one of the riverboat cruises and I got some great shots of the trolley's running around near the riverbank. That was in 2013...

I was gonna say, make sure it is not all afloat in the moat, as the mighty Mississippi is on a rampage right now.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!!!  I'll definitely plan on checking out Mid South.  It's become a fun extension of the hobby to visit the local stores.

Food is always high on the list while traveling.  Especially in the south.  And Rendezvous is always on the list in Memphis.  We are staying at the Peabody which makes Rendezvous perfect...we can stuff ourselves and waddle back across the street to the hotel 

Alan, thank you for your generous offer.  Unfortunately this time I have to decline.  This trip is an extremely rare trip where my wife and son are joining me.  In the single day I have to goof off, we have a list of things to see in and around Memphis...with all that, I'm afraid a trip to AK would push our 2 year old's patience.  I'll definitely be in touch the next time I'm in town to see if an offer still stands 

I'm late in seeing this post but wanted the underscore the post that referenced the Memphis Railroad & Trolley Museum. It's walking distance from the Peabody and is worth the visit. It's a young museum but one that is growing. The Microsoft/CN simulator is kinda cool. My daughter and I played around with it when it was first installed this past year. Definitely check this place out if you have the time.

Like John, I live in the area and can provide additional guidance or assistance if needed.

bigtruckpete posted:

I'm sorry I do not.

BUT, may I recommend some tasty BBQ?!!! Have a meal at Corky's and enjoy some good eating!! I mail order their seasonings and sauces for home use. Rendezvous is also a favorite. So many good options! Enjoy!

Plus I'd take Alan'a offer to see his amazing layout over visiting a hobby shop any day of the week!

Great  Eating!! Corky's and the Rendezvous been to both. Don't forget the Peabody Hotel and see the "ducks"

a pleasant visit..

Brent 

Brian,

Sorry  I missed your post. I was just made aware of it today.

In the event you have not made it to Memphis yet, please let me know when you will be here.

I am a member of the Casey Jones High Railers. If you will be here on a Saturday I can make arrangements for you to see all the great club layouts here located in a business in the southeast part of town.  Z, N, HO, O and G gauge layouts are located in the facility.

All the guys above have pretty much covered all of the train sights to see in the Memphis area along with the best BBQ restaurant's. And yes, Mid South Hobbies is our one and only hobby shop.

Richard

I left Memphis in '99 and still miss it.  had lots of dear friends and lost lots of dear friends.  I lived in Bartlett and traveled to my friend Louis Ertz's O scale layout every Saturday morning to talk and run trains and Phil Bowden would show as golf would let him.  those were some of the best memories I will never forget.  Louis' layout is gone know but most of it was saved but forget by who.  enough rambling. Bob Anson

Thanks for the great advise everyone!  We did make it to Memphis.  We were actually staying at the Peabody so were treated to the ducks twice.  My son was beyond excited!!!  We made it to the Mid-South Hobby Store.  As far as trains - there really wasn't much there.  What was there was pretty disorganized.  They did have a slot car track set up and a couple of cars running on it.  My son thought that was AWESOME and we watched for about an hour.  On our way back to the hotel, we stopped by the zoo.  I gotta tell ya...the zoo surprised me.  It was a very nice zoo.  For dinner, we walked across the street to Rendezvous.  I've been there before but my wife hasn't...and she LOVED it.  It was a quick trip...but it was perfect!

Brian,

I'm glad you had a good time in the "Bluff City." If you are ever down this way again I will be glad to line up a tour of the club layouts I mentioned above.

Thanks,

Richard