Los Angeles

[two tone]

Hi Guys and Girls,     We will be in the above in Feb, can any one recommend a good G Gauge 1.20.3 store I'm looking to buy one of the new Bachmann C-19   I hope to get one at a good price as I'm in UK and tax is high on the products

[vsmith]

For a C-19 I think the best place is Gold Coast Station, 2500 Knoll Dr., Unit "B", Ventura, CA 93003, [phone], www.goldcoaststation.com/ out in Ventura Ca, Han's is only open Friday and Saturday and you need to call ahead to make sure he'll be there and not at a show, also to get directions as his shop is tucked away in an industrial park. Ventura is not too far from LA and its a nice drive.

Other than that I would call around and ask:

Allied Trains, 4371 Sepulveda Boulevard  Culver City, CA 90230, [phone] www.alliedmodeltrains.com/ and Whistle Stop, 2490 East Colorado Boulevard  Pasadena, CA 91107, [phone], www.thewhistlestop.com/, really dont carry much G, just a few LGB items.

Upland Trains, 1810 West Foothill Boulevard  Upland, CA 91786 [phone],uplandtrains.com/, east of LA might be a good choice, great prices but they are very small shop, but i haven't been there in a while and don't know what there stock is like these days. They are also tucked away so call ahead for hours and directions.

Train Shack,  1030 North Hollywood Way  Burbank, CA 91505
[phone], trainshack.com/, in Burbank also sells mostly LGB, dont recall ever seeing Bachmann stuff other than Thomas.

Train Stop, 211 West Bonita Avenue  San Dimas, CA 91773, [phone] www.trainstop.com/, in San Dimas is not ordering new stock only selling off what they already have prior to closing so I highly doubt they would have a C-19, but you might get some good deals on alot of other stuff.

Arnie's Trains, 6452 Industry Way  Westminster, CA 92683, [phone], arniestrains.com/, in Westminster is mostly smaller scales. 

Morgans Big Train Emporium, 16182 Gothard Street  Huntington Beach, CA 92647, [phone] www.morgansbigtrains.com/, in Westminster is all large scale and should have the C-19 but their hours are erratic in my experience, so call ahead.

I think that's about it, Gold Coast or Morgan's are the biggest large scale sources around here now.

Be sure to spend a weekend day at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park so you can get a good look at a real C-19 in the flesh:

www.knotts.com/

And if you have the time, aside from the obligatory Disneyland visit, the OERM in Perris is a bit of a long drive but has a great collection including Ward Kimball's Emma Nevada and Chloe on display

www.oerm.org/

[dougdagrump]

And if you don't mind a short drive south come by and visit us at the San Diego Model RR Museum. We don't have a "G" scale now, planning stages to observe the Panama-California Exposition of 1915, but we do have the largest model rr museum in the US. http://www.sdmrm.org/

[ttrigg]

If you do make it down to San Diego there are two attractions in Poway that I would recommend. First the large outdoor layout at Walter Anderson Nursery, 12755 Danielson Court Poway, CA 92064.  4459 square foot outdoor layout. A garden supply center with operating G layout.

http://www.walterandersen.com/locations/poway/

 

Second: The Poway-Midland Railroad, Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Rd, Poway, CA 92064. Volunteers operate equipment during the weekends. Check the website for operations schedule.

http://www.powaymidlandrr.org/default.htm

 

[ttrigg]

One more place to visit in Southern Calif.: Orange Empire Railway Museum, 2201 S a St Perris, CA 92570.

http://www.oerm.org/

 

"Home to over 200 historic railway cars and locomotives from Los Angeles and the West, the museum’s 90-acre site in Perris, California is open to the public 363 days a year." (their website)  They have a few pieces running all day each weekend. On some weekends they fire up the boilers and take a short run out across the valley. Maintenance buildings are open so yo can walk around (and inside some) what they are rebuilding. Great for getting “detail pix” for bashing/customizing.