Several days ago, I was reading the post on this site and a individual was asking about AHM, A.K.A. Associated hobby manufacturers, as I remember was base in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Anyhow, a few years back, I posted a story on this site, concerning AHM's largest customer, which would have been F.W. Woolworth and Company.
Thus the subject line of The "Big" Annual Train Sale. Woolworth and Company had two (2) divsions starting in the mid-1960's, of coarse Woolworth's and it's sister, the department store WOOLCO.
Some of us, let's say gaser's remember the chain(s) well.
Another company of 5 & 10 fame and a big buyer of AHM, was G.C. Murphy and Company.
The after Christmas sales at Woolworth/Woolco & G.C. Murphy, was the big disconunts on model railroad equipment.
As for the first piece of brass, which I saw in my life, was at a local Woolco and was marketed by AHM.
AHM offered equipment in colorful prototypical paint schemes. AHM was big in it's day, as model railroad equipment was not as much, as presently today.
By today's standards, AHM tooling was not as detailed, but they did indeed provide us with models that Athearn, Mantua/Tyco, Train Miniature, Revel, Life-Like, and Atlas did not offer.
I still have a Mantua/Tyco EMD GP-20, Illinois Central, which I purchased new at the annual event, back in the early 1970's and still do run it on occasion. I no longer have the box, but I think I paid around $7.00 for the unit.
What these store's had to offer, was no small selection. At Woolco, general to isle shelves were dedicated to model railroad equipment, in N, HO, O and Lionel.
Familiar names, such as Athearn, Atlas, Model Die Casting Roundhouse Line, Train Miniaturer, Revel, AHM to name a few.
Too bad, we can not turn the clock back, meaning we gaser's.
Run EightThe after Christmas sales at Woolworth/Woolco & G.C. Murphy, was the big disconunts on model railroad equipment.
I believe that you forgot S.S. Kresge, parent company of Kmart.
Oh, and it's Geezer, not Gaser.
Or perhaps the average geezer's diet makes "gasser" appropriate.
And I do remember going to Woolworth's after Christmas for amazing AHM bargains. It must have driven the local hobby shops nuts to see those prices, because everyone knew they were coming if you just waited until after Christmas. The only unfortunate thing, in more ways than one, was AHM's stubborn refusal to force their suppliers to have NMRA standard wheels or at least smaller flanges than the European ones.
Dave Nelson
slamminPerhaps Run 8's diet makes "gasser" appropriate!
Oh, that could be true. If so, and in the holiday spirit, I have exactly the product he needs:
https://biggeekdad.com/2014/12/milk-cookies/
I remember the local Woolworth's well, but I don;t recall them ever having any sort of selection of train items. We had another place, a regional department store called Two Guys. Starting around Thanksgiving, they would have extra shelves of model train stuff, mostly Tyco and AHM. Got many a good bargain there, especially after Christmas when the closed it all out.
I have 3 of the 4 "old time" AHM locos, and some matching cars. Some of the cars are tyco, some AHM - the AHM are MUCH nicer in detail.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Reading the OP, I suddenly recalled that- in the mid and late 60s (nineteen sixties), the Woolworth store in downtown Minneapolis used to have model railroad stuff in their toy dept. For those upper Midwesterners who also recall, the Warners Hardware store chain also had railroad stuff before and just after Christmas as well. Funny thing- the dedicated hobby stores, Gagers and Woodcraft, never seemed to have sales- just retail all the time pricing.
Cedarwoodron
Our local strip mall toy store (part of a chain) in the mid 70's used to have after Christmas sales where the cars were $1. Mostly Bachmann as I recall in N and HO.
Paul