I am going to be travelling through Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio.
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Where are the good hobby shops? I will not be on the north end of Indiana or Ohio, so the Chicago area is out.
I will definitely be stopping in Train Central in Indianapolis. I will still be sad that Hawkins is not in Lafayette.
Please let me know where else to go.
Thank you.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I'm only aware of Train Central on E Washington St in Indy, and Hobby Town on the NE side (Castleton). Reportedly, the HT store is owned (or managed) by a train guy, so it is very well stocked compared to most HTs, which I can attest.
Yes, Hawkins has been liquidated.
Several years ago, I visited a shop in Louisville KY, (Scale something?) and Houchins in Elizabethtown, KY. Don't know if either are still standing.
- Douglas
The closest one to me is in Wapakoneta, Ohio just off I-75. It's called Dad's Hobby Shop. Not big store, but has a decent selection. There is also one in Richmond IN, but the selection there is minimal.
There is a large selection of model trains in Paducah , KY at Classic Trains and Ferraris . Mostly HO scale. ...
in Franklin TN , near Nashville , there is Southbound Trains . It has been a few years since I went there.
Not model trains, but you might be interested in the Kentucky Railway Museum at New Haven KY.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Heartland Division CB&Q in Franklin TN , near Nashville , there is Southbound Trains . It has been a few years since I went there.
Sorry to say, but Southbound has been closed for at least 4 years or so.
In the Nashville area, a popular spot is the train store at the Tennessee Central Railway Museum (220 Willow Street), but since its a very small shop, with member-discounts on Walthers catalog items, its not very helpful if you're just passing through.
Jim
drgwcs Indianapolis has several besides Train Central which is a must stop. There are two Hobbytowns. The southside one (its right on the line between Indy and Greenwood) has a selection that is a little bit more that an average hobbytown. The one on the northside is a completely different and has a huge train selection. They moved about a year ago and I have not seen their newer location but I believe it was about the same size or bigger. In Greenwood there is A Trains- looks good online but have not been there. At one time Big Boy Hobbies on Pendleton Pike had trains but I do not know if they still do. Just Northeast in Lebanon off I-65 at exit 138 is a hobby shop that has a small train selection but a huge vintage plastic model selection. At one time Sanford and Son Trains was located in an antique mall on Shadeland North of Train Central. That antique mall closed recently and the dealers dispersed to other malls. Perhaps a local might be able to tell if they are somewhere else now. North of Indianapolis in Kokomo is The Train Exchange. TONS of vintage kits and neat stuff. They are open irregular hours it might be very good to call ahead. Even at that a lot of times you still need to knock on the door. There is also Tolin K&K Hobby Shop there in Kokomo that is worth a stop. (I have not included any stuff from Fort Wayne and Northwest Indiana/ Chicago let me know if you need those.) In Ohio, Dayton has a small shop called Dayton Model Railways. There is DCC Train in Cincinnati that specializes in DCC but has a decent hobby selection but it has been a little while since I was in there. Columbus is the real place in Ohio to hit hobby shops. The Train station on Indianola is an absolute must stop. Excellent selection. Just south of them is a place called Moody Street trains but I have not been there- sounds like they are mainly Lionel but they are close to the Train Station so it might be worth a look. Robbies Hobbies is also a must stop in Columbus they have a great used selection as well. They are a treasue hunt kind of store and always have some great stuff. There are a couple of Hobbyland stores there too that are worth checking out. In Louisville KY there is a shop called Scale Reproductions that I went in a while back. They had a nice selection. If you need listings for things in Fort Wayne, Northwest Indiana, Chicago or Cleveland I would be able to help- but it didn’t sound like you were quite headed that direction. Let me know if you need any of those. Are there any specific cities that you are headed through already? I used to travel a lot around Indiana and Ohio as I was raising support as a home missionary going to Chicago. A lot of times I would stop at the hobby shop along the way and look. Good way to take a break after driving 4 or 5 hours. The sad thing is there are some that I found, often accidently, and I can remember the shop but not the town they were in. I don’t know Tennessee or Kentucky as well as I wasn’t through those area nearly as much as IN and OH. Jim
Yes. I forgot to mention the HT in Greenwood, IN and The Train Exchange in Kokomo, IN, which is excellent. He used to have strange hours, so check their website.
The shop on Indianola in Columbus, OH was nice the last time I was there, going n 10 years now.
josephbw The closest one to me is in Wapakoneta, Ohio just off I-75. It's called Dad's Hobby Shop. Not big store, but has a decent selection. There is also one in Richmond IN, but the selection there is minimal.
That was one of the ones I was trying to remember in Wapokaneta. The one in Richmond is downtown but last time I was there it was not really worth the time. When Veaches was there it was a little more worth the trip but alas they are gone too.
Thank you for all the help so far.
I will absolutely be going to Classic Trains in Paducah, KY tomorrow.
I am going to Nashville tomorrow AM, then heading North into Kentucky. On Monday I am going to Seymore, IN, Then on Thursday to Lafayette. Friday I am going over to Columbus, Ohio. From there I am heading South on the weekend.
SeeYou190 Thank you for all the help so far. I will absolutely be going to Classic Trains in Paducah, KY tomorrow. . I am going to Nashville tomorrow AM, then heading North into Kentucky. On Monday I am going to Seymore, IN, Then on Thursday to Lafayette. Friday I am going over to Columbus, Ohio. From there I am heading South on the weekend. . -Kevin .
No hobbyshops in Seymour, but there is some railfanning there at the CSX/Louisville and Indiana junction.
IIRC, westbound CSX out of Cincy takes the L&I south to Louisville quite frequently. And near Louisville, the L&I's yard is just north of the Ohio river on the right side on I-65. Also, you can take US 31 up from Louisville or just about any exit between there and Indy since it mirrors and crosses I-65 many times. The L&I parallels US31 much of the way.
Just thinking there are a couple of model railroad clubs that are in the area that you are going through. In Dayton there is the Crossroads model railroad club. http://www.crossroadsrr.com/ and in Indianapolis the Naptown and White river http://www.naptownrr.org/ Seen both of their layouts and they are nice. I was a member of a club in New Castle IN that had a small modular layout but I don't have their contact info any more. Jim
Out of curiosity how are you heading south- if going through West Virginia and through Charleston It you go a little West of there in Nitro there is Nitro craft and hobby but they are not open til Mon.
Heartland Division CB&QThere is a large selection of model trains in Paducah , KY at Classic Trains and Ferraris . Mostly HO scale. ...
I made it to Classic Trains & Ferraris yesterday. Picked up a book I had been hunting, and he even had some Rail Graphics decals for private roadnames! What a score for me! This was a great stop for a model railroader like me. Tons of the "treasures" that are hard to find.
SeeYou190 Heartland Division CB&Q There is a large selection of model trains in Paducah , KY at Classic Trains and Ferraris . Mostly HO scale. ... . I made it to Classic Trains & Ferraris yesterday. Picked up a book I had been hunting, and he even had some Rail Graphics decals for private roadnames! What a score for me! This was a great stop for a model railroader like me. Tons of the "treasures" that are hard to find. . . -Kevin .
Heartland Division CB&Q There is a large selection of model trains in Paducah , KY at Classic Trains and Ferraris . Mostly HO scale. ...
Gee Kevin ..... You drove very close to my house to get there. I wish you could have stopped by for a model layout tour.
I have not been to Classic Trains recently. .... I like Bill, the owner, but my layout room is very full already. My last purchase from him was for my two Genesis CB&Q GP7's.
Heartland Division CB&QGee Kevin ..... You drove very close to my house to get there. I wish you could have stopped by for a model layout tour.
After we left Classic Trains, we drove to Saint Louis for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.
I did not get back to the hotel until after midnight. Way too late for a tour!
You were in my backyard. prob about 3 miles. But I don't have a layout that can be toured.
Today we went and hit antique stores in Kentucky on our way to Indiana. Today was 100% my wife's day of this journey, but I had a great time too.
We started in Glendale, Kentucky which had three very good antique malls.
There was also a really cute restaurant there called "Whistle Stop", but it was closed.
We ate at a restaurant called "Tony York's On Main", and had one of the best meals I have ever had in a small town. What a surprise.
I saw this handsome pair of F units in Bardstown, Kentucky.
We ended the day in Louisville at this antique toy mall. They had a lot of toy trains, but nothing of real interest. There were a few operating layouts that were entertaining, but again, more of a toy variety.
Well, unfortunately I have a couple of days of work to do now.
The trip will continue.
basementdwellerThe Train Station on Indianola Ave in Columbus hasn't changed a bit in those 10 years. Still my go to model train store. I never make it into Robbies Hobbies but maybe i should stop in there one of these days.
My plan was to go to Cincinatti, and then take I-75 South back to Florida.
It sound like I might need to find a way to get to Columbus, Ohio before I head for Florida.
In between the train station and Robbies it is a great town for trains. There is an outlet mall inbetween Cincinnati and Columbus- perhaps a peace offering to the wife??
I went to Columbus, Indiana today for dinner. Ate a great burger at a restored garage coverted to a bar, and then had an awesome sundae at a 100 year old ice cream parlor... then... MENARD'S!
I went to Menard's looking for trains, could not find any. I guess they don't sell the train stuff in the retail stores. I could not believe what all they had in this store. They had 2" foam board right on the shelf. They also had Homasote 440 wall board! I have never seen the stuff before on the shelf. I am thinking of buying a bunch and hauling it back to Florida. I have an Explorer. I think I could fit in a good sized load.
I had no idea all the cool stuff that home improvement stores have in the North. I think I will see what Home Depot has tomorrow.
Try Tim's Trains in Latonia, Ky, across the river from Cincinnati. Nice little hobby shop, with a decent blend of new and used model railroad stock. The parking lot is right next to CSX tracks. Chances are you'll see some traffic while you're there.
Frank
SeeYou190 I went to Menard's looking for trains, could not find any. I guess they don't sell the train stuff in the retail stores. I could not believe what all they had in this store. They had 2" foam board right on the shelf. They also had Homasote 440 wall board! I have never seen the stuff before on the shelf. I am thinking of buying a bunch and hauling it back to Florida. I have an Explorer. I think I could fit in a good sized load. . I had no idea all the cool stuff that home improvement stores have in the North. I think I will see what Home Depot has tomorrow. . -Kevin .
I think Menards only carries the trains in store as it approaches Christmas. They have added the HO since we moved away two years ago- they just had O scale then. They carry Woodland Scenics suff although limited. I miss Menards for home improvement. They had so much neat stuff compared to Lowes and Depot. I used to get prefinished 1x4 boards for example for the front of the layout that were perfect. Jim
http://www.nyctrainstore.com/
Mishawaka, In
Len & Jay are my goto guys!
DanB
Dannyboy6Mishawaka, In Len & Jay are my goto guys!
Looks like a great shop. Unfortunately I am not going that far North this time.
Speaking of hobby shops in TN- we are heading to Pigeon Forge in two weeks. Anybody know of any in the vicinity? I found one over in Powell Dan's trains that looked good about 30 min away. The one website didn't work though. Jim
Tennessee (like nearly all of Georgia) seems like it is a desert for model train shops. There is the Dixie Flyer in Wartrace which is a neat little shop, but not worth a drive too far out of the way.
Well... The meetings and work planning in Seymour has been absolutely stressful. I am behind, and I will not be able to make it to Indianapolis and Train Central until tomorrow.
On the plus side... I did go to Menard's and pull the trigger on 6 sheets of Homasote 440 and 2 sheets of two inch thick foam insulation board.
It filled the explorer! I had to cut all the sheets into three pieces to get them in. I don't know how I will get the luggage back in.
SeeYou190 I will not be able to make it to Indianapolis and Train Central until tomorrow. It filled the explorer! I had to cut all the sheets into three pieces to get them in. I don't know how I will get the luggage back in.
I will not be able to make it to Indianapolis and Train Central until tomorrow.
Glad you have the priorities in order for space utilization- who needs clean clothes when you have stuff for the train!! Have fun at train central. Last time I was in there he was full- lots of stuff to look at. Make sure to hit the North Hobbytown in Indy too 8265 Center Run Dr.
Time to go back to Menard's for a rooftop carrier!