Went down to Arnie's in Westminster, CA, hoping to pick thorugh his collection of old Athearn Blue Box and Roundhouse cars to find some PRR/NYC/PC hoppers for my budding PC coal train. Finding Eastern roads is never easy at stores in Los Angeles, but hope springs eternal...
So I get there, and the first thing that I find is a six-pack of Stewart hopper kids -- NYC, six different #s! He has the bundle priced at $50. YES PLEASE. I went through the shop and found a couple of older Bowser hoppers (PRR kit, $10, and NYC RTR, $13), plus a few other old kits I wanted (including a pair of 34' Bev-Bel MoW hoppers for $6 apiece). AND -- it just so happens I'm going to another club tomorrow with my milk/express train, and wouldn't you know it? They had two Walthers 932-series milk reefers (proper ones with no ice hatches) for $15 apiece!
And if that wasn't enough, when he rang me up, he knockd $10 off the Stewarts and another $10 off the other stuff I bought.
Hard to find that kind of a deal on Ebay. :) Go LHS! Go Arnie's!
Aaron
I wanted to go to Arnie's when I was in California, but we could not make it.
Glad to hear of your great experience. These days, just having a local hobby shop you can visit is a good thing.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Finding unexpected items you're looks for is always fun, bargains are better!. Long live the LHS. (Well, you said it, hope springs eternal) Dan
I recently got news from a friend (who lives out in the boonies just a little ways north of Lake Erie) that a nearby (to him) hobbyshop is planning to move to an area on the West Hamilton Mountain (actually the Niagara Escarpment) in a locale very close to where I lived as a teenager (many decades ago).
That will be a much shorter trip from here, and I'm told that the owner is very congenial and in no way a price gouger, either.I recall when there were at least a dozen hobbyshops within or not too far from Hamilton, and as far as I'm aware, there's only one now that's within a half-hour drive from here.
I'm looking forward to the new place, which is slated to open in February.
Wayne
doctorwayneI'm looking forward to the new place, which is slated to open in February
Interesting news, that'll be relatively close for me too. What's the name of the shop? Not otter valley, I presume? That'd be too good to be true