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Nashville Hobby Shops

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  • Member since
    April 2010
  • 2 posts
Nashville Hobby Shops
Posted by MontourRR on Monday, July 24, 2023 4:32 AM

I'll be traveling to Nashville, TN in a couple weeks. Any hobby shops I can check out in the area?  I see that the TN railroad museum has shop.  Is Aardvark's still open?  Saw a couple references online to it, but nothing recent.

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, July 24, 2023 8:02 AM

MontourRR
Is Aardvark's still open?

I worked at Aardvark's when I was in college in Nashville back in 1985. That was a lifetime ago.

Ron and Jean closed it about ten years ago. On one trip to Nashville it just was gone.

Hudson custom hobbies was still open South of Nashville last time I was there (pre-Covid), but I would avoid it. It has been there almost 50 years, and last time I was there the cat urine was so bad that breathing was impossible.

The nifty small-town hobby shop in Wartrace has closed.

But... if you are willing to drive a bit from Nashville, you can get to Classic Trains and Ferraris in Paducah, Kentucky. That shop is worth the drive.

Hopefully there is something new.

-Kevin

 

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Nashville, TN area
  • 712 posts
Posted by hardcoalcase on Monday, July 24, 2023 5:51 PM

The Tennessee Central RR Museum Hobby Store is the only model train store I'm aware of in the Nashville area.  The actual store footprint is small but you can buy most staples (track, cork, joiners, wheels/trucks, some turnouts, KD's Goo, paint, some freight cars, etc. off the rack.  Also a rotating variety of donated items - cheap!  The store is only open Saturdays 10 AM to 2 PM.

Locals join the Museum, memberships are $35 per year (IIRC), and receive a 25% discount on most anything out of the Walthers catalog, delivered to the store for your pickup (no shipping costs to you).  Best deal in town.  

The Museum Building also houses two layouts, HO & N scales.   

The restoration of NC&St.L 4-8-4 No. 576, more than 60% complete, is on-site.

More at tcry.org.

Jim

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, August 7, 2023 1:09 AM

Jim, do you know anything about the Cadence Railyard in Fairview, Tennessee?

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Nashville, TN area
  • 712 posts
Posted by hardcoalcase on Monday, August 7, 2023 12:19 PM

SeeYou190
  Cadence Railyard in Fairview, Tennessee? -Kevin 

Thats a new one for me.  Fairview is a suburb of greater Nashville, The leading google search item is a video walk-through of the store, and it looks to be a cross between a garage sale and a model train show - all scales, lots of used stuff, mostly trains, but also diecast cars, Legos, and toys.  You could spend an afternoon there and you'll certain to find something you can't live without!

Jim

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