I agree that Kleins has always been great, especially with their current inventory feature on their website. However, I'm lucky to have a wonderful hobby shop an hour away (Caboose Stop in Cedar Falls, IA) that is fun to visit and with prices that are competive with Klein's when shipping is considered. The service is top rate and their Saturday pizza yummy!
My favorite place to buy stuff is my local brick-and-mortar hobby shop, but for reasons other than prices. Only a few years ago there were two well-stocked (with trains) hobby shops and one train-only store within 15 minutes of me. Now the train store is gone and only one hobby shop carryies train-related items, primarily Lionel sets and scenic supplies. Although most stuff is sold around retail prices, I make sure to shop there for track and supplies because I want to be sure they keep it in stock for when I need just a couple of things, and I don't have to worry about shipping costs. I have quick chats with the store manager, and when they don't have what I need (and it's not a rush), they happily order it for me.
My second favorites is train shows great and small, which are good for the small items too (tools, bulbs, vintage building kits). Vendors will usually negotiate, and the best part is that for a few dollars I can spend an hour or two browsing through the latest advances or hunting for some obscure part for one of my vintage trains. And, again, buying from these vendors keeps them coming back.
This car stops at ALL railroad crossings!
I mainly use USPS for sending stuff to my mail box. It is cheaper than UPS/FedEx and does not require a signature. Recently ordered briefs from Amazon because finding them in ginormous sizes is hard locally. I do not own a car but have access to city transit so as a result I do not visit the LHS as the bus only goes by about once an hour on Saturdays. Work on weekdays. Now to haul a used hollow-core door would be hard to do on a bus. Have some friends with vehicles that could haul the door & folding feet to me. Want to create a small N-scale layout on the door.
My favorite place ever was Long’s Drug Store in Moreno Valley. It had a very large train section with every item from the Walther’s catalog. They were a discount drug store and all of the items were priced at their usual markup instead of list price, so every item was on sale. Long’s was bought out by Walgreens and the department is long gone. All of the other local train stores I used to shop at have all closed. Allied Model Trains, 4411 South Sepulveda Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90230 (Culver City)Pacific Coast Hobbies, 6667 Indiana Avenue, Suite F, Riverside, CA 92506All Aboard - 3867 Pacific Coast Highway, Torrance CA 90505Train Quest - Moreno ValleyThere is a local hobby store in town, Busy Bee, but they have mostly arts and crafts. They have some Athearn HO products but not much selection and a few trainsets. Also some N scale items. I mostly just go there for paint, Evergreen Sheet Styrene and Woodland Scenics supplies.I’ve heard there are some other stores about an hour’s drive from here but I haven’t been to them. I tried Hobby Lobby the other day expecting a huge hobby shop but I found it is just another arts and crafts store just like Michael's which is a block away. Neither have as much Woodland Scenics products as the LHS or the paint I was looking for. I usually just buy from eBay or Walthers website. I never cared for Amazon but sometimes I get gift cards and have to use it. For Preiser figures my go to store is Mirco Macro Mundo Hobby Store in Miami. There website is https://www.rocousa.com/preiser.asp
I used Long's for a while but they would only ship some of your order then say well the rest is backordered and you would never get it or they would hit you with another shipping charge. I like MB Klein and have always had good luck with them. I have bought direct from Lifelike when they were in buisness and that was good. Walthers over the net is expensive but things are ok. I prefer going to some train shows and getting things there. Some are hit and miss. The last one in Plano there was a couple selling tons or rolling stock for $2 a car! AND it was good stuff. The best train show I have been to by far is in Oklahoma City.
fender777WOW Lone Wolf a Drug store and train store. One could get their Trains and drugs at the same time, What a great idea.
One could say the were getting two fixes at once!
I worked at Longs in Woodland California back in my college days. I heard the Longs with the trains had a manager who was a model RRer so he sold trains, but his was a "one-off" store. They used to advertise in MR magazine I remember, but I didn't know that Longs had been bought out but I haven't lived in Longs country for many years.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Long's did special runs; I have a box of 24 Intermountain Santa Fe reefers that were a Long's special run. Haven't built them, yet. Hope to, someday.
tin can Long's did special runs; I have a box of 24 Intermountain Santa Fe reefers that were a Long's special run. Haven't built them, yet. Hope to, someday.
Get crackin! I do remember Longs advertising those Intermountain ATSF ice reefers. They've been offered in RTR form for the past 10-15 years IIRC at about $27 a pop street price.
My #1 place for train stuff is Ebay. #2 is Klein.
Norm's O Scale in Casco ME is a fun place to poke around when we are in the area, but obviously HO is not their focus.
SouthPennMaybe if more people supported the LHS that was only 20 minutes away, they would still be in business too.
Its not my responsibilty to support them or any other business "in the area"
This is capitolism after all.
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
I live close enough to Trainworld to drop by every so often on days when we are driving home from Manhattan. But I much pefer their store in Lynnbrook (Trainland). For mail order I use MB Klein and sometimes especially for Bachmann I wil wait until a train show and peruse Star Hobb.
Joe Staten Island West
My #1 favorite is Dale's, the local hobbyshop in Norfolk, #2 is Klein's followed by Trainworld.
richhotrain SouthPenn Maybe if more people supported the LHS that was only 20 minutes away, they would still be in business too. How does this square with those of us who fully supported the LHS that was only 20 minutes away and yet it is no longer in business? Rich
SouthPenn Maybe if more people supported the LHS that was only 20 minutes away, they would still be in business too.
Maybe if more people supported the LHS that was only 20 minutes away, they would still be in business too.
How does this square with those of us who fully supported the LHS that was only 20 minutes away and yet it is no longer in business?
Rich
Apparently, there were not enough patrons to pay the bills and put food on the owners table.
Fender,
I get my trains and drugs at the same time, anywhere - in the same wrapper! At least these don't blow up your biochemistry.
Two great LHSs in Portland, OR are Whistle Stop and Hobby Smith. Can't beat them for single items in a hurry and have scored some good buys at WS's occasional parking lot sale and in their bargain closet. Always try to hit Junction Valley RR Hobby Shop in Bridgeport, MI when traveling back to visit family. Amazing what they pack into a small building. As for internet outlets, unless it's a great engine buy I've always had any savings eaten or worse for small orders. And it's not always easy to generate an efficient larger order from a single source as one may have this but not that.
John
Arnie's Trains in Westminister CA, and various online sites including Amazon and Ebay.
I mostly buy used, shows or eBay. If I buy something new, it's usually because it's on sale at Walthers.com. My LHS (Train Shack in Burbank, CA) will order and honor the sale prices; they don't make much but they are happy to do it, and I save the shipping costs (though I pay tax). I buy odds and ends and supplies from them, and they give a discount to train club members. And their used selection is usually pretty good.
Aaron
AttuvianWhistle Stop
I love their "used closet" -- still kicking myself for not grabbing a Bachman E33 in Conrail they had on my first visit.