YOUR L.H.S RATING ??????

[ac4400fan]

Hey Guys.
I love a old fashioned hobby shop,like the one i go to ,from time to time ,not all the time cause its far,but ,everytime i go there it's worth it! stuff is always there,not ,im sorry were all out! how many of you run into that??, i do from time to time ,but ,whats hot is hot ,at times, any way how do you rate your loco hobby shop?? i rate mine to anywhare from a 8 to a ten,,rating an affar with trains in phx az. to #1
carl,

[AntonioFP45]

I've heard some nightmare stories about hobby shops on this forum, and I've visited a few shops that weren't hot on the friendly side.

I'm very fortunate that my LHS is "Top Notch". Happy Hobo Trains. The owner and his assistant are both modelers, give great customer service and conversation too. Can even get wild and wacky at times when politics are thrown in the mix. All fun. The shop is packed with detailing items and stock. If Kevin doesn't have it, he'll do what he can to get it for you.

While I admit to buy from Ebay, I also buy many items this business. I hope it will be around for decades to come!

[Anonymous]

The ones round these parts are pretty poor. You really have to search out the folks that you can work with and get the information that you need. There is one store locally that has two shops. One of them is Dark, Cramped, and has so much clutter in it that I can never seem to find anything I want. The other store has much more freindly folks working there, willing to talk and show you things. Much better arrangement of their stock. Most of the times I go there.

[soumodeler]

There is a Hobbytown USA in town, but there is a member of my model railroad club that owns a small "hobby shop" in a corner of a antique mall. He always gives discounts up to 20% off and knows a lot about model railroading. I almost always buy from him.

soumodeler
-----------------
The Southern Serves the South!
http://www.trainweb.org/mgr

[Anonymous]

We have a hobby shop here in Holmes,Pa. called Loco Lewe.It is not a friendly shop to me at all. I went there many times and asks if they had this or that. No said the salesman and there it is right under his nose.

[Anonymous]

I have two pretty well stocked LHS in my area. One which is the closest to my house does a good buiness and when the owner is present, help is available. However, if only the "counter person" is present, you are "on your own." The other shop is a 20 minute drive and also has a good inventory. The repairman is very helpful and is generous with his information and time. I feel fortunate to have these two alternatives and the only criticism I have is that too often the "counter people" aren't very knowledgeable on the most rudimental points of the Hobby. The two shops of which I speak are Frank's Trains and Hobbies and H & R Trains in Oldsmar, Fl and Pinellas Park, Fl respectively. Now, I must explore Happy Hobo Trains in Tampa after reading Antonio's review. Happy rails to you. T.D.K.

[rogerhensley]

$300 loco? No problem.
Scratchbuilding/kitbash parts like doors, windows, roof vents, drive line repair parts, etc, etc. Forget it.

[CP5415]

I have several hobby shops near me.
Only one is genuinely into model railroading. That's the one I've been frequenting for the past 5 years.

The other two are expensive & have little or no interest in model railroading. I can't remember the last time I was in either of those two.

Gordon

[Anonymous]

We have a "LHS" that's a laugh. He carries nothing for the modeler and will not listen to people who have been in the hobby for 50 years. Our closest HS is 35 miles away so it is hard to get there when you need something in a hurry.

[dave9999]

I'm five minutes from one and ten from the other. Both are great in their own way. They both have "hobby shop prices", but they're hobby shops [:)].

They both have helpful people and know trains. The closest one is always
finding me deals. He is getting me a Walthers 130' Turntable at cost. (I assume
it is at cost... $200, the retail is $299.)

He also always has time to just "talk trains". Dave

[Anonymous]

Define "L". My hobby shop is 50 miles away, so it isn't exactly local, but nothing is really except for Evan's Grocery, Cafe, Cattle Company, Guided fishing, etc. Anyway, Woodward's Hobby is an excellent HS with good stock and good guys working there

[jrbernier]

You did not have an option for NO LHS! We lost our LHS this month. The owner passed away, and his wife could not find a buyer. The shop did not have everything in stock, but he ordered every week and we got a basic 20% discount. The nearest LHS is 45 miles away and is a combination ACE Hardware/ATV Dealer/LHS. The closest 'big' LHS's are 75 miles away and full MSRP. I suspect most of my purchasing will be via Internet/mail order or local train shows in the future.

Jim Bernier

[Anonymous]

The only local hobby shop near Oxford would be Hobby Lobby about 20 minutes away. At best it rates poor, overpriced scenery materal and some paint is about all it is good for.

Davis Electronics (Davis Trains on the internet) is an hour away but it is worth the drive. They have had everything I have looked or asked for. The staff has been friendly and helpful. They definatly rate #1.

Another Cincinnati hobby shop that deserves an honorabe mention is Boardwalk. No trains but they have any modeling supplies you could ask for.

[dave9999]

I would also add that Bobe"s Hobby House (the one I visit most often) just celebrated their
50th year in business... pretty good for a small business. Here's to fifty more! [bday] Dave

[Anonymous]

My LHS is 100 miles to his driveway from my driveway. Papa Ben's in Houston. His staff is out of this world, they will help you in any way. Ben is on the board of the NMRA and is very knowledgeable. I feel fortunate to have this good staff at my fingertips. Their are about ten of us over here and if one of us is going we call around and see if anyone else needs anything or wants to go. They will order anything that I need or want with no questions ask. They usually order every week so their's no delay unlesss the distrubutor is out of the item.

Bob

[ereimer]

here's a vote for George's Trains in Toronto . nice store and the people seem to know their stuff and are always helpful . my only problem with them is they carry mostly canadian prototype and i'm modeling copper hauling railroads in 1900's arizona :)

[twhite]

BRUCE'S TRAINS in Sacramento, and about fifteen miles east in Roseville, RAILROAD HOBBIES. Terrific stores, both of them!! We're really lucky here in the Central Valley, both stores carry a large selection of motive power and rolling stock for all scales, scratch-building supplies, scenery, track, etc.--oh, and yes--BRIDGES!! They carry lots of BRIDGES!! (Yummy!!) The people are helpful, friendly--they even both have on-site repair services. What more could you ask for?
Tom[:P][:P][:P]

[Ibflattop]

Hey the best around my parts of the woods would be Hobbyland in Ft. Wayne. I want to get to the Train Exchange in Kokomo and check it out. The best when we were on Vacation would be out in Denver Caboose Hobbies! I was in there with my wife and we were checking out. The owner was at the register, and he offered me a job on the spot. I said, "That I was on Vacation and from Indiana." He said that would be a long Drive just to come to work!!!! I said, "Yeah" with glassey eyes, Wife said, "No!!!!!"
The Second best on Vacation would be down at Mickeyville;The Train Depot.
When we are in Orlando we alway make a stop there! Have always found a good deal with them.
The 3rd best place was the Oaks Hobby shop in Jasper, Fl. A humongus H.O. scale layout and a great place to get H.O. trains. I dont think its in business anymore cause the last time we stopped by it was closeed and I hear that the owner had passed on. A sad day when a HS closes that had a huge layout in it!!!!!!!! Anyone from Florida remembers Oaks Hobbyshop??????????? Kevin

[Adelie]

For me, Granddad's is about 40 or so miles away. As hobby shops go, it is great. As model railroad shops go, it is pretty good. Four are closer, ranging from average to poor from the model railroad standpoint. For now, it is Granddad's or the internet.

When I lived outside of Oakland, CA, there were three very good ones. One closed, but The Train Shop in Santa Clara was a model railroader's paradise (especially HO). Just Trains in Concord is also very good, slightly above Granddad's here in Northern VIrginia.

[Anonymous]

My LHS (Pegasus Hobbies in Montclair California) is absolutally huge.... lare modelers area R/C car area and 3 isles of MRRing stuff.... the staff is very very knowledgeable and willing to work with you if you have any problems at all.

[JohnT14808]

I may have to change my vote. I needed some 'bridge flex-trak' to finish off my 19" long small sized trestle and when I call my LHS to order it from the catalog, the owner told me that it might be a while before they send in the order, as they had not paid off their December order yet, and Walthers was wanting that order paid off before they (Walthers) would send out anymore orders??!?!

I had to bite my tongue, since I needed the part and I knew that none of the other locals would carry it either. I probably should call back and cancel the order and get it from another LHS.....

[Anonymous]

Adelie, there was a small but very good shop in San Mateo, Ca named "Trains, Trains, nothing but Trains." I was able to pick up a couple of vintage sream locos there and some "special run" Walthers kits. This was many years ago, so I expect it closed by now. T.D.K.

[tatans]

Great LHS if you happen to walk in with $100.00 bills sticking out of your Dickies, if not you will be completely ignored. I thought it was me but met a couple of fellas that felt exactly the same. Economic discrimination??? I guess that's what makes the world go around.

[Anonymous]

I be long to the local club and so does the owner of my LHS so I get 20% off trains sweet.

[ac4400fan]

Dont Be Afraid,Its A Poll Thinking Of staring my own,Need Input Guys

[trolleyboy]

My LHS is certainly a #1. The owner is super friendly and an avod modeller to boot.he try's to keep on top of whats hot and theres always detail parts and scratch building supplies. I've not needed to buy stuff anywhere else.Since he's one heck of a guy I'll keep patronizing his shop.If anyone is in SW Ontario look him up Great western Model Trains in the VIA station in Brantford ON. Rob

[chateauricher]

What is the difference between "# 1" and "best" ? I always thought they were one and the same.[%-)]

That said ... There are two hobby shops in Quebec City (Canada) within about 30km (20miles) of my home.

One (Passetemps 3000) is a general hobby shop with supplies for everything (RC planes/cars, doll houses, plastic models, wood models; and trains). Its located in a major shopping centre and has the highest prices of the two shops. The staff is friendly and helpful, even if not 100% dedicated to trains; and they will order whatever you want if its not in stock.

The other one (Ferroviphiles) is dedicated exclusively to trains -- its name is French for "train lovers". The owner is extremely knowledgeable, being a modeler herself. She and her partner also run a layout building business from the back room of the tiny shop. I've been able to get loads of helpful hints from both of them, as well as getting to see layouts (HO and N scales) in various stages of construction. While the shop is small and doesn't have a huge inventory, there is no problem ordering things through them. She also tests each locomotive in front of you before she sells it to you.

About a year ago, I happened to mention to her that I was planning a trip with a friend to ride the Algoma Central (ACR) and how interesting it would be to have their rolling stock on my layout. She looked it up in her catalogues and learned that ACR locomotives and freight cars were indeed manufactured. A couple weeks later, I visited the shop on a whim. Lo and behold, what did she have but an N-scale ACR locomotive !!! [:o] I hadn't asked her to order it; but she did anyways. While I hadn't really planned to buy anything that day, the ACR locomotive now sits proudly beside my two other locomotives (waiting for a layout to run on). [:D]

I've visited the shop on several occasions, spending entire afternoons just talking about trains and layouts. She always seems willing to spend time answering my questions, and offering suggestions. Because of that, I plan to buy most of my supplies from her, even if it means waiting for orders to come in or paying more than I would if I ordered off the Internet.

I'll support her store for as long as she is open because she is more than willing to support me.[^]

[MidlandPacific]

I'm lucky - there are lots of good ones in my area (DC), but the best is Peach Creek Shops in Laurel, MD, about forty-five minutes away. Definitely pitched to the serious modeler (which I hope to be one of these days), and stocked with knowledgeable staff: one guy used to build models for the Smithsonian, and the owner, John Glaab, wrote the last edition of the "Brown Book."

[cwclark]

We have two in the Houston area that are really the BEST...PAPA BEN'S has everything for the railroad modeler and they have a good staff willing to help (Marty is one of Ben's employees, has been in the hobby for years, and if you need a paint scheme or a part he knows all about it)..then not too far from his shop is the HOUSTON ROUNDHOUSE ...it's another fine shop where you can get what you need...the employee's are fair and the only problem i have with them is that they are closed on Sunday, but they also carry everything for the MRR modeler...Chuck

[Bikerdad]

Poor. As an N Scaler, availability isn't as good. We have a full range shop here that's jumping into trains, so hopefully things will improve. The RC cars really drive the market here, sigh. Two Hobbytown's, neither has received much of anything new since before Christmas. An old trains only shop (with old stock) that's 97% HO, run by an older curmudgeon who seems to be allergic to both customers and quality new product. Poor it is. I saw better model train shops in the rural areas of Pennsylvania than in this metropolitan area closing on 2 million people! grrrrr