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

[tstage]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jesionowski
Another reason for lack of stock is RTR cars cost $30 each and with their popularity the LHS can only afford stock 1 RTR car for the 4 kits he used to stock.

Richard,

Unfortunately, that's where the hobby seems to be heading these days. (Not on my efforts, mind you.) Out of about 30 pieces of rolling stock, only 10% (2 Walthers gondolas and a 30' cupola caboose) are RTR; the rest, kit. If they had come in kit form, I would have purchased them instead.

Tom

[Anonymous]

The problem I have found with most hobby shops is that they no longer care to stock undecorated kits and decals, let alone model paint. For the past four years I have traveled to 40 different states visiting hobby shops and the contents of their shelves are all the same.

Although my LHS told me I am the only modeler that buys undecorated kits along with decals for them.

The other thing that I do not like is that most LHS's close at 5:30 or 6:00. If you work how are you supposed to get to the shop to make any purchases.

Another reason for lack of stock is RTR cars cost $30 each and with their popularity the LHS can only afford stock 1 RTR car for the 4 kits he used to stock.

[tstage]

How 'bout adding "Good" to the list?

I have two that I frequent here in Cleveland. They are both 30 min.+ for me to get to but worth the drive. They both have their pluses and minuses. I usually try and divide up my expenditures between them the two of them.

Tom

[on30francisco]

I rated the two hobby shops we have in San Francisco fair. They have limited stock and sell at MSRP. There is a great hobby shop in the San Francisco Bay Area called The Train Shop. They are strictly model railroading, cater to all scales and gauges, have an excellent stock, have a friendly and knowledgeable staff, and sell at 10% to 20% below MSRP. With the good public transportation in this area, getting to this shop is not a problem.

[Anonymous]

My LHS is Ready To Roll the best in South Fla.(Bill Lucas) hands down.

[ac4400fan]

i was just in my LHS today,, found the owner ,was showing my the new line ha had in,,,,i told him i wasnt into that right now,,and i was into seenery ,,omg did i get the cold shoulder,,hehe so i went up north ,,man what a differance,,i was much more relaxed
carl

[XG01X]

Castle trains in Springfield, IL is flat out great.
I don't stray to far from it!
Travis

[ac4400fan]

Sometimes with bad luck ,your kind of better off ordering online,avoids the hassel ,But ,Your really not sure what your getting ,thats the downfall ,so its ,cut and chase,,

[jguess733]

The best hobby shop I've ever been to, and the only one that I would religiously shop at was Bobbey Hall's in Dallas. Anytime we would go to Dallas to visit my grandparents I could always count on a visit there. The shop has been around for awhile and the last I heard Mrs. Hall had sold it. There is only one hobby shop on my side of the water and while it is ok, I prefer to order all my stuff online.

[Anonymous]

I can remember here in the Philadelphia area, we had two very *** good hobby shops. One in Upper Darby called Tobbs. If he did not have it he would get it for you. Allied Hobbies Shop,at the Bazara In Clifton Heights. I used to love these two stores and now thier gone. WE have one in Holme that I don't like to talk about. But if you are in the Philly area go to Uncle Nicks in Broomal

[Anonymous]

Ok there is one Hobby Shop here in Lafayette, IN. Hawkin's Rail Service...he has everything under the sun...detail parts out the back end...if he doesn't have it, give him a week...you'll have it by then. However he does charge full list. [:(] Still excellent selection. The other ones I like are the Train Exchange in Kokomo, In and Big Four Hobbies on the west side of Indianapolis. Both are about 1:15 from where I live but both discount well and have excellent selection, also extremely friendly and knowledgable staff at both. The guy in Kokomo took two club members and myself around on a layout tour two saturdays ago. It was a great time. I am at Purdue, but I live near Harrisburg, Pa over summer, there is only on place Main Line Hobby Supply in Blue Ridge Summit it which is as good as anyone out there. I still want to go see Trainland in person though. But those are my $.02.
Cheers,
Nick

[West Coast S]

My local LHS rates #1 in my book, eventhough they carry no RTR or kits in S scale! Stimulating conversation and a genuine curosity into what i've been up to. i'm working on convinicing him to get some S scale starter sets to test the market, they do a have excellent selection of S/Sn3 detail parts and he tolerates my box scrouging with good humor.

[DigitalGriffin]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rripperger

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:

I'll second that. I really like these guys. They are friendly and always willing to share their know how. I once asked John the difference between a C14 and C16 and he knew right off the top of his head! Their prices are pretty competitive also. Then there's Charlie. If you are looking for something, he knows who makes it.

~D

[Anonymous]

My "local" hobby shop is a total joke. It is 15 miles away and the next nearest is 75 miles.

As many times as I've tried to do business with him, I always come out disappointed and wondering why I bothered. That's the times I've found the shop open, anyhow. Though his hours on the sign are "Monday thru Friday 10 am to 5 pm & Saturday noon till 4" good luck on finding the shop open. 9 times out of ten it is locked up and dark no matter when I stop by. I have totally given up on trying to make a "special" trip, especially without calling first.

Even that doesn't work sometimes. I have called to see if he's open, and when he answered the phone I told him I would be there in about 15-20 minutes. He would say no problem. (this would be well within his "open" hours) By the time I get there, less than 20 minutes later, the shop is locked up and no one is around.

Even so, I still want to try to support local business, so when I do find the shop open, I try to buy something. Problem is, he has lots of "old stock" that has obviously been opened before, and a couple models I bought from him were missing lots of parts.

He won't even stock Kadee couplers because "everyone up here uses McHenry's". So I tried some. They make good gondola loads.

The rest of his inventory is at full retail of course, what inventory there is. I can't even get Woodland Scenics ground foam there when I need it. He always "just ran out" though the display looks unchanged from the last time I saw it. He is willing to order from Walthers (at full price and with a 50% deposit) if you really need something. I doubt I'll ever need anything that badly.

The shop is dusty and poorly lit. Maybe this was fine in the '40s or '50s, but it sure doesn't make sense nowdays.

So now I shop exclusively on the internet. Believe me, it's a lot less aggravating! Even ebay beats my LHS, hands down. I'm to the point that I would buy a used engine on ebay before I'd buy a new one from my LHS. And I'm not into buying used locos!

Anyhow, that's why I rated my LHS as "bad". Too bad there wasn't a category of "absolutely terrible!"

[MudHen_462]

In the Kansas City area the best LHS is right here on Main Street, in Blue Springs, MO.... it is MAINLINE TRAINS. Their customer support is "tops", and the prices are fair. As long as I have a train shop that gives me this kind of service, selection, and pricing, I will be a stong customer. Besides that, the store owner is just a really great guy !

Bob H.

[Anonymous]

I am VERY happy with my local hobby shop (Kings - Austin, Texas). When I was first getting into the hobby, they were very responsive to my questions. Not sure I would have gotten in withoutthem. Their prices are fair. They have clinics that have proved very helpful. They don't always stock what I am looking for, but have been very responsive and willing to order. I do buy thngs online and visit other shops when out of town, but without Kings, the hobby would not be nearly as fun as it is. Hope they around for a long time.

John
Austin, Texas

[Anonymous]

I gave my rating ("poor") based on my closest hobby shop, which is what "local" means to me. Like Adelie, I actually frequent Grandad's in SPringfield, Virginia which is about 15 miles away. Rob is right about Peach Creek although I would say that its mostly for locos - including an extensive selection of new and used brass, kind of weak on nuts-and-bolts supplies - and whenever I am in the neighborhood (its a 45-minute drive) I stop by. Neither of these shops is as good as some that I have visited in other cities.

[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

[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

[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."

[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.[^]

[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

[ac4400fan]

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

[Anonymous]

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

[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]

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.

[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]

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.

[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.