Does *Anyone* Buy thier Engines from the LHS?

[Anonymous]

When Atlas recently announced thier Gold Master Series MP15DC, first thing on my mind was "where I am going to pre-order it from?" I want one as soon as they are released, but I want to save money, also.

Then I remembered the kind gentleman that got me into this hobby ..... "Jack" who owns The Model Railroad Shop in Piscataway NJ ......

http://www.themodelrailroadshop.com/history.htm

One day about 10 years ago, I just walked into the place. Over the next couple of days or so, Jack and others that work there taught me so much about the hobby, showing me stuff and running things for me. Yet, they advised me to go slow, don't get ahead of myself, don't spend too much money at first. They did not try to sell me anything, did not try to get rid of thier stock on me, did not push me in any way. I insisted I wanted to start with a very good quality engine, and all the while they were also showing me more budget priced engines so as not to make me spend alot, I came away with a Kato NW2 Conrail switcher, rolling stock, much Atlas track, DC transformer, etc.

It turned out that it was a bad time for me to build a layout ..... with very small children at home, working lots of hours, and doing stuff to the house. It all got packed away. But, now I'm back with my little layout.

Jack has everything you could possibly need jammed into that store. Every little detail and scratchbuilding part , etc etc etc. HO and N. People go in and spend $2 for some little part, and also get great advice and friendly talk. No computer system. No security system. Just old school warm and fuzzy. But I wonder how many of those people I see in there buy thier engines from Jack, giving him a chance to make a larger bit of profit? Not many, I bet.

And here I sit, wondering what MegaLoMart (as in King of the Hill) I should call to get my new Atlas engine.

Not any more, I'm going down to spend a couple of hours with Jack, and get my engine from him, before he's forced to shut his doors.

Just rambling.
Ken

[jeffshultz]

I'm pre-ordering my MP15DC through an LTS. My LHS (there is a difference) can be a bit iffy when it comes to ordering stuff. His primary love is also RC aircraft, not trains. But I do buy stuff from him and through him as well.

Got a couple of corn syrup cars coming in in the next couple of days, in fact.

[cheese3]

QUOTE: HO and N. People go in and spend $2 for some little part, and also get great advice and friendly talk. No computer system. No security system. Just old school warm and fuzzy.

I go to a shop like this in winfield MD. It is great. The owner is a really nice guy and he can give good advice. If i have a question or need a product he knows what i need and offers a veriety of products that can do the job and are in different price ranges and he can order anything. It is great.

[simon1966]

My last BLI locomotive came from my LHS. It was one of the switchers and the price was very competetive with the web e-tailers.

[csmith9474]

As I posted in another forum, it seems many LHSs give a discount on special orders (usually on the order of about 10%). A trip to the LHS is usually a good time. It seems to be a good idea to peel away from ebay and the likes and drive down to support the local guys, or gals. I really don't mind paying a little extra to support local small business anyhow.

[Anonymous]

I get my engines from the LHS.

They usually give a small discount from MSRP. The bigger engines I buy in terms of cost I get from the LHS. That way I dont need to pay shipping and can put it on a track and see how it runs.

I have been tempted to order from cheaper sources such as Ebay, Mega dealers on the net etc.. but for "important" purchases such as engines it is the LHS for me. I know they enjoy engine sales as it turns a dollar for them as well.

I usually sell older engines for seed money on a desired engine. I purchase maybe one or two a year.

I have enjoyed "Old school" hobby shops similar to the Jersey store that the author of this thread describes. However the two LHS's in AR are very good as well. Just dont bring up the words "Radio Control" =)

[railroadyoshi]

I absolutely agree
There have been many threads like this, and i have always said, support local business, talk to the friendly guys with lots of advice, and get a great product. Plain and simple.
My shop offers 10% discount on orders, I purchase everything, and I mean everything, from my shop.
Most Saturdays I ride my bike down to my LHS, get something small like a coupler pack or a Athearn BB kit, and then I spend the next 2 hours talking to whoever is staffing the shop.
Its really nice to walk in, get a friendly " hey sidd!" and get that friendly service.

And im 12, it isnt like I know how it was 40 years ago, and im relating to how it was
this is now, in the midst of globalization, service centers on the other side of the country,
there are still these small, friendly shops, able to connect you to any product they dont stock, and offer competitive prices with the friendly service. Ok, now im rambling like Tony Koester, so ill be quiet. All I can say is my LHS is the best experience of my 4 years in the hobby.
Siddharth Agrawal

[littleboom]

I have the good fortune of living 30 min from a great MRR shop. IMHO it's worth every dime I spend there. Every time I go there, they greet me by name, spend time gabbing about the hobby(or anything else), make great suggestions, etc. Plus, I know if I ever have a problem with a product I get from them, they can help me out, as opposed to XYZ website or some guy on Ebay. I have bought several Spectrum steamers and Roundhouse steamer kits from them...all at very reasonable prices. About the only stuff I don't get from them are discontinued stuff you can usually only find at the train shows or Ebay.

Mike

[Anonymous]

So far al I have bought has been cheepies off of eBay but the first time I spend any real money, and to me real money is just a hunderd dollars, I am buying from an LHS. I want to be able to deal face to face with someone and to be able to see and touch the engine before I plop down my hard earned money.

[dacort]

I've bought most of what's in my train room from the Train Shop in Santa Clara, CA. I do occasionally buy something online or off eBay, mostly stuff that's hard to find (even with their awesome selection) or out of production.

[espeefoamer]

I buy all of my trains at the LHS.There are a couple around here that sell at a sometimes substantial discount.I am just starting to scenic my first layout ,and am asking questions and getting some good tips.

[jfugate]

Most of my loco purchases in the last 6 years have been through my LHS. They give me a slight discount, and they always get just exactly what I want.

I feel it's important to give them the business, and after you factor in shipping, the price difference often isn't *that* huge.

[grayfox1119]

I buy 99% from LHS, they hbave what I want, or can get it, price is close enough to online, and I like to see, feel, touch what I buy when possible, and, I want to support LHS.

[Texas Zepher]

Yes, I have two excellent train hobby stores and I try to support them as much as possible. I also purchase everywhere else (ebay, mail order, on-line) too.

[Jetrock]

I live within a short drive of three hobby shops, two of which are fantastic and the other is pretty good with moments of amazing deals. I have bought engines at all three shops at one time or another. The folks at those shops don't often ask me if I need help, but that is because I am in there often enough that they recognize me and know that if I need help I'll ask for it.

Of course, I'm not the sort of folks who pre-orders limited-run engines, but nobody makes the engines I want anyhow, even in limited runs--aside from the ones I can walk into any hobby shop and buy.

[cacole]

Our "Local" hobby shop charges up to 20 percent above MSRP on some items. Fortunately, there's a hobby shop in Tucson, 70 miles away, that charges the same prices as the cheapest of the mail order houses, so for expensive items such as locomotives I drive to Tucson.

[Anonymous]

Hello Jetrock

I'm curious .......what sort of folks *do* pre-order limited run engines?

Ken

[Anonymous]

Haven't purchased a locomotive from my LHS in awhile mostly e-bay but been getting some god deals lately still I support my LHS just sometimes they don't have what i want in stock or been discontinued from the manufracture.

[railroadyoshi]

20%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My shop wouldnt dream of that
Really trying to squezze some extra money, dont ya say?

Siddharth

[BMRR]

I have bought all my engines from the LHS, except one, I bought it on-line.

Stan.

[Anonymous]

The truth is, I very rarely buy engines or rolling stock from hobby shops anymore because it's so much easier for me to buy things off the web. Once in a great while I'll drive into the city just to get out of the house and tour all of my favorite hobby shops to see the new stock they've got. If I encounter something rare that I just have to have while there, I might buy it.

trainluver1

[MisterBeasley]

I am not a shopper. My "purchasing trips" are carefully planned forays, even to the point of a shopping list ordered by aisle at the discount warehouse. But, that all breaks down at Maine Trains, my LHS, (or LTS to be more precise.) There's always something on the shelves I've never looked at carefully before, and fortunately I'm making enough progress that another challenge is right around the corner. When my Bowser PCC (special order) arrived at the shop, I was like a little kid. I couldn't wait for Thursday that week.

[Anonymous]

Some of you guys are sooo lucky. My LHS closed 3 years ago and the nearest one is now an hours drive away, but like so many, he's into RC boats and planes. My solution? Once or twice a year I drive to Toronto and visit Credit VAlley RR in Streetsville. It's like a candy store. All trains, all the time. THese guys love to talk trains and the advice is priceless! So I lay down a wad and walk out with a smile on my face. [^]It's important to have a good detailed list of all the things you need before going.
For the record...I haven't bought anything hobby related off the internet.
Andy

[mustanggt]

QUOTE: I am not a shopper. My "purchasing trips" are carefully planned forays, even to the point of a shopping list ordered by aisle at the discount warehouse. But, that all breaks down at Maine Trains, my LHS, (or LTS to be more precise.) There's always something on the shelves I've never looked at carefully before, and fortunately I'm making enough progress that another challenge is right around the corner. When my Bowser PCC (special order) arrived at the shop, I was like a little kid. I couldn't wait for Thursday that week.

Where exactly is Maine Trains? I live in Arlington and I alway go to Charles Ro in Malden. They have a great selection of everything and a cool multi-scale layout upstairs from the store.
BTW, I buy many of my engines at the LHS- except for Higher end ones that the store doesn't always have. I use Ebay for that. Sometimes trainworld.

[tjsmrinfo]

i live in a mid sized town that doesnt have a LTS so like trainluvr i have to drive to the city (Dallas) to go to a good decent train shop/hobby shop. the 1 i frequent also offers 20% off msrp on anything in stock and does custom orders or special orders.

tom

[Berk-fan284]

You bet I do!! The mail order places and ebay auctions and online stores can be just dandy for low prices, but if you have a problem with your item... You could be waiting a fair while if you have to ship it somewhere across country or the border ( I'm Canadian), plus exchange rates taxes,etc. The LHS isn't that bad when you add all that in.

[cnw4001]

I buy from a train shop and occasionally at a train show.

Reason is simple, I want to see and touch what I buy before I make the purchase and those are the places which make it possible.

They also give me advice and other information which I can't get from a mail order site.

Dale

[tstage]

My very first locomotive - the Athearn 2-8-2 Mike pictured below - was purchased through my LHS. My other locomotive - a P2K S1 - was purchased from Trainworld on blowout. (Couldn't get that good of a deal from my LHS.) I do, however, prefer to buy my rolling stock locally because I can check the BLT date to make sure it fits in my era.

I probably give my LHS about 80% of my business. One of the sales guys (Jim) is an encyclopaedia of information on both railroading and MRRing. It's worth it to me to spend that extra few dollars to glean from guys like that.

Tom

[AggroJones]

I can't. MSRP is too much for me.

[Anonymous]

I buy all my locos, rolling stock, and accs. from the LHS. After dealing with them for a year, they give me an automatic 10 - 20% discount. When I figure in not having to pay frieght, dealing with the aggravation of not being able to see, touch, and run it before I buy it, I figure it's cheaper than mail order. I'm lucky in that money is not a problem for me, but even if it was, I still would buy at the LHS, if for nothing else than the fact that if I have a problem, I walk in with it in my hand, hand it to them, and they fix it, replace it, or give me my money back. That makes the purchase cheap at whatever the price. If I can't figure something out on my own, I go in and ask. They've never failed to help, whether they could answer the question, call someone for me, or send me to someone that could.
You might get something mailorder for a few bucks less to start with, but the help and service that goes with the LHS is "PRICELESS"!
Remember the old adage " You get what you pay for."