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Post by rtraincollector on Mar 26, 2023 9:05:10 GMT
Closest thing we have to a local hobby shop is Hobby Lobby which to me isn't a hobby shop
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Post by dennym57 on Mar 26, 2023 14:19:25 GMT
Closest thing we have to a local hobby shop is Hobby Lobby which to me isn't a hobby shop
Hobby Lobby seems to be aimed at women and RC modelers.
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Post by dennym57 on Mar 26, 2023 14:24:31 GMT
Americas Best Train and Hobby Shoppe. Itasca, IL Great store, very lucky to be so close which is about a 15 minute drive. Not only trains, but all the modeling tools and consumables for almost any situation. In other words, a real hobby shop. Charlie I take it you're in the burbs.
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Post by BobS2056 on Mar 26, 2023 15:40:30 GMT
Americas Best Train and Hobby Shoppe. Itasca, IL Great store, very lucky to be so close which is about a 15 minute drive. Not only trains, but all the modeling tools and consumables for almost any situation. In other words, a real hobby shop. Charlie I love America's Best Train and Hobby, to me it's unbelievable the amount of stock in the store I can hardly make it down the isles, and that doesn't count the storage they have next door with stock that you can not view. 35 minute drive for me. I purchased a steam locomotive (#30-1138-1 #5446) from them in 2007, I only have 2 hours run time and it had a battery issue, and now it wont run, I think it scrambled the boards MTH Chip Kit # 50-1023 may fix it, so I will be calling them today to get a opinion and see if they can guide me on what to do or if they can fix it? I am also close to Berwyn's Toy Trains 2nd generation, Berwyn, IL. 30 minutes drive for me, AND Walts Hobby Shop in CrestHill IL. 70 years in Business. 20 minute drive for me. Bob
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Post by phil55 on Mar 26, 2023 16:08:17 GMT
For me its Crouse Hardware about 30 minute drive north or T&K Hobby 1 hour drive south
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Post by ahomes on Mar 26, 2023 18:06:11 GMT
A few hours away for me. Tiny Tim's in Ashland VA or there is one near Roanoke VA (Hollins exit off I-81) cannot think of their name. Our local hobby shop owner retired a few years ago.
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Post by curtis on Mar 26, 2023 21:48:08 GMT
the close one that I deal with is an hour one way but hey it is worth it.
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Post by Charlie on Mar 27, 2023 2:27:35 GMT
Americas Best Train and Hobby Shoppe. Itasca, IL Great store, very lucky to be so close which is about a 15 minute drive. Not only trains, but all the modeling tools and consumables for almost any situation. In other words, a real hobby shop. Charlie I take it you're in the burbs. Hey Denny, yes, I'm in Carol Stream. Actually I use to work with Berwyn Hobbies when Tony and Tom were working together. Americas Best move much closer to me so that became my goto hobby shop. Berwyn, Des Plaines and Americas Best are all good shops for different things. I'm very lucky to have more then one so close to me. I do very much spend as much of my hobby money locally. Charlie
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Post by dennym57 on Mar 27, 2023 13:42:54 GMT
I take it you're in the burbs. Hey Denny, yes, I'm in Carol Stream. Actually I use to work with Berwyn Hobbies when Tony and Tom were working together. Americas Best move much closer to me so that became my goto hobby shop. Berwyn, Des Plaines and Americas Best are all good shops for different things. I'm very lucky to have more then one so close to me. I do very much spend as much of my hobby money locally. Charlie I use to deliver copy paper and office supplies out that way. The company was based in Des Plaines. I had to be punched in by 6AM after driving to work from the Northside were I lived. The money was good, but the hours sucked.
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Post by RickyTanner on Mar 28, 2023 21:48:05 GMT
I have two excellent brick and mortar shops close by, both are primarily train shops. Rail and Sprue Hobbies in Jacksonville,Arkansas and Arkansas Traveller Hobbies on up the road in Bald Knob,Arkansas (In the old MoPac depot soon to be an Amtrak stop). Rail And Sprue is mostly HO and N scale with some Lionel. Arkansas Traveller is mostly O. Both have large operating layouts and are worth a visit if you are visiting nearby or passing through.
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Post by atsda on May 15, 2023 18:44:35 GMT
Post by rcs226e on Mar 25, 2023 at 4:38pm "Gryboski Trains in Scranton is about 1/2 hour. ..." I am considering making a post war diesel engine and box cars purchase through them. Just waiting for some additional info. Since I am blind, I can't see the photos of inventory they post; however, Joe III has been good with verbal and e-mail descriptions. I have not dealt with them before. Alfred
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Post by stoshu on May 15, 2023 21:15:53 GMT
Does Manards count ? If so about 15 minutes. Otherwise it's and hour to the last one in town...
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Post by harborbelt70 on May 15, 2023 21:32:13 GMT
Americas Best Train and Hobby Shoppe. Itasca, IL Great store, very lucky to be so close which is about a 15 minute drive. Not only trains, but all the modeling tools and consumables for almost any situation. In other words, a real hobby shop. Charlie I love America's Best Train and Hobby, to me it's unbelievable the amount of stock in the store I can hardly make it down the isles, and that doesn't count the storage they have next door with stock that you can not view. 35 minute drive for me. I purchased a steam locomotive (#30-1138-1 #5446) from them in 2007, I only have 2 hours run time and it had a battery issue, and now it wont run, I think it scrambled the boards MTH Chip Kit # 50-1023 may fix it, so I will be calling them today to get a opinion and see if they can guide me on what to do or if they can fix it? I am also close to Berwyn's Toy Trains 2nd generation, Berwyn, IL. 30 minutes drive for me, AND Walts Hobby Shop in CrestHill IL. 70 years in Business. 20 minute drive for me. Bob While I have heard good things about America's Best Train and Hobby, I have never in fact set foot in the place - or for that matter Des Plaines Hobbies. I have found that their online sales are pretty much at MSRP, but then I have found things that were not available from any other source - at least in NIB condition. One day I'll make the trip in view of what's been said about their in-store stock. There's also the place that Denny has mentioned, I Love Toy Trains, which would be a nice trip down memory lane roughly along the old South Shore line. Now that Chicagoland Toy & Hobby is closing down, Berwyn's is actually the nearest to me but it means fighting cross-town traffic.
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Post by madockawando on May 19, 2023 22:44:40 GMT
Great topic and good question. I’ve got about three of the bigger Hobby Lobby and Michaels within 15 miles and I do go to them when I need supplies. But I think you are referring more to the ones that sell O-Gauge products. Charles Ro is our closest and it is about a 40 minute drive, but I don’t go often because they are a Lionel shop and I prefer MTH. I visited there a couple of weeks ago. Not a lot of turnover in inventory. Not a place that stocks much new trains made within the last couple of years from either Lionel or MTH. With their lack of participation in local shows, being closed on the weekends and even closing their upstairs layout Charles Ro seems to be "mailing it in." It feels like they are disinterested and marking time until an eventual sale or closure.
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Post by madockawando on May 19, 2023 22:47:08 GMT
Since this thread was started, my closest train hobby shop closed, Mohawk Valley Railroad. Not sure how far/who is the next closest O gauge hobby shop to me. I used to stop there when I passed through upstate New York. I remember the old pipe smoking gentleman who owned the shop until he passed away. It was a good place to find some postwar.
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