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 Posted - December 08 2013 : 10:39:25 PM
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You might have seen this item in COTW:
I'm fortunate to need to travel for my job. I try to stop in local hobby stores in the areas I am in - you never know what you might find. Most of the time its a wasted trip with the advent of ebay (seems commonplace now, but not too long ago stores kept their old stock on the shelves for years lol). I figure about 1 in 5 shops have something worthwhile. So I was down in West Palm Beach, FL the beginning of November. I have to go there two to three times a year. Through reading various train magazines, I have seen an advertisement for H&R Trains, which is in the Tampa, Fl area, about 2-1/2 hours away from West Palm Beach. The past couple of years, I thought about going there, heck on their website they state they are the "Florida's Largest Train Store - A model railroader's paradise"! I thought maybe I could fly a day early to Tampa, then on to West Palm Beach, or leave a day later, but it never worked out. Until this trip. I knew I had a day to myself, so I decided to make the trip. I do not mind driving, so I drove the 2-1/2 hours. This is not a knock on the store or its employees, they were extremely nice, but I was soooo disappointed! I walked around, there was not a lot of merchandise. Yes I found that piece in their "vintage" section, but other than that car, there was just alot of old track and small accessories (people, track signs, insulated rail joiners). I asked one of the employees if there was maybe another building, but there wasn't. I live on Long Island (New York for those out of the country) - Trainland is at least three times as big. I thought (errantly) since they claimed to be large, it would be. Maybe as large as Caboose Hobbies in Colorado - They claim to be the largest model train store in the world. I have not been there yet, I would like to someday.
Has anyone done what I do - searching a store for older items?
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Posted - December 08 2013 : 11:14:53 PM
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I used to do this when I'd go on vacations with the family. Every now and then I'd find a cool store, but most were a total waste of time. Tiny stores crammed full of brand new DCC engines and O scale seemed to be the norm. There's actually a good sized shop about an hour from my house that carries nothing but HO and has an amazing selection of vintage/used/consignment trains. I don't think I'll ever be able to top that. 
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Posted - December 08 2013 : 11:58:26 PM
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Yes Caboose Hobbies IS huge been there a few times myself
No used stuff there  But a nice place & its on Broadway
BUT the street is a one way south So you gotta go a few blocks north then turn west to get to it & the parking lot only holds 20 cars or so
I want that boxcar someday!
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Posted - December 09 2013 : 09:56:30 AM
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Several years ago, I was in Wichita, Kansas. I visited Engine House Hobbies (I think that was name).
The store was 25 feet wide and about 60 feet long. Chocked full of plastic model kits and some HO trains. The trains, many still in boxes,some in a display case, were vintage AHM, TYCO stuff. Some of the plastic kits were sealed vintage items. I thought to myself, wow, this stuff has been on the shelf here for decades. Anyway, I head right for the used HO stuff.
I found out much later that the store I was in; was a temporary annex rented by Engine House to sell one man's lifetime collection.
Question: How is the sound effects? Are they somewhat realistic.?
Unspoken expectations are premeditated failures.
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Posted - December 09 2013 : 10:05:26 AM
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| i used to deliver flowers all over London,and if i came across a model shop,i was in there like a shot,picked up loads of English stuff,we only had one american loco shop back in the good old days,called victors,today we have none,ken
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Posted - December 09 2013 : 12:49:11 PM
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| Went to Indianapolis over the summer, visited a small shop, they had some used stuff out and I got an Atlas C420 in Lehigh Valley red for $80 - that's a good price for that roadname.
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Posted - December 09 2013 : 1:12:05 PM
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I haven't opened it yet (it's still sealed) I will soon. Interestingly enough, earlier in the year, I had visited a train store in Forest Hills where I grew up. World Of Trains - It moved twice, but was still in Forest Hills. I would stop in there from time to time when I was going to my parents house and chat with one of the two owners who I was friendly with. I found out on my last visit (in February) that he had passed  , and the other owner was closing the store . After talking with the other owner, he asked me if I'd like to go poke through their basement as they had alot of old stock, and since I has a good customer, he'd give me a deal. Bonus! I went down and took a look, there was too much to look through in a few minutes, so I asked if I could come over the weekend to take a good look through. He said no problem. When I returned, I ended up being there three hours! I couldn't believe what was buried there. I picked out a ton of stuff, and he sold it to me soooo cheap. It was so much it barely fit in my Express van. I'll post some of the unearthed finds here soon.
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Posted - December 10 2013 : 08:01:15 AM
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quote:
I'm fortunate to need to travel for my job. I try to stop in local hobby stores in the areas I am in - you never know what you might find. Most of the time its a wasted trip with the advent of ebay
Has anyone done what I do - searching a store for older items?
Originally posted by Knights89Â -Â December 08 2013Â :Â 10:39:25 PM
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Oh yes, every trip I make, every step I take, I'll be watching for those, LOL! I always Google-Map an area i'm traveling to to find hobby stores AND antique stores. A store in downtown York, PA yielded an Auto Frames kit I'd been looking for for some time for $6 ( sells for 20+ on Ebay ), a small outlet train store near Concord, NC was an importer/exporter for unusual HO stuff, and they finally opened a brick-and-mortar so were open to the public. I made a trip to Florida a few years ago, north of Tampa I hit a couple hobby shops, one had voluminous vintage stock, one whole ROOM was dedicated to just that, not new stuff. I bought over $100 worth of stuff there. Sounds like you have fun like I do. One antique mall in Amish Country, Cackleberry, has an antique mall with one nice vendor with almost nothing but trains, from N to HO to AF to Lionel. Many good HO deals came from there, my CN sharknose I just posted recently was one of those, as was that Mantua CP 4017 F9 . I enjoy the hunt and search. Never know what you may find.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - December 10 2013 : 2:51:55 PM
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Jerry, what is this Concord store of which you speak? That's in my neighborhood if it still exists!
Glenn
I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said, "... I drank what?"
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Posted - December 10 2013 : 7:14:28 PM
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quote:Jerry, what is this Concord store of which you speak? That's in my neighborhood if it still exists!
Originally posted by gmoney - December 10 2013 : 2:51:55 PM
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It's this one :
Chuck's Trains
129 S Central Ave, Landis, NC ‎
(704) 855-7245
Towards Kannapolis, the railroad tracks run right in front of the store. Little store, but some awesome stuff when I was there maybe 5-6 years ago? Still shows up on Google maps.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - December 10 2013 : 9:55:43 PM
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| The car basically makes a static sound with each turn of the wheels on one end, IIRC the axles are about 50% coated to make the connection. It sounds okay at slow and moderate speeds, although I'm sure any sound decoder puts it to shame.
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Posted - December 10 2013 : 11:01:42 PM
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oh really? Kinda like the gondolas with sound?
Who made them eludes me atm
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Posted - December 10 2013 : 11:45:04 PM
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quote: quote:Jerry, what is this Concord store of which you speak? That's in my neighborhood if it still exists!
Originally posted by gmoney - December 10 2013 : 2:51:55 PM
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It's this one :
Chuck's Trains
129 S Central Ave, Landis, NC ‎
(704) 855-7245
Towards Kannapolis, the railroad tracks run right in front of the store. Little store, but some awesome stuff when I was there maybe 5-6 years ago? Still shows up on Google maps.
Jerry
Originally posted by AMC_Gremlin_GTÂ -Â December 10 2013Â :Â 7:14:28 PM
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It's still there. It's literally 5 minutes from my house. I was there a little while ago, but didn't notice anything "unusual", but then I wasn't really looking for such at the time. Will have to look again!
Glenn
I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said, "... I drank what?"
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Posted - December 11 2013 : 6:05:04 PM
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| AHM did that gondola, although I think it appeared as an IHC piece too. Same basic concept.
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