LHS's around the US

[Day One]

I travel a lot for my job with professional motorcycle racing and this gives me a lot of chances to visit hobby shops in what ever area I happen to be in. I'd like to solicit some help from the members here in suggesting some good hobby shops and other railroad related places to visit when I'm on the road. This weekend I'm in Pittsburgh, PA and will have some time to kill Monday before flying home. So how about it? Any good LHS's to visit or other model railroad and proto railroad places worth visiting?

Thanks,
Brad

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Esthers? I don't know any details though. It's just what I've heard.

[Walkercolt]

Brad, are you doing road-racing? If so, Super Bike, Formula One or Two? I've done some road racing on the evil old Yamaha TZ-750....possibly the WORST handling motorcycle ever made. 275HP engine and 75 HP chassis with the old BadYear bias ply tires good for maybe 50 HP. Now the 650 "crotch-rockets" with DOT tires could lap a field of TZ's with a good rider on-board. You've not lived 'til you've "chunked" a rear tire at 175MPH, had pieces the size of your fist come off. I'll make you sit-up and count your fingers and toes... (Yeah, it was a loooong time ago)

[Day One]

sorry to jump off topic on my own thread but, yeah I am/was a roadracer. The avatar pic is me on my ZX-10R racebike. I also have a ZX-6RR race bike that I've made back into a street bike. Both very fun bikes! ZX-10 is good for 178hp at the rear wheel and the 600 is good for around 109 hp at the wheel. Both bikes weigh in the neighborhood of 425 lbs so power to weight is amazing and yes, modern tires are long lasting, reliable, gum balls! Sticky icky! Nothing like dragging your knees and elbows on the ground going thru the corners at 60mph in a totally controlled fashion! Sadly, the avatar pic was taken about 2 min before I smacked a concrete wall at about 160 mph. Both bike and rider were put back together and are around to continue riding but both had to have some serious surgeries!

I currently work for the American Motorcyclist a$$'n doing Timing and Scoring for all forms of profesional racing. Supercross, Motocross, Roadrace (my fave), flat track, supermoto, etc...

Bikes and trains hold the same interest for me I guess. Lot's of HP! They just use them in entirely different ways!

And back to the topic at hand...thanks for the suggestion Ed. I'll see if I can find them and hope they are open on Monday.

[ai5629]

You are probably on your way home, but Esther's in Pittsburgh (Millvale) is a great hobby shop.  Bob Meher (I think that's how you spell it) is the owner, and a super nice guy.  He has so much stuff packed in his store.  I don't make it over there as much as I should, but I cannot walk out of his store without dropping $100.  He discounts orders up to $50 at 10% and anything over $50 at 20%.  His shop is a real gem.  Highly recommended.  It is off the Millvale exit of PA28. 

Jeff

[Day One]

I took the rare opportunity that this AM presented and slept in. (I have a baby at home and race days always start around 5am so sleeping late is a rare luxury now) Unfortunately I slept a little too late and deemed that the cross town trip to Esther's would take me too far away from the airport for my departure time. Of course now I wish I had gone. My first flight was delayed over an hour and now I'm sitting at O'hare suffering thru another 4 hour delay.

I did manage to stop in at a place called Iron Horse Hobby Shop though. It was hard to find because of all the PODS stacked around the building and the inside was a bit cluttered up so I'm not sure if they were moving or what. At any rate, they didn't have much more than a few MT cars for N scale and mostly just large scale stuff. Friendly people working there tho.

My next stop is in 2 weeks in Lakewood, CO. I've been to Caboose Hobbies and plan on making a trip there for sure but again, if anyone can recommend some other good shops or even layouts that might be open for visit's post up. Thanks!

[ai5629]

Not that it matters now, but Esther's specializes in N scale.  His shop is at least 80% N scale.  Like I said before, great hobby shop.  I'm sorry you missed it, but I understand the sleep thing.  My wife just had our first baby, a girl.  She is the best thing ever, but she does cut into our sleep routine.  She's worth it though. 

[flight2000]

Does N Scale Supply still have a store front?  I know they did at one point in time, but can't find it on their website any more, just a phone number.  Might be worth the call if you get time.  They are on the north side of Denver.

email: sales@nscalesupply.com

Brian

[up1950s]

This site is good to find US hobbyshops . Just click on the map and it will get bigger . You can walk into any area closer like any other map program .

http://find.mapmuse.com/re1/interest.php?brandID=MTRAIN

[pedro]

This site is good to find US hobbyshops . Just click on the map and it will get bigger . You can walk into any area closer like any other map program .

http://find.mapmuse.com/re1/interest.php?brandID=MTRAIN

That's pretty cool, and helpful.

N Scale Supply went mail order only a couple years ago, no store front.

Mizell is worth a look. We used to call him the "Train Nazi" for his less-than-enthusiastic and unfriendly service (unless you're dropping $$$ on G scale stuff), but it is a decent store. Caboose is really the only sure bet.

Pete D.

[chuck geiger]

There is a shop in Wichita, KS; Engine House Hobbies, it's a lot like Caboose Hobbies in Denver. Great place and massive N scale and solid consignment section along the walls. One of the best model raliroad stores in the country.

[Walkercolt]

Day One, I'm sorry but I couldn't resist asking about racing bikes. The old TZ's were heavy evil-handling beasts with far too much power for the tires, frames and as we laughably called it "suspension". I raced once with "King" Kenny Roberts and Freddie Spencer, but they had "works" bikes and the first radial tires. Freddie could ride anything fast, even the NR-500 which had about half the HP of a TZ, but had a real frame and suspension and those HUGE Michieln radials. I was increadibly slow compared to them...kinda of a moving road block actually.