Allied is closing....

[VonRyan]

I dig the live-steam City of Truro.

It's pretty neat, but not $5000 neat. I could buy and fix-up another Jag for that much.

[Nato]

         I was never at the newer store, but I was at the original bigger store on several visits including a Thanksgiving Week visit in 1968 when I was in college in Salt Lake and went back to the LA area with a college friend for a visit with his family. I still have a small cardboard printed sign on my workbench that reads in part; "WARNING HOBBY POX" "VERY CONTAGIOUS TO ALL AGES" the symptoms are then listed then "NO CURE KNOWN" At the bottom "ALLIED MODELS HOBBY SHOP" "10938 W. Pico Blvd. Phone 475-2228"  A great store. Engineer Bill brings back local memories a lot of TV stations when I was growing up in the late 50's era had afternoon kids cartoon shows with usually male host's like clowns, fireman, and cowboys. In Salt Lake City on the local ABC affiliate channel 4 we had "Engineer Ron" who yes ran trains on a nicely scenicked  door size American Flyer Pike, he had a "Peanut Gallery" of kids and one was selected each day to be the "Honored Engineer" wear a Kromer Cap and run one of the trains usually "Cecil the Diesel". I was really jealous when a male second cousin who was my age was on and was the "Honored Engineer". The talented young man who was engineer R. was a local stage actor Ron Ross who not only appeared in stage plays at the University of Utah, but was in their Ballet company soon to become "Ballet West" and played the roll of "Mother Bufoon" in the  "Nut Cracker" at Christmas for many years. Nate Goodman (Nato). "Too many memories."

[Rossford Yard]

Loved the original, often planned longer layovers at LAX and take a cab over.

I recall the original owner posting the sale notice on Train Board about ten years ago.  His blurb said the shop had averaged $3M in sales over the last XX years.  I wondered if it was declining, as in $2.5M in the most recent years, etc.  He answered a bit angrily and said it was constant.  Either way, that was a LOT for an LHS to sell, and still is.  Not sure what the final terms were, or if the norms applied (greater of one year revenue or 3X average profit)  Was said to see an iconic place change hands, move across the street, and become basically another LHS, pretty good, but not worth laying over for any more.

Oh well, I guess times change.

It does leave the question of what is our most iconic train store now?  From my personal experience, maybe Caboose Hobbies, which seems to be plugging along as if the world hasn't changed a bit, but I haven't seen them all.  Any other suggestions/candidates?

[TLOC]

Iconic LHS-.

Living in Wisconsin and never having been to Cabosse Hobby in Denver, I really think a trip to Milwaukee should include a trip to Hiawatha Hobbies in Waukesha for HO scale--it looks like they also have a lot of N but I don't model in N so am unsure.

In the Chicago area, Des Plaines Hobby still get my visits and money.

[C855B]

Caboose Hobbies is certainly a top candidate. So is Des Plaines, although somebody else will have to compare the new and old locations.

Whistle Stop... I can't judge, last time I was there was over 30 years ago; I do somewhat gather from various forii that time has stood still for them. Franciscan Hobbies, a Bay Area institution, recently closed. Berkeley Hardware is still a hidden treasure, some scuttlebutt about moving, but things were unchanged in March 2014 when we last visited.

There's always Hobby Smith in Portland, really good but certainly not as awe-inspiring as Caboose. I also haven't seen them all, so you Right Coast folks will have to chime in. I think some you guys seem to have a love/hate thing going with MBK's B&M presence, so whether it qualifies as "iconic"...

[peteski]

In the Boston area we have Charles Ro.  While it is iconic for the area, it is mostly 0 scale (since they make their own line of 0 scale models).   They do carry some other scales too, but the selection is limited.  It is a fairly large store, but nothing like Caboose Hobbies which I had a chance to visit few times in the past.

[Philip H]

Iconic?

There's a tough term for a hobby store.

Caboose definitely fills the bill nationally.

But then I think you get to regional presence quickly after that.  MBK is one such store AFAIK.

[ljudice]

None more iconic than The Model Railroad Shop in Piscataway, NJ...    http://themodelrailroadshop.com

Also the oldest in the US.   

- Lou

[Mike C]

I dig the live-steam City of Truro.

It's pretty neat, but not $5000 neat. I could buy and fix-up another Jag for that much.

Saw an 80's something XJ6 go for under 4000.00 last week on Barrett Jackson.........

[John]

the old MBK shop was iconic .. the new one is ----

[dougnelson]

Nothing comes close to Caboose Hobbies, but in Northern California we still have:
- Railroad Hobbies in Roseville
- The Train Shop in Santa Clara, and
- Just Trains in Concord.

All are excellent all-scale model railroad shops with very good N scale representation.

Did I mention Feather River Train Shop?

I did visit Allied a number of time when they were in the big store across the street - it was an awesome store, but with everything full retail, I had to be pretty selective for purchases.  It certainly was a good place for recreational shopping.

I will also add that I loved the old M.B. Klein.  There is something special about an old train store in a dodgy neighborhood. 

[jnevis]

I will also add that I loved the old M.B. Klein.  There is something special about an old train store in a dodgy neighborhood.

Now we're old and dodgy

[ljudice]

Issues at play here from perspective of owners:

 - people come in, spend 2 hours asking questions and then go off and buy at train shows or on the internet

 - limited runs - a disaster for LHS.  Nobody wants to pre-order 2 years in advance, they go to store to get something now.
   multiple stories of customers DYING before pre-orders arrived.

 - When stuff comes in it ALL comes at once, walk-in traffic can't absorb it

 - Atlas track availability - a killer for LHS - since people would come to buy a piece of track and then buy something
    else on spur of the moment

 - Product explosion - so much stuff to carry in limited space with rents too high to expand

 - Prices scaring people off...

And #1 -  declining interest in the hobby...

[Blazeman]

Nothing comes close to Caboose Hobbies, but in Northern California we still have:
- Railroad Hobbies in Roseville
- The Train Shop in Santa Clara, and
- Just Trains in Concord..

November, 1980, had the opportunity to visit SF and then hang around through the weekend for business in Oakland early in the following week. A modeler friend dabbled in brass sales. As a favor, I carted with me a half dozen brass steam locos of the western persuasion with the idea of visiting stores and making trades of them for eastern models. So that weekend, I trekked from SF to Sacto visiting stores. Recall a successful visit to Whistle Stop in Sacto followed by a couple hours at the train museum. Based on your list, that establishment is no more. What happened and when to that store?

As an aside, to make that trip, I turned down a ticket to the Stanford-Cal game. That was the game that ended with the kickoff return through the band.

[Blazeman]

Issues at play here from perspective of owners:

 - people come in, spend 2 hours asking questions and then go off and buy at train shows or on the internet

 -

Friend of mine worked at Nicky Smith's outside Phila. He endured that process continually. Customer finally begins to talk price and many times walks away proclaiming it can be purchased on the 'net for much less. He agrees with them then points out it isn't unusual for engines to not perform to expectations. (If the customer buys from the store, the engine is test run before ringing the sale.)  "Try returning it to your internet seller" he tells them. And some have the brass cojones to buy from the 'net and if it doesn't work, bring it to the store for a fix.