Shopping Trip

[rockislandmike]

I went to two hobby stores last night, and lo and behold, came home with 36' of flex track, 24' of roadbed, two more turnouts and an EL centerflow hopper. Not to mention I posted a MO to a club in Phx to acquire two club car c-hoppers of theirs. A good night all around (well, except Friends sucked, but that's for another place and another time).

However, it got me to thinking, all the local hobby stores have their HO rolling stock categorized/separated by type- i.e., all the cabooses are together, all the flat cars, etc.

 

[60103]

That's interesting sorting, Mike. Down here, they're usually sorted by manufacturer, within the big categories (locomotives, imitation or diesel locomotives, passenger cars, freight cars).

Do they mix the craftsman kits with the regular ones?

36' of track but only 24' of roadbed?

 

[rockislandmike]

Hhhmmm.....come to think of it, the north hobby store has them separated by manufacturer first - after that, it's a hodge podge.

And yes, my fave store has the craftsman kits in with the other stuff as well.

I already had about 8' of roadbed in inventory. And there seems to be more of a run on flex track at the two closest stores than roadbed. So better to stock up on track than roadbed.

 

[Woodie]

How I would like it done, and how they do it? Well.... two different ways.

My local shop sorts everything by manufacturer. Rollingstock next to the paints, Locos next to the track, and n-scale next to the model ships. The couplers are next to the rollingstock kits, which are hung from the roof, above the scenic material, which is on hooks above the packaged sets. Turnouts are behind the counter, opposite the magazines & books, while the modelling materials, glues, styrene sheets etc, are on shelves below the passenger rollingstock. decals are in cardboard boxes next to the dremel accesories, which are right beside the front door next to the cash register.

 

[Tyson Rayles]

David for the record my n-scale layout has about 150 ft. of track and only about 10 ft. of rodbed.

 

[Vic]

Depends on how the shop displays them. If in open boxes behind the counter sort them by car type. If on the shelf in closed boxes sort them by mfg. Don't really matter to me anyway. Very few hobby shops here in the Southeast carry HOn3

 

[alkcnw]

At least you guy's have hobby shops. The closest one to me is about a hour drive, so I mail order most every thing. The only time I go to the hobby shop is when I am in the area.

 

[Woodie]

Originally posted by alkcnw
At least you guy's have hobby shops. The closest one to me is about a hour drive, so I mail order most every thing. The only time I go to the hobby shop is when I am in the area.

An hour? Is that all!! My hobby shop is an hour away, (West Ryde) and it's just across town! (bout 16 miles) and 42 sets of traffic lights! Or I can go on the train..... 13 stops, with a change at Strathfield.
Or Parramatta (40 mins drive) 50,000 sets of traffic lights, or 16 stops on the train (change at Strathfield).......
Or Casula, 90 mins drive, (100,000,000,000 traffic lights), or 23 stops on the train (change at Strathfield)!

On one of these:

Being only 2 stops from town, inner city living does have it's disadvantages!

Sydney's transport map. I'm in Newtown.

 

[rockislandmike]

Taking a train to shop for trains. Makes sense to me.

 

[alkcnw]

Never thought of that, I could jump a west bound CP in Camp Douglas and ride it into La Crosse, jump off and walk a couple of blocks to the hobby shop. Hey thanks for the idea!!!

 

[Gregg Mahlkov]

What's a hobby shop?

The only hobby shop within a hundred miles of me is a part timer in a flea market 40 miles away. He ordered some Micro-Trains stuff for me in March and I still don't have it. From vague recollection of having been in real hobby shops many moons ago, most of them sort by scale and mfr. which is o.k. with me.

 

[Matthyro]

Thats a great rapid transit system Woodie.
My favourite hobby shop, Hemlock Junction Railroad has the gauges seperated and everything from box cars to track are set up on shelving for easy picking. More expensive stuff like locos in HO and N are in locked showcases. Larger scale locos on a shelf around the walls.

 

[60103]

...and Hemlock Junction has a pub across the street that we sometimes use for Platelayers executive meetings.

 

[Woodie]

Originally posted by Matthyro
Thats a great rapid transit system Woodie.

It might be transit, Robin, but there's nothing rapid about it!