new!!! Where to buy trains

I don't think I could sort through the 9000 post I have downloaded to find where the best deals can be found. Could someone share with me where some of the best places to purchase model railroad supplies and trains, etc are. I love the internet stores and ebay but I do not know what a good value is when I see one. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Mark Schulte

I like www.discounttrainsonline.com . There are most likely others. I goto Walthers.com to look at the goods and then discount for ordering. Wathers has a great search engine and most of the items are pictured. At Discount you can save 15-25% of Walthers prices.
  Quoted Text Here  
of

  Quoted Text Here  
-------------------------------------------------
================================== Why in the world would anyone recommend this dealer?!
Discount Trains Online dot Com's prices are 150-300% above street prices across the board on new merchandise. Of the hundreds perhaps thousands of online/mail order vendors, I can think of only one that is higher priced.
examples: ----------------------------------------------- Trainmaster, PH1A, 1LT Undecorated Atlas N Scale Item #150-49500 Retail $99.95 Our Price $77.96 That's 22% OFF Available usually ships in 4-5 days
Can be purchased from a half dozen dealers at $28-$30 each; mailed the next day. ------------------------------------------------ SD-7, W/DB Union Pacific Lifelike N Scale Item #433-7775 Retail $65.00 Our Price $50.70 That's 22% OFF Available usually ships in 4-5 days
Have been available at $19.90-$21.10 for more than 4 years; shipped upon receipt of payment ----------------------------------------------- Highballer Set Santa Fe Bachmann Electric Train Sets Item #160-24003 Retail $67.00 Our Price $46.90That's 30% OFF
$7.50/set at KayBee Toys last Christmas(and almost every year for the past 15). Hundreds available. ----------------------------------------------- SW8/900/600 Atlantic Coast Line, #50 Lifelike HO Scale Item #433-30077 Retail $110.00 Our Price $85.80 That's 22% OFF Available usually ships in 4-5 days
<LAUGHING> Just try to find it this high-priced anywhere else! ---------------------------------------------- 2-8-0 Consolidation, Wood Pennsylvania Railroad Aristo Craft G Scale Item #614-80209 Retail $449.95 Our Price $404.95 That's 10% OFF
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item160194930 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item158566122

Dont Know My Name wrote:
  Quoted Text Here  
> --------------------------------------------------
  Quoted Text Here  
I agree. I can't think of any "service" issue that would make me want to pay that much for trains.
I like for good service - Caboose Hobbies http://www.caboosehobbies.com and for good prices - Train World http://www.trainworld1.com/index.html I have purchased from many others and had excellent luck with all of them. The best way to find a good price is to decide what you want and then hunt around for it.

How about listing some of them for us.
On Tue, 2 Dec 2003 15:43:33 -0600, "Dont Know My Name"
  Quoted Text Here  
Poway Man
poway_ snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com take out the extra "_" to reply

  Quoted Text Here  
OK, how's this?
All the model train dealers in the USA *except* www.amherst-depot.com (which has the most fantastically over-priced Inventory in the Country)
There....I've listed not just "some of them", but all of them. If it was hyperlinks you were requesting, try the NMRA website:
http://www.cwrr.com/nmra / http://www.cwrr.com/nmra/Shopb-Mail.html

Poway Man wrote:
  Quoted Text Here  
Caboose Hobbies http://www.caboosehobbies.com Train World http://www.trainworld1.com/index.html Canadian Model Trains http://www.modeltrains.com / Longs Drug http://www.longs-trains.com / Mizell's http://www.dxmarket.com/mizelltrains/dir/264.html
I just made my latest purchase from "The Train Haus" I was actually at the Outlet center store in Warrenton, MO. but ... http://www.stores.ebay.com/thetrainhaus
I've purchased from all of these. Unfortunately, I lost my bookmark file where I had 20-30 listed.

After checking my DiscountTrainsOnline.com order against trainworld1.com. I find item for item that the two are about the same price. Trainworld does consistently have a bit lower price ranging from 0.12 to 1.34 per item, which for large orders will decrease your costs. However there were items that Discount had the lower price. Trainworld charges 7.95 minimum shipping compared to discount's 6.95. I did not itemize every product between the two just my needs. YOUR needs differ, however the 150-300% remark I feel is undeserved. Again this is based only on my needs. How much I would have saved going to trainworld amounts to about $10, so I'm not going to cry over spilled milk.
Discounts product listings are pictured where trainworld mostly lists by text. You have to know what your looking for at trainworld. That's why I search at Wathers or Discount and order where I need to. Actually thanks to everyone for recommending to their favorite, it gives me a wider base to search. Now for what I needed and will need, EBAY is a waste of time, I can not get the diversity of items I need at one time or one place and I'm not going to bid on every piece and hope I get what I want. It would take a lot longer to build my layout.
What's the basic idea here: Shop and Compare!
For hydrocal I refuse to buy the (trainworld) $6.50 2lb milk carton ( $6.62 at discount) . I goto my locale Stucco supply yard and get a 40 pound bag for $10. For Woodland scenic plaster cloth (6.22 at discount and 5.99 at trainworld) I order from a Orthopedic supply house ( medical supplies). I got two cases ( 12 6 inch rolls each) for $27 each. That's $2.25 a roll. Its still 5 yards long. Paints I can get at Hobbylobby or Michael's for less.
AGAIN What's the basic idea here: Shop and Compare! Use your imagination to locate supplies. Some stuff you need can be found cheaper by looking at other industry's suppliers.
  Quoted Text Here  
At
priced.
next day.
  Quoted Text Here  
receipt of payment
  Quoted Text Here  
15). Hundreds available.
  Quoted Text Here  

Someone asked this just a few posts above. What kind of trains are you looking for? Lionel or HO? Stop by a hobby shop if you can and pick up a copy of Model Railroader Magazine if your interest is HO, or Classic Toy trains if your interest is Lionel.
  Quoted Text Here  
of

On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 07:32:16 GMT, "Mark Schulte"
  Quoted Text Here  
Stop by a local hobby shop (assuming you are near a city of 50000+, there should be someplace that sells at least a bit of train stuff). That'll let you compare quality, and get a feel for prices. You can also buy something and have it to use the same day. Mail order/internet can't do that for you. Then look at www.walthers.com . Their prices will be close to what most non-discount shops sell for (Walthers sells to hobby shops, and their retail division does not undercut their wholesale customers).
Then with that idea of prices, don't pay more for anything on E-bay. You'd be surprised how often something sells on E-bay for more than it goes for in a store.
I buy all my stuff from local stores, so I can't help you with recommendations for on-line places, but keep watching here. There should be lots of opinions along shortly.
Kent

shared this with the world:
  Quoted Text Here  
downloaded to find
  Quoted Text Here  
with me where some of
  Quoted Text Here  
trains, etc are. I
  Quoted Text Here  
a good value is
  Quoted Text Here  
of 50000+,
  Quoted Text Here  
train stuff).
  Quoted Text Here  
prices.
day. Mail
  Quoted Text Here  
to what
  Quoted Text Here  
shops, and
  Quoted Text Here  
customers).
on E-bay.
  Quoted Text Here  
more than it
  Quoted Text Here  
with
here. There
  Quoted Text Here  
I know of only two local stores (within a 25 mile radius). One sells for full Walthers MSRP, always. The other discounts maybe 10% off of Walthers MSRP. Just try to sell something on eBay for that. You won't get even one bid. You'll be *lucky* to get 50 cents on the dollar. There's a huge discrepancy between the prices in local stores and the prices you can get on eBay. Unless what you're selling is rare, or you bought it from a private owner and stole it from him/her (say paying 10 to 25 cents on the dollar for it), or if you run into a sucker on eBay, you're not going to make a profit selling on eBay. eBay takes their cut, PayPal takes their cut, and you're left with a loss.
I've been at local shows, had new stuff listed for 30 to 50 cents on the dollar, and it didn't even go.

shared this with the world:
  Quoted Text Here  
Maybe that is the reality where you live (and I wish it was around here, too), but those kind of deep discounts are unheard of anywhere near me. A store having a 20% off sale weekend is big news for many of us. :-(
Kent

  Quoted Text Here  
radius).
sell
a
the
is
going
50
was around
  Quoted Text Here  
of anywhere
  Quoted Text Here  
news for many
  Quoted Text Here  
Deep discounts? I'm a private seller, and was selling some of my stuff at train shows to raise some cash. The stores around her don't discount at all, or discount ~10%.

Train Shows!
On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 07:32:16 GMT, "Mark Schulte"
  Quoted Text Here