Re: What Mail Order Shops Are Best?

I am starting in this hobby also (N scale), and that's what I did. Most of the advertisers in Model Railroader have web sites and I have been visiting them. Very interesting and educational for a newbie.

Marty, If what I've learned is true........................

1. Don't buy from the large mail order places. They are money grubbers who will promptly ship the wrong item or don't have any stock. They have been the death of the LHS stores for about 50 years.
2. Don't buy from the Internet guys because they can't be trusted to have any stock and don't want to ship it if they do. They have been the death of the LHS stores for about 8 or 10 years.
3. Don't buy at train shows because those guys are weasels working out of the back of pickup trucks. They have been the death of the LHS stores for many years now.
4. Don't buy from Ebay. To much risk, too many whackos. And Ebay is no good for the LHS stores either.
5. Don't buy from the LHS. They charge too much. And they might be rude, have no knowledge about what they are selling or some of their customers might smell bad. Since they can't sell anything because of all outfits mentioned above all their stuff is very old and dusty.
6. Don't buy anything or from anyone who advertises in the Magazines because they are all in a wide spread conspiracy with the publishers to get your money. If you do for some reason never buy anything Athearn or marked for the UP because they are both involved in some other evil plot possibly involving Saddam, WMD's, the Bush administration, the French and some guy named Vinnie.

The only safe thing to do is scratch build everything from common household items.

Bruce

The first sensible post I've seen here in a long time.

Don

"Paul Jensen" wrote

-------------------

There must be some hobby shops in Tallahassee, FL

Damn!! Now I'll have to go into G gauge so I can use those Quaker Oats boxes for boiler shells.

Don't be so sure. I think mail order and basement bombers killed them all off...

Dammit Bruce, Now I have to buy a new keyboard. Oh, wait, all those rules apply to computers too, don't they?

Well, I guess I will have to scratch build a keyboard too.

Thanks for the chuckle.

Bruce Fav> Marty,

-- Please note; return email address has changed. It is now snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net. Emails to Earthlink will be ignored.

The Gratiot Valley Railroad Club bi-annual train show and sale March 7, 2004, at the Macomb Community College Sports and Expo Center. Macomb County Michigan. Please visit our Web Site at:

LOL.

Can't we all just agree that the Local Hobby Shop is a great place to browse the current issues of all the magazines and then go home and subscribe to the ones we liked?

Jim

I'm actually more toward Pensacola. I visited three shops there a couple of weeks ago. I explained at all three that I was starting out in N scale, and was looking for a starter set or something to get started with. I found the people at two of the shop to be downright unfriendly, and the third was o.k. but not exceptional. I guess these people didn't understand that as a newbie, I am a potential good customer for them. I bought nothing but a Model Railroader, then went home and hit the internet.

I got a starter set along with some books from a friend of mine, and my wife and I are now working on designing the layout. Don't know if I'll bother with those stores again or not. I'll probably see the O.K. one again, as they do have a nice selection.

I can assume that hardly nobody shops at a local hobby shop. No wonder everyone is in an uproar about Horizon. All I want to do is get some trains up and running with the least amount of expense. From what I have seen in the magazines, Trainworld seems to have about the best prices. Does anyone have any other suggestions considering promptness of shipment and fill percentage on orders. Thanks, Marty Hall

Or just being bad businessmen. How come other towns have thriving stores then?

Marty, I think you will find that Trainworld and Standard Hobby are fine. A lot of people buy from them and have for quite sometime. You can always call or email them to confirm that an item is in stock. I've bought stuff mail order, internet, at train shows, from our very good LHS here in Dallas and Ebay (even though I hate fooling with it) with out a problem. Bruce

I looked at both trainword and

compareable prices. Both have some items that they beat the other on. For what I was needing I had ordered from discount and later found trainworld would have saved about 5-10 bucks on a $500 order. I like discounts online ordering system. When I did have "shortage" ( 1 flex track of 70) these guys remembered me and my next order was no shipping charges. I always get my order from them in less than a week.

My supplier for plaster cloth rolls.

M-pact x-fast plaster bandages 6" 5yrd = 27.60 per case ( 12) These were great to use! 5 inch = 23.90 8 inch = 35.80

Hydocal White - Find a local Stucco meterial supply yard. 40lbs for about $10.