I shall be in the Phoenix area on business next week and may have the opportunity of visiting a hobby shop or two. Any recommendations?
Only good one left that I know of is Roys Train World...its in Mesa.. http://www.roystrainworld.com/ Prices are pretty much MSRP though. I cant figure why a BIG metropolis like Phoenix doesnt have tons of train stores...hmmmm .
An Affair With Trains was always a good one that I used to frequent when I lived in Phoenix. An Affair Wtih Trains Home There was another place called The Freight Yard on Bell Road. Not sure if they're still around either. Mike C
Alas...The Frieght Yard succumbed to the current economic woes and is now out of business... too bad as they were mostly N guage! I currently live in Phoenix, and I would say depending on which part of town your in, Roy's Train World for the South Valley and An Affair With Trains for the North Valley. I'm up north so I shop at An Affair With Trains. They moved recently (much nicer location IMO) and are now on Deer Valley Road just east of 7th Ave. There is also a place called Hobby Bench (2 locations -- Bell Rd & 43rd Ave / 19th Ave & Northern). While they're not exclusively trains, they do have a respectable amount of stuff from the larger manufacturers... and a boatload of other hobby stuff (Plastic kits, RC, Tools, etc...). Hope that helps, Don
Phoenix does not have a lot of train shops because most of the folks who would be modelers are only there part time. They are the folks that spend 4 months a year in Phoenix during the winter then go home to their normal home in the mid-west or somewhere. The housing market in Phoenix dictate efficient use of space because of the costs of air conditioning in the warmer months. There are not very many homes with basements where a good sized layout could be built compared to other areas of the country where basements are a part of every day life. In addition, there are many more distractions like golf and spring baseball that get the attention of the winter visitors. And the locals all have all kinds of things to do from sports and other outdoor activities. Or they leave for the hot months and come back in the fall. There used to be several good train shops in the metro Phoenix area, but like many others, the owners retired with no one to take it over, or new ownership drove it into the ground. Or like the Freight Yard, they succumbed to the current economic realities. I am a really big fan of Roys Trains in Mesa. They are pretty easy to get to in Mesa just north of Southern on Country Club. Never been to An Affair with Trains, but they are also pretty easy to get to on Deer Valley road and 7th street. Both are just a couple of blocks off a freeway.
Basements have never been big in Phoenix because there is no need to put footings down below 1.5 feet or so (if that). Basements are typically built when the frost line is greater than 3.5 feet--you might as well build a basement rather than a crawl space, because the dirt you excavate can be put on top, resulting in extra space. But there are plenty of three-car garages, as there are in Albuquerque, where I lived for nearly 20 years, and extra above ground rooms, and A/C'ed sheds. People build above ground because it's cheaper, and much easier to control the environment. Besides, sand and caliche and slabs of rock can make excavations difficult and expensive. I think it's more a fact that Phoenix has a very young population, rather than an older retired population. Younger folks aren't as interested in model trains.
The magnificent rhinoceros, plunging regally across the plains, is shot by seventeen hunters and is mortally wounded. It continues on for miles, only to get bitten by a mosquito and die in front of a newspaper reporter on safari. Papers the next day recounted the untimely death and wondered how such a small insect could bring down such a large beast... :tb-biggrin:
I had a friend of mine move to Phoenix because of the great medical facilities there for the elderly. When I helped move him there I noticed a great deal of retired people living there and was under the impression that’s where people went to retire.
It is a retirement haven for some year round and others part of the year. The problem there is that most of the retired folks live in the retirement communities and have very small living quarters. The younger residents have all kinds of outdoor activities on the local lakes as well as 4x4 off roading etc. And not to forget a shopping center every time you turn around......... with a game shop in it. At least there are a couple of really good train shops still there.
Well thats more than I can say about where I am. I can't tell you how many times I wish I could just run out buy something i need right now,
Well I shall forget the train shops and go in search of rhinocerii. I assume they aren't found in the metro area so which direction should I head out of town? smile: Thanks for the responses!
If you have an extra day to spend I'd highly recommend making the 2 hour drive North to the Flagstaff area to do some railfanning along the BNSF Seligman Sub. You'll see a train about every 15 minutes, so plenty of action. Mike C. (former Phoenix resident)
Thanks Mike. Some years back I spent a good day at Winslow; from memory a little east of Flagstaff and was impressed with train frequency on that route. My days are going to be full - at the rates I am charging my client will make sure of that but next weekend will be a chance to do some railfanning. I would love to stay on after my work is done and railfan some of my favorite spots in the east (and catch up with friends) but I need to get back to New Zealand so that my wife can go to England to visit her elderly mother. We have to do a tag team with the children.
