Got the day off in los Angeles ca. Business trip wrapped up early. Any good. N scale stocking hobby shops worth checking out. On my day off.
The train shack in Burbank on Hollywood way has a good amount of N scale but like most train shops it's an HO world.
If you want to make the drive to Anaheim, Milepost 38 Model Trains has a good n-scale offering. They are in the midsts of moving but it is less than a mile from the original store location.
The Original Whistle Stop at 2490 East Colorado Blvd., in Pasadena should have a great selection of N-scale. It was this shop that first interested me in the scale, way back in 1971, and my love for the scale is still going strong.
Arnie's Model Trains in Westminister (Orange County) has the best overall n scale selection of engines, cars and kits and does discount their prices. Milepost 38 has a decent selection of engines and Micro-Trains cars but not much in the way of kits. Decent selection of books. The Original Whistle Stop doesn't have much in the way of kits but you can find some older passenger and freight car releases if you dig through the unorganized piles on the shelves in their n scale area. They do have a nice selection of books.
I made an interactive Google map showing all the model RR hobby shops in the Southern California area: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=213267475537277341508.0004a61f61519c21a7d36&msa=0 I second the above stores...Also check out Burbank's House of Hobbies which doesn't have a huge selection, but 100% of their train stock is N scale! I bought my BLMA Trinity Spine Cars there after they were sold out elsewhere, and still got a discount! Also there's a relatively unknown store in Canoga Park called Scale Model Stuff that has a bunch of N scale rolling stock in a box tucked under the paint display. The whole store is woefully disorganized but you can find some gems in there!
My opinion for N Scale Only: LA: Allied is O.K. for N. Lots of tools, scenery items, and great book selection. List price. Burbank House of Hobbies: Pretty good N Scale. An occasional gem. Discounts sometimes. Train Shack: Lots of N and detail parts. Mostly list price. Original Whistle Stop: Very disappointing for N Scale. There is some old stock. Great book selection. List price. Orange County: Arnies: Pretty good N Scale merchandise. They buy collections so sometimes there are great bargains. Mostly list price. Some discounts. Milepost 38: N Scale seems to be shrinking although they deny there is less inventory, there is. List price. New location just South of old location. Train Shack: Lots of N inventory. Lots of detail parts. Mostly list price. 10% discount for cash. The LA or Orange County sections can be done in a day. You could do both in a long day but it would be a challenge. The Orange County shops have a better N selection than the LA Shops. Have a car and GPS and you will be O.K. I'm going to take our model railroad club on a tour of the shops starting in Orange County. San Diego shops are very poor for N Scale.
