I'm up in Marquette, MI, and I'm wanting to start into the model railroad thing with a basement layout. But...there doesn't seem to be a store anywhere around that stocks much of anything. Is it reasonable to expect that I could pursue getting into model railroading by buying most everything over the Internet? The last place I lived (near Denver) has a store called Caboose Hobbies - it was an amazing place, and they seemed to have everything under the sun. The also had some very experienced people working there that could help you out in great detail. I'm worried that trying to do it here (out in the boonies) might be a pain. Comments or suggestions? Thanks very much, Doug
Actually, even people with nearby hobby shops often do most of their major purchasing on the internet or mail order. In the ad's in the major publications, you can find some sources as well as links from various sites (the NMRA site is a good start). You will miss however, the ability to go out and pick-up that little something that helps the project proceed. As far as help with questions, you've come to the right place...
Welcome aboard Doug. It certainly is possible to do that. I live in the Maine woods and there is no store near me either. Here's a recomendation: <center> </center> Good luck! Charlie [ 25. October 2002, 18:05: Message edited by: E-8 ]
Doug, welcome aboard ... it's great to see you! I agree that the down-side of not having a store nearby is the lack of "touchy-feely". However, most of us are building layouts and I, and probably many others, would be happy to post pictures as needed to help explain the answers to your questions.
WELCOME ABOARD DOUG! I sort of have the same trouble, my local shops aren't the greatst. All the good shops went Out-Of-Business, or moved, or the owners of them retired. So. I have a few small time shops thats good for basic stuff, but then they are 40 miles to the north of me, and one is 30 miles south of me! So... I used to have a really good shop right in town but little town toys and trains went out of business in the middle 1990's so.. So, I get alot from online shops with phone numbers on their sites or through e-mail. and mail order etc. I do alot of dealing out of NYC, Trainworld, and Trainland, and even World of Trains, And I even mail order from Caboose Hobbies as well. As said in about messages... Feel free to ask questions and so on.. I'm sure someone can help you.... We're one big happy "Train Crazed" family here at TrainBoard!!!!!!
sure, its possible!! I can't get out that much, and I do 99% of mine by purchasing online and through mail order. One of the best places is 4nscale.com They have good prices, and fast service. Welcome to the hobby! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! An exellent forum that you should also look at, though is the Atlas one at WWW.ATLASRR.COM
How about me? I live a few thousand miles from a decent hobby shop, but I manage to get the stuff I need on the internet
Doug- Welcome. And yes, it certainly be done using the Internet! I live in northwest Montana. There is no store near here! You get virtually anything you'll need shipped in via USPS or UPS. Check out ads in the two N scale dedicated magazines. (N Scale Railroading, N Scale Magazine.) Everyone here has favorite shops to deal with as well. Go ahead and plan your empire! Boxcab E50 [ 26. October 2002, 00:08: Message edited by: BoxcabE50 ]
The nearest hobby store to me is over 50 miles away. I have been there several time and the prices are outrages. I buy most of my RR supplys on the internet at as much as 50% off.
WOW! What an amazing response I got with one question! This is very heartening. I really appreciate the responses from everyone. Now I'm gonna spend some time going through some of my "layouts" books and see what I can come up with. I want something with some interesting operational aspects, and some nice scenic and terrain opportunities. DCC is definitely in the picture. I tend to be ambitious but it usually works out for me because it keeps me interested and inspired. More later, and thanks again, Doug
Doug, Welcome to the TrainBoard guy! You have a modeler's dream, a full basement for your layout! Man what luck! All that space! Building a layout there will be a snap! Just keep in mind: "You get instant service, (just add ca$h!)".
Welcome Doug. The answer (as you can see) is a resounding- Yes! I have made all my important and major purchases over the internet (track, switches, roadbed, controllers, DCC equipment, engines, rolling stock, etc.). I make very few (and minor) purchases (wood strip for scratch building, some scenery materials, paint, glue, etc.) from my local hobby shop. Why? PRICE! My local hobby shop sells at list price with no discounts. BAH! With careful shopping I/we can buy on the internet normally for 20-40 percent below list, sometimes more. Standard Hobby is a good place to start. Have fun and take care, Mark
What about me, living in Belgium and modelling USA railroads in N-scale that's 100% internet shopping and so far no complaints at all. Paul
u can also find great bargains on e-bay! Just be careful, though. Tere was someone, another newbie, on the Atlas forum recently,who bought some trains on e-bay, and they got hosed. Remember, if someone on ther is selling some stuff, and they say they know nothing about model railroading, and they don't have a picture of the item, most of the time, BEWARE!! Now that that's out of the way, I'll tell you my 2 favorite web merchants: 4nscale.com (just N scale, though) and BLW.com
Hi Doug welcome aboard! You might try these I-net stores. TrainQuest.com Toytrainheaven.com Caboosehobbies.com They have good prices and service. You might look at MR an RMC an double check the URL on these stores. Speaking of Caboose Hobbies, check out their links page to the model railroad manufactures. Most have great web pages which show pictures of specific items. Regards Tim from Wisconsin BTW, check out Walthers.com
I'll second the Caboose Hobbies website. If you've ever been in Caboose, and seen all the inventory, then you'd be even more amazed by the amount of stuff offered on their website. My nearest hobby shop is either the one in Denton, or down in Addison (Discount Model Trains). Bobbye Hall has retired & closed her store, so that choice is gone . I have no idea how far you are to the nearest town with a hobby shop, so your best choice may be on the Internet. And, you've been given a great selection of stores. Good luck!
