Model Railroad shops. (Cincinnati, Mason, Kenwood: for sale, 2013, house)

[unusualfire]

Are any left in the Cincinnati area?

Johnny's toys used to carry them, but they have been gone for a few years now. There was a shop in Golf Manor, but I don't think it's around any more as well.

Are we now limited to online sales?

[goyguy]

The hobby shop in Golf Manor was gone before the turn of the century.
I visited my friend Google since my curiosity was piqued - the pickings were slim. After a search throughout the Tri-State I found exactly two stores which were listed as selling model railroad materials. Both are in NKY: Hobby Villa in Crescent Springs, and Pete's Hobby Center in Union. The former's Website is "under construction" but that of the latter implied that Pete's has all of two train sets for sale.

What's the deal with "EnterTRAINment Junction" in the Butler County sprawl along I-75? Clearly I've never set foot inside. But it seems they'd be ready to cash in on families' checking out the displays and the inevitable "I want one" that would follow.

In Hartwell, opposite the Kroger store at the SW corner of Vine St and Ridgeway, sits a building that bears signs announcing a Model Railroad Hall of Fame. To me it cries out "hidden gem," and is probably run by people who would have tips. I get demerits for having family living right up the road and driving past it all the time without stopping in.

During my search for "hobby shops" I mostly found retailers that were all about radio-controlled airplanes and such. (The better to prepare the drone pilots of the future. ) What were called "electric trains" back in the day are apparently no longer cool for kids or deemed cool by them. This in spite of the throngs that always descend on the Museum Center for the awesome show during the holidays. As a casual rail fan - and a trolley geek before that was the thing to be in Cincinnati - I see this borne out by who attends railroad hobbyist conventions. Just about everyone who shows up looks to be post-retirement. Goyguy family friend David McNeil, a big name in Cincy rail fan circles, has passed on along with streetcar uber-geek Rich Wagner. Whether the resurgence in LRT (light rail transit) will spawn a new generation of model fanatics remains to be seen. As for trains, children likely still hear locomotive horns in the distance and feel the same imagination-triggering effects. (Having to hear them close by isn't quite the same, naturally.) But with passenger trains nearly non-existent in much of the US the same sense of connection isn't there. "I wanna build a railroad to carry coal away from blown-up mountains in West Virginia, Daddy!" Ehhhh..no. Not gonna happen.

[unusualfire]

Yeah the Pit stop in Kenwood was a dead in. lol Thanks! I also tried google and I found alot of hobby lobby, but they don't carry what I need.

I had no idea Locomotive engines costs $100-$200 or more dollars when I went searching. Boy this hobby is expensive.

[motorman]

^ Aw, come on, unusualfire--no crisis here. Like buggy whips and the need to repair Model A Fords, today's market no longer supports the likes of Lionel or American Flyer trains, etc.

Neither O-gauge, O-27 gauge, HO gauge, N gauge, or else. Model trains are now an old man's hobby, are they not?

Big time American railroading is hardly dead, but American model railroading is. Most certainly a wonderful hobby with a tremendous past, but who amongst our American youth embraces any of this? (The market for such is drying up very fast. Like buggy whips and everything else of yesterday.)

BTW. I grew up in a railroad family and an era where big-time railroads (alias, NYC, Pennsy, B&O, C&O, L&N,N&W, the Southern, and others) all vied for position at Cincinnati's Union Terminal. Needless to say, I can't describe how busy and magnificent it all was then, "Red Caps" and all. All now gone. Back then, Union Terminal was to Cincinnati what Hartsfield is now to Atlanta. But no more--and so goes "model railroading," at least in Cincinnati.

[unusualfire]

Youtube would disagree. lol That's what got me started looking again. Im into HO scale. I hate a stash growing up but mom mom threw it out over the years. I consider them like comic books.

[kjbrill]

Here's a couple to try:

1) Davis Electronics, 217 Main Street, Milford, Ohio 45150, 513-831-6425. If this is the same store I remember from years ago, you will find something. I went there quite a few years ago trying to find some parts for my old American Flyer model trains, car couplings etc. Low-and-behold they actually had them. What I am referencing is a recent posting, so I hope they are actually still there.

2) Dixie Union Station, 513-459-0460, 110 West Main Street, Mason, OH. 45040. This place has been there for awhile, and I drive by it constantly. A couple of years ago I went there with my brother to buy an electric train he simply wanted to put around his Christmas tree. He bought a new Lionel clone, can't remember the brand, but they also had a large number of vintage trains on display.

SORRY, just noticed the Davis Electronics Store closed at the end of 2013. But I am sure the Mason store I cited is still open.

Far as EnterTRAINment Junction, I agree. They took over a former discount furniture seller who folded. Built an obviously tourist trap next to I-75 with a model train display. To me they were obviously depending on the over-spill from Kings Island. Apparently it worked, they are still open. I agree, if you are going to operate a large display of model electric trains it only makes sense to operate a shop which sells home oriented ones. Far as I know they do not.

[kjbrill]

As I said, sorry to see Davis Electronics in Milford close. They were obviously THE electronic model train store in Cincinnati.

The Mason store, Dixie Union Station, is still open. Only been there once, when I went with my brother to buy the train he wanted for around his Christmas tree for nostalgic reasons. When we were young we put the American Flyer around the Christmas tree each year just like when we first got it. Give Dixie Union Station a try. When you first go in you can tell this is a store run by hobbyists. With Davis Electronics gone in Milford, they should be doing better. But who knows, as we all age and do not recognize the electric model trains we had as kids, the entire market may collapse.

[rrtechno]

You might want to check this out … after you look the displays over.

Cincinnati Ohio | Shop for Model Trains and Doll House

http://www.entertrainmentjunction.co...lhouse_hobbies

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by rrtechno

You might want to check this out … after you look the displays over.

Cincinnati Ohio | Shop for Model Trains and Doll House

Shop for Model Trains and Doll House Hobbies | Cincinnati Ohio

i agree you should see what is available at EnterTRAINment Junction. They would simply be stupid businessmen if they did not realize the potential retail sales of the endeavor. And since I absolutely believe they are not stupid, we should anticipate more offerings to be coming from them.

[rrtechno]

It's been 2 1/2 years since we have been there. We took our grandson on his first birthday. We need to go back (maybe when grandson #2 turns 1 in April). I was pretty sure I saw model train stuff in the shop when we were there.