Ray Von Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 I've had the idea of making one of the shops on my layout into a model rail stockist, first hurdle - what to have in the window? Second hurdle - I am working in 'N' gauge so whatever I decide on needs to have some impact. My immediate idea is to have a window display, rather than being able to see right into the shop. It's an end terrace, so I can have posters for "Hornby" or "Peco" etc on the outer wall. Any ideas or images of real world examples would be of great help, thanks in advance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 (edited) If you're after authenticity, why not have a whitewashed shop window under a "Ray's Rails"* fascia board, and a pair of agent's "To Let" signs vee'd out from the wall above that? * Other names are available Edited February 10, 2019 by spikey 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Pokey little model shop in a terrace? The ultimate example of one is the old Hatton's shop on Smithdown Road. https://www.hattons.co.uk/NewsDetail.aspx?id=101 Jason 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Von Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 Forgot to mention, the era is late seventies / early eighties - so (as I recall) business was better for model shops! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 (edited) In the window? Lots of odd bits of rolling stock, and a few scenic items, all about twenty years exposed to sunlight, and with dust and dead spiders scattered about. A cat ostentatiously licking its bottom. A vast array of peeling and fading posters advertising exhibitions long-passed, new models long gone out of production, and the remnants of a Hornby Dublo sticker that couldn’t be peeled-off properly. Inside was always gloomy, reeking of old fag smoke, tea and BO. Edited February 10, 2019 by Nearholmer 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Von Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 #Ah Yes, I Remember It Well!# Green sawdust, lichen for bushes and trees - fishy copydex glue, and ordering the Hornby "station halt" after saving up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widnes Model Centre Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Tried to give you the 3D effect with this photo. Would need to crop the lighting, then lightly spray with a weathering product for the dusty effect. Although in fairness my favourite model shop of the time, Hobbies in Liverpool was always spotless. That was followed by the original Hattons in Smithdown Road as I only lived half a mile away from there. That wasn't always spotless. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Ahh, Hobbies. The things I remember from there was the model railway kits by Wills, NuCast and K's that I was told I was too young for , the Action Man stuff* and the Meccano display in the window with a motorised Ferris wheel. Pity it had gone before I was old enough to appreciate it. *The uniforms on cardboard which are now worth a lot of money including the football kits which are very sought after. Jason 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hroth Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 22 hours ago, Widnes Model Centre said: Tried to give you the 3D effect with this photo. Would need to crop the lighting, then lightly spray with a weathering product for the dusty effect. Although in fairness my favourite model shop of the time, Hobbies in Liverpool was always spotless. That was followed by the original Hattons in Smithdown Road as I only lived half a mile away from there. That wasn't always spotless. Hobbies, Tarleton Street, a mecca for whenever we visited Liverpool..... Downstairs, teddy bears, dolls houses, etc. Upstairs the model railway stuff, with a wall display case with made-up Wills and Ks whitemetal locos and various whitemetal parts for your scratchbuilt efforts... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium ColinK Posted February 11, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 11, 2019 Interesting topic, I too planning a model railway shop. Mine is low relief in G scale. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widnes Model Centre Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 (edited) Hroth, can you remember the Scientific Dept? You could buy all manner of chemicals, switches, batteries etc. If you were to do that in this day and age, you might have a visit from the SAS. Edited February 11, 2019 by Widnes Model Centre typos 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Von Posted February 11, 2019 Author Share Posted February 11, 2019 47 minutes ago, ColinK said: Interesting topic, I too planning a model railway shop. Mine is low relief in G scale. I think that in 'N' gauge I might just have a "75% off sale!" banner across the window!? I'd shop there! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hroth Posted February 11, 2019 Share Posted February 11, 2019 3 hours ago, Widnes Model Centre said: Hroth, can you remember the Scientific Dept? You could buy all manner of chemicals, switches, batteries etc. If you were to do that in this day and age, you might have a visit from the SAS. I don't remember it, though when I was interested in "chemistry", my father could get hold of supplies very easily from the lab where he worked... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wirey33 Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 No self-respecting model shop window would be without a circle of OO track and a Pannier or Jinty in perpetual motion. So you'd be modelling a OO layout in N scale which means a scale of 0.03mm to the foot (I think?). And Balsa wood; lots of Balsa wood. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 14 hours ago, wirey33 said: No self-respecting model shop window would be without a circle of OO track and a Pannier or Jinty in perpetual motion. So you'd be modelling a OO layout in N scale which means a scale of 0.03mm to the foot (I think?). And Balsa wood; lots of Balsa wood. Over the years I've been to loads of model shops and have never seen a model railway or even a circle of track in one. I've seen a couple which had a yard or so of straight track by the till, but that's it. Jason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campaman Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 I have never seen a circle in the window but I have seen plenty with a straight track on a shuttle, usually a Panier and single coach going forwards and backwards, one of my local ones at Wellingborough has one in the window. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted February 15, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 15, 2019 (edited) Kernow Model Rail Centre has a small layout in the window - with two circles of track. Today's train was a Class 66 pulling a clay tanker. And it's a small shop (front) in a terrace. Edited February 15, 2019 by Stubby47 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pteremy Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 This looks about the right size and shape - though no longer with us. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Chris116 Posted February 15, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 15, 2019 13 hours ago, Steamport Southport said: Over the years I've been to loads of model shops and have never seen a model railway or even a circle of track in one. I've seen a couple which had a yard or so of straight track by the till, but that's it. Jason Platform Two at 118 Wimbledon Broadway used to have a 20 foot long layout down the centre of the shop which had the counter above and also had test track circles in Z, N, TT, OO Super Four, OO System Six and Hornby Dublo 3-rail. Sadly it closed many years ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Von Posted February 15, 2019 Author Share Posted February 15, 2019 6 hours ago, Pteremy said: This looks about the right size and shape - though no longer with us. Cheers, I particularly like the incorporation of signage into the top window panels, lots to think about.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianmacc Posted February 15, 2019 Share Posted February 15, 2019 (edited) Work in progress but with a special outdoor layout on display for half term! I really need need to get back to that part of the layout and refinish it it’s looking terrible in the closeup!! Edited February 15, 2019 by ianmacc Additional sentence 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Invicta Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 23 hours ago, Campaman said: I have never seen a circle in the window but I have seen plenty with a straight track on a shuttle, usually a Panier and single coach going forwards and backwards, one of my local ones at Wellingborough has one in the window. Signal Box in Anstey have a garden railway-scale (G?) loco on a shuttle across one of their windows- although it's helpfully AWOL in the pic on Google maps... From vague teenage memory, at one point they had a small layout in the side window of their original shop in Coalville Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trains4U Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) On 14/02/2019 at 23:27, Steamport Southport said: Over the years I've been to loads of model shops and have never seen a model railway or even a circle of track in one. I've seen a couple which had a yard or so of straight track by the till, but that's it. Jason Still work in progress... Trains4U shop layout Edited February 16, 2019 by Trains4U Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartingram Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 Anyone remember the shop on Lincoln Road in Peterborough? End terrace, access round the side (aka a driveway), shop upstairs. Now window display though.... Stewart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Von Posted February 16, 2019 Author Share Posted February 16, 2019 13 hours ago, ianmacc said: Work in progress but with a special outdoor layout on display for half term! I really need need to get back to that part of the layout and refinish it it’s looking terrible in the closeup!! The camera can be quite unforgiving can't it?! I've found that a lot with 'N' gauge. Love the shop though, where did you get the window inserts?? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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