Most model shops in one town/city

[caradoc]

Glasgow and surroundings was well served; There was also the Glasgow Model Centre just down from Crosshill station (handy for a stop-off in the 30 minute interval between trains home) and of course Mackay Models in Paisley, at one time actually in Gilmour St station. Plus for a while Trains on Time, also in Paisley. Now my local model shops are Harburn Hobbies as Legend says, or, just as convenient for me, C&M Models in a foreign land (Carlisle !).

 

 

[Talltim]

16 hours ago, ianmacc said:

That’s online only isn’t it? I think

the shop itself closed a few years ago. 

Pretty sure I've been in the last year and a half, although time has gone a bit funny this year. Unless you mean that he sealed himself into the shop by bringing in even more stock?

[ianmacc]

Just now, Talltim said:

Pretty sure I've been in the last year and a half, although time has gone a bit funny this year. Unless you mean that he sealed himself into the shop by bringing in even more stock?

Perhaps he is still there. I hope so. It that means I’ve missed a good few chances to pop in...  Anyone know for sure? 

[Graham108]

20 hours ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

Alfreds and Warner of Blackett Street. This shop closed when the side of the street it was on was demolished as part of the creation of Eldon Square.

Xmas 1968  went in there for a Flying Scotsman. They didn't have one so I came out with a Hornby E3001 & 2 packs of catenary. Changed my modelling habits from steam to diesel in a matter of seconds.

[Jack]

21 hours ago, andyman7 said:

Sittingbourne had 3 until the mid 90s (Signalman, Beaneys and the Toymaster) which was quite extraordinary for a single shopping street less than a mile long.

 

It was surprising. I think there is one out on the industrial park now isn’t there? Not as competitive as the Hobby Shop in Faversham, and quite hard to find.

[ianmacc]

Quite a few of these posts relate to the halcyon days when department stores and newsagents sold trains.
 

I am more interested in the 80s onwards.  Sittingbourne  was a great and surprising example! 

[andyman7]

7 hours ago, Jack said:

 

It was surprising. I think there is one out on the industrial park now isn’t there? Not as competitive as the Hobby Shop in Faversham, and quite hard to find.

Yes, the one on the industrial estate used to be based in the Garden Centre at the M20 junction. Its certainly not in a High St location now!

[Michael Hodgson]

9 hours ago, bartram108 said:

Xmas 1968  went in there for a Flying Scotsman. They didn't have one so I came out with a Hornby E3001 & 2 packs of catenary. Changed my modelling habits from steam to diesel in a matter of seconds.

.. electric not diesel surely

[JZ]

Bristol used to have a few. The much missed Max Williams near Lawrence Hill station, Model Highways on the Gloucester Road, one called Trains of Bristol in Bedminster. There was Modelmania along Clouds Hill road.  A short lived one called Kemps in Brislington. There was also a Beatties in Broadmead and, I think it was, the Bristol Model Centre on the edge of Broadmead, which later became Antics and moved just along the road. Also Ian Harper Models in Hengrove, though mainly radio control models, did have a few bits. Up to seven were concurrent, I don't think Kemps and Beatties existed at the same time.

Antics is the only one left now.

[RedgateModels]

Nottingham had 4 at least:

Beatties

Zodiac Toys

Skills

Gee Dees

 

there may have been other outlets (COOP etc) and of course the outlying districts had their own

 

Sherwood Models in, well, Sherwood and Bullocks (no sniggering at the back!) in Hucknall

[Wicor-Models]

3 hours ago, JZ said:

Bristol used to have a few. The much missed Max Williams near Lawrence Hill station, Model Highways on the Gloucester Road, one called Trains of Bristol in Bedminster. There was Modelmania along Clouds Hill road.  A short lived one called Kemps in Brislington. There was also a Beatties in Broadmead and, I think it was, the Bristol Model Centre on the edge of Broadmead, which later became Antics and moved just along the road. Also Ian Harper Models in Hengrove, though mainly radio control models, did have a few bits. Up to seven were concurrent, I don't think Kemps and Beatties existed at the same time.

Antics is the only one left now.

Nobby's Hobbies on Gloucester Road was another one in Bristol

[40F]

3 hours ago, JZ said:

Bristol used to have a few. The much missed Max Williams near Lawrence Hill station, Model Highways on the Gloucester Road, one called Trains of Bristol in Bedminster. There was Modelmania along Clouds Hill road.  A short lived one called Kemps in Brislington. There was also a Beatties in Broadmead and, I think it was, the Bristol Model Centre on the edge of Broadmead, which later became Antics and moved just along the road. Also Ian Harper Models in Hengrove, though mainly radio control models, did have a few bits. Up to seven were concurrent, I don't think Kemps and Beatties existed at the same time.

Antics is the only one left now.

 

The short lived one in Brislington was originally Baileys Daley`s I believe and was there a number of years before being taken over/merging with Kemps. I thought Bristol Model Centre was on Gloucester Road. There was one in Mangotsfield which closed around 1985/6, I seem to recall.  

[JZ]

2 minutes ago, 40F said:

 

The short lived one in Brislington was originally Baileys Daley`s I believe and was there a number of years before being taken over/merging with Kemps. I thought Bristol Model Centre was on Gloucester Road. There was one in Mangotsfield which closed around 1985/6, I seem to recall.  

I remember Bailey's Daleys, though I never went there under that name, only as Kemps. The Gloucester Rd shop was Model Highways. Their main trade was slot cars, I believe there was a big slot car club in North Bristol, but they had a wide range of model railway stuff, including 009, which was my area of modelling at the time. One of only two shops which stocked it, the other being Max Williams. The one I remember as the Bristol Model Centre was in Fairfax St, next to the Union St bridge. It was on two levels. That was the one that became Antics, then moved along Fairfax St to it's present site.

[Evertonian]

-Around 20 years ago a stretch of some 400 yards of Holdenhurst Road

in Bournemouth boasted OPC (books and models),B'm'th Model Railway

Centre and Modelbooks (also with an extensive model rail selection) -

All now gone with the only good shop for local modeller left to visit

being Model Rai!way Solutions on the Poole/Bournemouth border.

I must declare an interest - my son and nephew own the business!

[Steamport Southport]

7 hours ago, RedgateModels said:

Nottingham had 4 at least:

Beatties

Zodiac Toys

Skills

Gee Dees

 

there may have been other outlets (COOP etc) and of course the outlying districts had their own

 

Sherwood Models in, well, Sherwood and Bullocks (no sniggering at the back!) in Hucknall

 

I used to love Zodiac Toys.

 

Definitely of the "pile it high and sell it cheap" variety of retailer. But I was surprised when I found my local one had a small selection of kits from the likes of Merit, Ratio and Coopercraft on the racks near the till.

 

That was early to mid 1980s. They were also flogging off all the Airfix trains at the time. Loads of memories here.

 

https://zodiactoys.wordpress.com/

 

Jason

[40F]

5 hours ago, JZ said:

I remember Bailey's Daleys, though I never went there under that name, only as Kemps. The Gloucester Rd shop was Model Highways. Their main trade was slot cars, I believe there was a big slot car club in North Bristol, but they had a wide range of model railway stuff, including 009, which was my area of modelling at the time. One of only two shops which stocked it, the other being Max Williams. The one I remember as the Bristol Model Centre was in Fairfax St, next to the Union St bridge. It was on two levels. That was the one that became Antics, then moved along Fairfax St to it's present site.

 

There was another one on Gloucester Road, the owner of which boasted " I am going to give every one a run for their money and some competition" --------- he did not last long.

Nobby`s Hobbies was the slot car specialist Model Highways was Model Railways and Kits. There was also one on North Street Bedminster who was mainly kits, the name of which escapes me 

[JZ]

2 hours ago, 40F said:

There was also one on North Street Bedminster who was mainly kits, the name of which escapes me 

That was Trains of Bristol. Visited there about 1985. The owner was very condescending. When I asked if he had any OO9, I was told that no one models or makes stuff for it and I was wasting my time and should try OO. I remember he had a big display of sweets. It closed a year or two later, but he still did shows, but it was mostly overpriced second-hand stuff. Oh, and sweets.

 

[ianmacc]

13 hours ago, JZ said:

Bristol used to have a few. The much missed Max Williams near Lawrence Hill station, Model Highways on the Gloucester Road, one called Trains of Bristol in Bedminster. There was Modelmania along Clouds Hill road.  A short lived one called Kemps in Brislington. There was also a Beatties in Broadmead and, I think it was, the Bristol Model Centre on the edge of Broadmead, which later became Antics and moved just along the road. Also Ian Harper Models in Hengrove, though mainly radio control models, did have a few bits. Up to seven were concurrent, I don't think Kemps and Beatties existed at the same time.

Antics is the only one left now.

Seven in one city. Pretty impressive 

[40F]

12 hours ago, JZ said:

That was Trains of Bristol. Visited there about 1985. The owner was very condescending. When I asked if he had any OO9, I was told that no one models or makes stuff for it and I was wasting my time and should try OO. I remember he had a big display of sweets. It closed a year or two later, but he still did shows, but it was mostly overpriced second-hand stuff. Oh, and sweets.

 

 

No Trains of Bristol was in West Street and closed in the early 2000`s. The original owner Derek Dashfield sold it and the guy who bought it changed the shop. Derek died in 2006/7. The shop on North Street was owned by somebody Rogers/Rodgers , i can`t remember his christian name. His [ex] wife owned the shop that eventually became Modelmania, the owners of which retired in 2018 after 33 years in business.

There were a number of other shops in the Bristol area that sold Hornby/Mianline/Airfix railways Martins, in Kingswood and Gloucester Road  springs to mind as well as Dawsons in Clifton, Hardings in Bedminster as well as a cycle shop in the South of the city, Reps used to say Bristol was a two day job in the good old days.

Edited December 16, 2020 by 40F

[ianmacc]

3 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

I used to love Zodiac Toys.

 

Definitely of the "pile it high and sell it cheap" variety of retailer. But I was surprised when I found my local one had a small selection of kits from the likes of Merit, Ratio and Coopercraft on the racks near the till.

 

That was early to mid 1980s. They were also flogging off all the Airfix trains at the time. Loads of memories here.

 

https://zodiactoys.wordpress.com/

 

Jason

Look at the Hornby section. Dozens of sets piled high waiting to replenish the fast selling stock in the lower shelves! Different world!

[Steamport Southport]

Yes. With what look like Hornby Duchesses in the middle. Lima next to them as well.

 

That was what it was like in the one by mine. Which for a small shopping precinct in the suburbs was like a different world. Now it's something like a Home & Bargain.

 

 

Jason

 

[MartynJPearson]

20 hours ago, RedgateModels said:

Nottingham had 4 at least:

Beatties

Zodiac Toys

Skills

Gee Dees

 

there may have been other outlets (COOP etc) and of course the outlying districts had their own

 

Sherwood Models in, well, Sherwood and Bullocks (no sniggering at the back!) in Hucknall

 

Plus slightly further afield was Arkwrights Models on Gordon Road in West Bridgford just near the Test Match pub. I remember many a happy Saturday afternoon pestering my Dad to take me there to spend my pocket money on a Superquick kit!

[Georgeconna]

Tunbridge Wells had a smattering of Model Shops. Trains and RC Stuff. Used to love going there to visit my Nan in the 80's

 

Ballards was the last one I visited and Bought stuff from. Alas I don't see any of the original ones left.

[caradoc]

Oxford had, for many years, specialist retailers with Howes in Broad St (now moved to the wilds of Kidlington and no longer interested in model railways) and the Railway Bookshop/Motor Books at the Green Road roundabout, now gone. Plus various other shops selling Triang/Hornby; Boswells, Risings in Summertown, other shops on the Iffley Road and the High Street near a Covered Market entrance. Also all gone now. 

 

Even small towns had decent model shops, in the early 1980s visiting friends at Winslow I bought an Airfix 31 and Peco points. But it's a vicious circle, with fewer shops more of us turn to the ease of online shopping, so there are even fewer shops. 

 

[CUCKOO LINE]

Used to be several in Eastbourne (1960s). There was one in the Old Town, which was I recollect second hand mainly, and the Train Times which still exists. Add Gamelys toy store which sold a fair amount of Hornby plus there may have been other toy stores that sold Hornby. In my local town of Hailsham a few miles from Eastbourne the local Toy shop Robertsons also sold Hornby, that was where my first train set was bought !

Edited December 16, 2020 by CUCKOO LINE