Jump to content
 

Most model shops in one town/city


ianmacc
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • 1 month later...
On 18/12/2020 at 00:53, RichardT said:

The old C&G Models (?) on Parkgate in Darlington is now carved up into offices & small shops.  Luckily (in normal times) there are six trains an hour from Darlo Bank Top to York, taking 25/30 mins, so I can still get to Monk Bar Models quickly.

 

I used to go to C & G Models in the 90s. If I remember correctly, Cliff was the chap that was usually working there. Nice fella.

 

Now I'm back in the hobby (N rather than OO now), Monk Bar is my retailer of choice. Great shop and nice bunch of guys. Combining a few model purchases with the many real ale pubs in York, it makes for a fine day out.

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
On 02/01/2021 at 10:22, CKPR said:

Carlisle must be a contender for the most model shops in a fairly small city over the the years. From the late 1960s onwards, I can recall:

- Woolworths and Binns department store selling model kits and Triang-Hornby respectively

- a shop on the now demolished West Walls that sold models and electrical goods [Peters ?]

- a model and toy shop by the now demolished old bus station - in the  early 1970s, it had Triang-Hornby display layout in a glass case. This shop eventually became a branch of Beatties and went the same way as the rest of the chain.

- a model shop in now demolished  Lanes [can you see a pattern here ?!] - Boot Lane or Globe Lane- that sold model kits

- Palace Cycles on Botchergate

-The Clydesdale also on Botchergate that sold models and records

- The Military Room in two locations.

- A branch of Keith O'Laughlins from Kendal who sold Airfix/GMR and Palitoy/Mainline in the late 1970s-early 1980s.

- A very short lived model railway and bookshop shop on the crescent opposite Carlisle Citadel station

- C&M Models, now the only model shop left in the city.

I think you missed this one:

https://goo.gl/maps/XDKn1QZMuvsaHPDi8

The website is Atkinsons of Windermere which are still in business.

 

https://goo.gl/maps/GF3ZjxvQ8WFDAQZg7

 

I bought some stuff there in the 2000's (It's now a "Savers")

 

Edited by melmerby
  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
On 02/01/2021 at 10:22, CKPR said:

Carlisle must be a contender for the most model shops in a fairly small city over the the years. From the late 1960s onwards, I can recall:

-The Clydesdale also on Botchergate that sold models and records

Looking to thin out my collection and I came across a Hornby Class 25 which I bought there (price label still on the box)  - must have been 78-80 as I was working for CCC at the time and living just off the town center

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Reading has had quite a few over the years.

 

When I first came to Reading (1995), Beatties was the only thing approaching a model shop, however it appeared that there had been one opposite the Royal Berkshire Hospital until not long before.

 

Prior to that of course, there was EAMES (memorialised in an artwork on the RACAL building) and another model shop in Chatham Street car park.

 

After Beatties closed, we gained Rebel Troop and Reading Collector's Centre (secondhand) in the Harris Arcade, and, after Rebel Troop closed, Hobby Craft sold some Hornby for a while. They stopped selling that around the time ModelZone opened in Broad Street Mall. When that closed, WHSmiths took on the name and sold a few high-end items in the centre of their store for a while before discontinuing it, leaving just the Collectors Centre now.

 

Another "haunt" in that period was a newsagent's a couple of streets away from the Met Office in Bracknell (where I worked at the time) who had a stock of Merit/ModelZone kits amongst other items.

 

In recent times, my visits to model shops have generally been on a basis of calling in one on the way to/from one of our "outstation" offices (I'm no longer with the Met Office) so Exeter (shop now closed) and Addlestone (close to APHA) were my "local" shops. I have occasionally called in to Kernow in Guildford (but wouldn't make the trip specially) and made a special journey to Berkshire Model & Dolls House in Twyford last year (as soon as public transport restrictions were lifted sufficiently to allow "shopping trips"!) when I needed to replace a point.

Link to post
Share on other sites

RJS1977 posted ..."Another "haunt" in that period was a newsagent's a couple of streets away from the Met Office in Bracknell (where I worked at the time)"... 

Another "renegade" metman I see, Never worked at Bracknell or at Exeter (apart from helping with the training at the end of the forecasting courses in my last two years). Managed to stay in the outstation circuit. Nothing to do with this post of course, though Norwich did have three model shops when arriving in 1987 but there is just Great Eastern Models now remaining. A top model railway shop too and well worth venturing into if you happen to be this way.

Edited by geoffers
Link to post
Share on other sites

When I moved to SIttingbourne in 1991, the single high street had an unprecedented 3 shops stocking models within three quarters of a mile - Beaneys (a general model shop that stocked some model railway); The Signal Box (Model Railway specialist) and a Toy Shop with a model department. All long since gone but for a while I was spoilt for choice. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, geoffers said:

Norwich did have three model shops when arriving in 1987 but there is just Great Eastern Models now remaining

When I last visited central Norwich, pre COVID, there was a Toymaster in the arcade off the market,  which had a excellent model section upstairs. There was also a odd little shop that sold "collectable" models close nearby.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Managed to do all three in Bridlington in one hit finally a couple of weeks ago. Mighty Lancer only has one small display case of model railways. Monty’s has literally all sorts including real rarities (a bit like a swap meet in a shop). Croppers has a decent selection but looks like stock is reduced looking at the spare space in some of the areas. 
 

Came away with a Wickham Trolkey from Croppers. Monty’s was too eclectic and Mighty Lancer just nothing there. 

Edited by ianmacc
Hit not bit
Link to post
Share on other sites

On 28/08/2022 at 15:24, geoffers said:

RJS1977 posted ..."Another "haunt" in that period was a newsagent's a couple of streets away from the Met Office in Bracknell (where I worked at the time)"... 

Another "renegade" metman I see, Never worked at Bracknell or at Exeter (apart from helping with the training at the end of the forecasting courses in my last two years). Managed to stay in the outstation circuit. Nothing to do with this post of course, though Norwich did have three model shops when arriving in 1987 but there is just Great Eastern Models now remaining. A top model railway shop too and well worth venturing into if you happen to be this way.

I’m going to go for 6 in Norwich at that time….

Langleys in the Arcade - moved to the Chapelfield Mall and no longer any railway stock i think,

The big model shop on Rose Lane - closed and some of the staff went to Modelzone now obviously closed, in the Castle Mall ( so nearly 7!!)

Pegasus Models - now mainly rc planes and cars, but had a good rail dept in the basement,

A tiny model shop near St Augustine’s- long gone, ( bought an Airfix 14xx there.)

There was a small shop on the Aylsham road that specialised in Triang and Dublo as well as some contemporary stuff, (bought a Lima 156 set there)

And of course the still extant Great Eastern Models on Plumstead Road. ( bought loads there!)

 

 

 

Edited by ATME
cock up
  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, rob D2 said:

I wonder which country has the most model shops and therefore maybe modellers in Europe .

 

Ah, but. Do you then analyse the data on a per head basis or per square mile/km or ..... or ..... ? I suppose if Hong Kong was considered a 'country' when it was British, dammit Carruthers, I'd say it's looking pretty much top trump anyway (worldwide - oops. Edited)

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

Edited by Philou
Drat, not in Europe
Link to post
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Philou said:

 

Ah, but. Do you then analyse the data on a per head basis or per square mile/km or ..... or ..... ? I suppose if Hong Kong was considered a 'country' when it was British, dammit Carruthers, I'd say it's looking pretty much top trump anyway (worldwide - oops. Edited)

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

Just sheer number I guess. I’d think HK would be a good fit for TT with all those high rise apartments 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Another one that appeared briefly in Norwich in the early 90s was along St. Giles towards the Inner Ring Road. Don't remember its name but husband and wife I think. Only shop now Great Eastern although a trip to Aylsham will bring you to the Bure Valley shop.

Edited by geoffers
Link to post
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, geoffers said:

Another one that appeared briefly in Norwich in the early 90s was along St. Giles towards the Inner Ring Road. Don't remember its name but husband and wife I think. Only shop now Great Eastern although a trip to Aylsham will bring you to the Bure Valley shop.

City Models? I bought some Lima coaches from them when visiting Norwich in about 1988. Nice little shop. 

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Cambridge always used to have a number of modelshops. In the late 50sand early 60s, I remember Renmodels, who kept going for many years in at least3 different locations. Then there was Eaden Lilleys department store with the excellent toy dept. downstairs. This later morphed into a model dept, with the guy that used to run the one in Townsends Cycles on Burleigh St for a while. The latter of course existed asboth before and after his time; like Renmodels they were also an official Triang dealership. Just along from Eaden Lilleys, almost opposite the market was another shop - upstairs they were a Meccano dealer with both Hornby O gauge and H-D included.. Oh, and the manager of Renmodels in later years, I believe went on to run one in Saffron Walden? R&D models was the newcomer (70s?) on Mitchams Corner, later moving to King St. and eventually Burleigh St., close to Townsends. Opposite those was the big Co-Op department store, which sold model trains too. There was a very late model shop - mostly aircraft and boats, out at Trumpington. In the nearby village of Histon a very small shop opened, sadly not for long as the proprietor died of cancer. Then late on, when all the others had gone, we had the newbie of Beatties (?) in Fitzroy St., but that soon went. Sadly none now survive in the area.

 

**edit to add: I think it was Modelzone, not Beatties.

Edited by stewartingram
Link to post
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Talltim said:

Not competing on quantity, but I was amused that the two in Utrecht are opposite each other

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.0925987,5.1214923,3a,75y,69.3h,84.2t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sJFGidLDdMXIbHTL04MAH4A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

They are both the same company, I think that one is  a diecast and kit shop, and the other is their railway shop. I may be going to Utrecht

soon so if I get a chance I will check it out

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...