Gone but not forgotten

[Debs.]

Saturday mornings of my youth were oft` begun with a visit to Hobbies in Basnett St. Liverpool.

 

 

[trisonic]

Debs, what a great store front! Plenty of stock to ogle at!

Those were the days alright, I remember them too well...

 

Best, Pete.

[br2975]

"Bud Morgan" - Castle Arcade, Cardiff

.

"The Model Shop" - Mill Lane, Cardiff; which closed and later became 'The Private Shop' (yes, a sex shop !)

.

"Burrell's" - Wilson Road, Cardiff ........... not a model shop, more like Arwright's but where they found a load of Tri-ang and Hornby Dublo in the storeroom in about 1979, and sold it for the equivalent of the pre-decimal prices on the boxes !

.

Brian R

[Coach bogie]

Saturday mornings of my youth were oft` begun with a visit to Hobbies in Basnett St. Liverpool.

 

Hobbies.jpg

My dad visited another model shop in the centre of Liverpool. I think it was 'City Models?'  He was a pro musician and toured with the shows. He saw a Nucast 72XX in the window. Challenge was the shop was always closed by the time he arrived in Liverpool for the show (he was commuting from Manchester where he recording during the day). He put a cheque with a note and a couple of show tickets through the letter box asking if it could be left at the stage door. In addition if they left the cost for the wheels motor etc, he would put a second cheque through etc.

 

Next night there was the kit waiting at the stage door, complete with all parts etc and an invoice for the extras. I still have it on my work bench. Chassis now well worn, awaiting bushes before returning to service. He took that model with the show building it all over the country. I have a particular soft spot for it as Dad later worked with Rod Stewart in a TV special from Belle Vue Manchester (who remembers Belle View with it's minature railway?) who took a special interest in progress, long before his LA layout had been started.

 

Mike Wiltshire

Edited May 29, 2014 by Coach bogie

[TheQ]

I have been in several of the mention shops around the country, but never got to Know any of them Due to my Father and later myself being posted around, The one company I used a few times was The West Coast Kit Centre, a single letter and cheque would bring you the desired loco complete, very useful, when modelling the GWR while living in the Outer Hebrides!

The Q

[John M Upton]

Didn't know Ron Lines was still going.  Will pay a visit next time I am over that way and have been meaning to check out the Eastleigh place for a while (used them for parts via Ebay with no complaints though).

 

Southampton (well Totton really) was once home to in my experience the worst model shop I ever visited, the SMC Southampton Model Centre.  Dear oh dear was that an experience I have tried hard to forget...

[5Bel]

Hi All,

 

Anyone remember Percy's in Uxbridge high street. Half sweet shop half model railway goldmine!! Tommy Thompson the owner always wore a dustcoat and was very helpful. All gauges, a massive selection of second hand and he would always get something for you if he didn't have it in the shop. I did quite a few deals with him in my formative modelling days. The shop closed on 21 May 1983, FA cup final day, Brighton V Man Utd. I still have the Lima 50 my dad brought for me on the last day. Tommy Thompson went on to drive trains at the Ruislip Lido Railway. Also in my area we had a shop on the road bridge at Slough station where I first met Colin Massingham of Modern Traction Kits fame. We also had Puffers, the two shops in Harrow, Railfayre in West Ealing, Kings Cross models, Hadley hobbies, W&H's and Victors. Used to cost me £2.50 for a Capital card to visit them all, throw in some spotting at various locations along the way and you could while away many a happy day. Happy days indeed!!

 

Cheers for now, Ian

Edited June 2, 2014 by 5Bel

[sandwich station]

Does anyone remember Barrett's of Canterbury?

 

Spent many an hour in there model and or toy department (this was downstairs in the basement). Later years saw me go up to the first floor where the records were sold (only vinyl and cassette tapes then).

[58050]

It's only been gone 6 years, but I miss popping into C&G in Darlington for a chinwag with Cliff (and seeing how much money he'll talk me into parting with!).

 

Going back further in time, Thornleys had a great model railway section, I loved going in there as a child.

[Wicor Models]

My childhood and teenage years were spent around The Winchester Cycle & Motor Company in Jewry Street, Winchester.  A large single story building divided down the middle.  On one side there were the bicycles and motorcycles where Mum and Dad bought me a Hercules bike while I was at school and later I purchased a Raleigh Runabout moped.  The other half was the model and hobby side with Airfix, Triang, Kitmaster etc.  Much of my early wage packets were spent in there or in the shop at Northam near the station and on my way home from Southampton Technical College.

Then I moved to Bristol and took a flat opposite Nobby's Hobbies on the Gloucester Road, sheer temptation a few footsteps away.

 

Dave

[Catkins]

I picked up some old model magazines a couple of weeks ago, and there was an advert in one of them for -

 

Orton Models in Peterborough, I think they actually started in one of the Ortons, but moved out to the Bretton Centre.

 

On the subject of old Model magazine titles, that could be another thread.

[RANGERS]

I picked up some old model magazines a couple of weeks ago, and there was an advert in one of them for -

 

Orton Models in Peterborough, I think they actually started in one of the Ortons, but moved out to the Bretton Centre.

 

On the subject of old Model magazine titles, that could be another thread.

Orton Models started out in The Post Office at Orton Longueville, a stones throw from the NVR station, in about 1979. They moved to the Hereward Centre in about 1983. I'm not sure when they closed but I'd guess around 2000, about the same time as Fowlers in Lincoln Rd called it a day.

 

Orton were good for Scenic items, they sold a range of ground foam scatter, similar to Woodland Scenic but at a fraction of the cost, 35p as against 1.99 for the real thing IIRC.

[RANGERS]

It's only been gone 6 years, but I miss popping into C&G in Darlington for a chinwag with Cliff (and seeing how much money he'll talk me into parting with!).

 

Going back further in time, Thornleys had a great model railway section, I loved going in there as a child.[/quote

 

Is it really 6 years? Time flies

[58050]

It's only been gone 6 years, but I miss popping into C&G in Darlington for a chinwag with Cliff (and seeing how much money he'll talk me into parting with!).

 

Going back further in time, Thornleys had a great model railway section, I loved going in there as a child.[/quote

 

Is it really 6 years? Time flies

 

Indeed it is I started my current job in May of that year, and the shop closed around that time. My spending on the hobby has noticeably decreased since (much to the relief of Mrs 58050....)

[Edthefolkie]

Only just found this thread! Loved the Nottingham area references, my God I wasted lots of time in most of those places....

 

Didn't Bob Denny of Sawley open up only on Sats? I presume he had a real job as well as the model shop. This may have accounted for his sometimes bad tempered demeanour - my mate Rod used to wind him up. I once bought a Triang Davy Crockett coach off him; I was going to convert it to an original Midland Pullman. Bit optimistic there.....

 

Somebody must remember Mike Skidmore of Pearson's, Nottingham, Millholme and possibly Attenborough Model Railway too. He did a great job painting and lining locos - in fact around 1966 I bought a 2 rail HD Duchess off him, think it was "City of Nottingham". Lost the plates, lost the valve gear, lost the bogie, still got the tender somewhere. Sorry Mike. 

 

There was a little shop/stall in the Central Market in Nottingham called I think "Radet Electric". This sold light bulbs, switches etc etc but also had an OO gauge oval of track at my 8 year old eye level. I can't remember the loco or rolling stock now but the train came out of a tunnel stage left, passed a small station building and exited via another tunnel stage right. The station had working platform lamps and a parked red GPO van - I found these utterly fascinating & had to be dragged away by poor old Mum. She didn't get away with it though as Applebee's in Beeston also had an oval of track in the window, only saw a train on that once though. Every male child passing that window left the imprint of his nose on it!  

 

Which reminds me of Woolworths in Beeston who sold Airfix kits in plastic bags for 2 bob, and a haberdashers next door who was also a Dinky toy agent.

 

Gee Dee thank heavens is still going, must spend some money in there soon. Much more fun than the Interweb.        

[Branwell]

Millburns in Keighley - 'twas primarlily a newsagents but they had a corner for model railways and you could pick up the occasional bargain.

 

The old Frizinghall shop was a delight too - the new place is good but it's far too orgnaised - never feel like you're going to dicover some gorgotten gem tucked away somewhere.

 

but the one I really miss is Carters in Bradford - going there was always a massive adventure.

[Mikkel]

Denmark's oldest and best model shop closed last year. 65 years in the business. Located in a basement, it was a classic treasure trove. The best thing was that you had direct access to all the goods, so you could hold things in your hands and get a feel for them.

 

And then there were the owners of course, who added loads of character. The web can do a lot of things, but it can't give you this!

 

 

 

 

 

[gwrrob]

Denmark's oldest and best model shop closed last year. 65 years in the business. Located in a basement, it was a classic treasure trove. The best thing was that you had direct access to all the goods, so you could hold things in your hands and get a feel for them.

 

And then there were the owners of course, who added loads of character. The web can do a lot of things, but it can't give you this!

 

Image1.jpg

 

Nice photo Mikkel.There's a kit on the top shelf I built as a spotty teeager in the late 70's.Can you guess which one it is ?

[sagaguy]

Just found this interesting thread,brings back memories.Mentioning the model shop in Lincoln rd.Peterborough,i remember driving there fro Northampton in the late 8o`s/early 90`s to get my HD 3rail locos repaired,he also supplied me with a Lima Cl.81 converted to 3 rail with a Marklin skate & a Lima 3 car DMU(Cl.117?) on the same principle.I had never been along such a long cul desac,i seem to remember it was one of the last shops in the road!!!.

 

Whilst on the subject of long gone shops,does any one remember Greenways,a printer and stationer in Green Lanes,Harringay,N.London who was a Meccano dealer which burnt down in the 60`s &,

i think,The train shop In the High  rd.Wood green,N.London.

 

  ray.

[Mikkel]

Nice photo Mikkel.There's a kit on the top shelf I built as a spotty teeager in the late 70's.Can you guess which one it is ?

The Endeavour?

[davepallant]

No mention of Eames of Reading yet? There was also a model shop in the Oxford Road. And was it Platform 5(?) in Wimbledon?

 

I definitely remember the Platform 1(?) shop in Wimbledon on The Broadway. That was where I bought most of my early model railway stuff back in the early 1970s. Shelves full of second hand stuff all along the right hand side of the shop and then the counter down the left hand side. I remember the long counter was made of glass with a model railway inside. Also they used to do A4 printed price lists for their secondhand stock with enormous numbers of items all priced up. I didn't have a lot of money as a kid back then so I bought a load of secondhand rubbish!

 

My other haunt was Beatties at Lewisham but that was probably for new track..

 

Dave

[railsquid]

There was a model shop in Redditch in one of the shops surrounding the "market square" (a dismal municipal precinct in the shopping centre) where I bought my first rolling stock with my own pocket money (a Mainline flatbed wagon, cost me around GBP 1.35). It wasn't a proper model shop, the main business was a photo studio and I don't think they sold much in the way of accessories. No idea what it was called, and it vanished without traced a couple of years later, by which time I was taking my (modest) business to Beatties above Birmingham New Street station.

[sp1]

In the mid to late 70s there was also a radio shop which sold models on the corner of Navigation Street and Stephenson Street and I seem to recall a shop somewhere around Bull Street but I could be mistaken on that in addition to Argylle Models before they became Beatties and Rackhams toy department too.Moving northwards to Wolverhampton there was Fenwicks on Pitt Street - http://www.flickr.com/photos/8050359@N07/1083518092/ (guns and railways ) as well as the shop on Bell Street at the side of the Mander Centre. Modellers Mecca used to be in Albion Parade at Wall Heath (cracking shop), I have forgotten the name of the shop on Bridge Street in Walsall but I think it was the only place where I ever saw a Wrenn Brighton Belle in stock and there was a small shop on Stafford Styreet in Dudley which still had Kitmaster stock in the mid 70s.There's only one name in there which is still with us!

Used to go to Modellers Mecca when it was there, and still go to the new (! Been there a good few years now) premises.

Don't remember a shop in Stafford St in Dudley - do you mean the one on Wolverhampton St - opposite the end of Stafford St? That was JJP models: after the shop closed they carried on selling whitemetal castings for a few years (adverts in Railway Modeller).

There was also Ace Models in the Fountain Arcade in Dudley (although not just railways) which closed a few years ago.

[Chris116]

I definitely remember the Platform 1(?) shop in Wimbledon on The Broadway. That was where I bought most of my early model railway stuff back in the early 1970s. Shelves full of second hand stuff all along the right hand side of the shop and then the counter down the left hand side. I remember the long counter was made of glass with a model railway inside. Also they used to do A4 printed price lists for their secondhand stock with enormous numbers of items all priced up. I didn't have a lot of money as a kid back then so I bought a load of secondhand rubbish!

 

My other haunt was Beatties at Lewisham but that was probably for new track..

 

Dave

The shop in Wimbledon Broadway was at 118 Wimbledon Broadway and called Platform Two. John Shimwell, who ran it wanted to call it SPQR, the old Roman sign but the owners of the building did not like the idea. SPQR stood for Silly Prices, Quick Returns in John's mind. He had run a secondhand business from home before the shop and had a wonderful Hornby Dublo 3 rail layout that filled one room. When he opened the shop he was the sole person Monday to Friday but on Saturdays he employed two school kids who had been frequent visitors to his home during the early days. I was one of those kids and the other was Peter but I cannot remember his second name.

[gwrrob]

The Endeavour?

 

Nope it was the 1/24th scale P51 Mustang from Airfix which I promised myself I'd do again properly one day but never got around to it.