Gone but not forgotten

[St Enodoc]

3 hours ago, Firecracker said:

And another, I’ve recently picked up at Manchester exhibition a bag of various secondhand goodies.  Several of these carry a price tag from ‘Hobbytime’ which apparently was ‘Kent’s Model Shop’.  Anyone?

 

Owain

Hobbytime of West Wickham, home of BSL kits. There are several references on this topic and also on https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/142895-model-shop-memories/, 

 

[Guest Jack Benson]

Hobbytime-BSL West Wickham, also known for their coach kits.

 

 

JB

[ianmacc]

10 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

Hobbytime of West Wickham, home of BSL kits. There are several references on this topic and also on https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/142895-model-shop-memories/, 

 

I picked up a few too recently. I wonder if there’s been a dump into the market following a bereavement or similar?

[Paul H Vigor]

I have vague, childhood memories of a visit to ERG (Bournemouth) Ltd, 529 Roumelia Lane, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset. Must have been just before Ernest Gray retired in 1972? I seem to remember a shop like a cellar? Wish I could go back!

[Northmoor]

Just clearing out a few bits from the loft today and found five copies of the Hornby Service Dealer Network sheets that were included in sets.  They are double A4 sheets listing the shops by county, correct to December 1987, December 1988, December 1994 (x2) and June 2006.

 

On the off-chance that anyone wants them out of nostalgia, please PM me in the next couple of days before they go in the recycling.

[602Squadron]

On 23/04/2014 at 10:31, EddieB said:

The main shop was in Lisson Grove (not too far from Marylebone), though I can only remember visiting the branch in Bucklersbury (City).  Not particularly welcoming - they didn't seem at all interested in schoolboys spending their pocket money when they had bigger fish to fry.  As Chris say, they did seem to have a lot of over-priced, poor condition secondhand stock.  The main interest appeared to be vintage live steam (e.g. Basset-Lowke and Bing).

 

Their adverts have been mentioned - those in Railway Modeller were somewhat restrained compared to the graphic cartoons that appeared in Model Railways.  The Model Railway Constructor ads always started "Dear Mr S... S.... with a hyphen", referring to the then editor SW Stevens-Stratten.

 

The persistent theme was Count Dracula and the proprietor styled himself as "The Count".  This was taken to excess when they occupied a trade stand at (at least) one exhibition at Westminster Central Hall organised by the magazine Model Railways.

 

Just picked up this post about Chuffs, which brought back some memories.

 

The Central Hall exhibition you mention was probably the Model Railway Club's Easter show in 1971 or maybe 1972 - after nearly 50 years, I am not absolutely sure. Welwyn Garden City MRC were exhibiting Jim Armstrong's Richmond (Yorkshire), as we didn't have a club layout at the time, and Chuffs had a trade stand. "Count Dracula" and various other characters would wander round the hall all day, sounding air horns, jumping out at visitors and, as you say Eddie B, sometimes taking the joke to excess, to the extent that a PA announcement was made one morning before the show opened saying that complaints had been made about Chuff's behaviour which would no longer be tolerated, and that their stand would be closed if it continued. Things were a little quieter after that.

 

I still have a full set of Model Railway Constructors for 1971/2 with the notorious adverts. 

[Colin]

On 10/05/2020 at 13:47, Paul H Vigor said:

I have vague, childhood memories of a visit to ERG (Bournemouth) Ltd, 529 Roumelia Lane, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset. Must have been just before Ernest Gray retired in 1972? I seem to remember a shop like a cellar? Wish I could go back!

Yes, I think I went there as well when on a family holiday in around 1958 (I was around 5 at the time). I recall going downstairs into this amazing shop full of trains! Mum and Dad bought me some cast metal scenic bits for my layout (farm animals, haystacks, that sort of thing) and possibly a couple of printed card kits (Bilteezi?) which Dad later made for me. I Also think there was a working fully scenic layout in the centre of the shop but am not entirely sure.

[Colin]

20 hours ago, 602Squadron said:

 

Just picked up this post about Chuffs, which brought back some memories.

 

The Central Hall exhibition you mention was probably the Model Railway Club's Easter show in 1971 or maybe 1972 - after nearly 50 years, I am not absolutely sure. Welwyn Garden City MRC were exhibiting Jim Armstrong's Richmond (Yorkshire), as we didn't have a club layout at the time, and Chuffs had a trade stand. "Count Dracula" and various other characters would wander round the hall all day, sounding air horns, jumping out at visitors and, as you say Eddie B, sometimes taking the joke to excess, to the extent that a PA announcement was made one morning before the show opened saying that complaints had been made about Chuff's behaviour which would no longer be tolerated, and that their stand would be closed if it continued. Things were a little quieter after that.

 

I still have a full set of Model Railway Constructors for 1971/2 with the notorious adverts. 

I used to occasionally visit Chuffs shop near Cheapside when I worked in the City around ‘72 - opposite the counter  there was a row of open boxes full of battered secondhand junk (HD 3-rail coaches with huge scratches or bogies missing, that sort of thing) but the “decent” stuff was behind or above the counter. Prices were generally eye-watering  and even the junk was apparently rare and collectable!

Didn’t the business end up in Sudbury (Suffolk) by the way? Years later I saw a shop in one of the back streets selling a mixture of large scale tinplate and other old toys and dolls’ houses, someone at an exhibition said that it was “the bloke from Chuffs”.

[Paul H Vigor]

8 hours ago, Colin said:

Yes, I think I went there as well when on a family holiday in around 1958 (I was around 5 at the time). I recall going downstairs into this amazing shop full of trains! Mum and Dad bought me some cast metal scenic bits for my layout (farm animals, haystacks, that sort of thing) and possibly a couple of printed card kits (Bilteezi?) which Dad later made for me. I Also think there was a working fully scenic layout in the centre of the shop but am not entirely sure.

I recall loads of brown cardboard boxes filled with all manor of unseen goodies. I believe  I bought some waterslide transfers? Don't think I ever used them - they are probably still stored away in a box!

[97xx]

I seem to remember Model Corner in Horsham, West Sussex, located on the 'V' of the main road into the town from the East coming from the station, just past the old library.

 

Very small shop but catered well for the railway enthusiast.

 

Behind the white care in this 1960 picture I think (in terms of location - can't say whether the shop was there then).

https://www.francisfrith.com/horsham/horsham-the-library-c1960_h119148

Edited August 13, 2020 by 97xx

[paullad1984]

There used to be a model shop in kendal I used to visit but they never did anything cheap! 

[paullad1984]

On 09/12/2019 at 18:35, Firecracker said:

A few I remember, from Cumbria/Lancashire.  First up, the small shop crammed with stuff at Steamtown Carnforth.  Often was taken there by the old man when infanticide was moving up my mothers list of priorities.  Found an Airfix GMR siphon bought there whilst sorting the crap in the attic.  Also another shop in Lancaster, where as I remember the customer service left something to be desired (or maybe the owner just didn’t like children).  

 

Moving North, O’Loughlins in Kendal, where I spent an awfull lot of my pocket money upstairs.  Several of the Bachman locos I’m running now came from there in the late 90’s-early 2000’s (standard tank, class 25, Ivatt 2-6-2 tank).  Also carried a lot of plastic kits, woodland scenics.  Closed sometime in mid 2000’s  The was also a tiny short lived second hand shop on Windermere road, I remember various aged triang bits following me home from there.

 

A tiny shop in Penrith, I bought my first ‘decent’ new loco (as opposed to an early Hornsby Jinty) with my own money there, a Dapol pug (it was that or a Terrier) that’s being resurrected on Sedbergh with a DCC chip insinuated in the cab.   Introduced me to the Dapol range, various of their kits and RTR bits came from there.  

 

Finally, the only one that’s still in business, C&M models in Carlisle (although according to Google street view, the health food shop it was above has gone belly up).  First shop I discovered Woodland Scenics in, the (then) wonderful scenic stuff I’d only seen in magazines before.  Spent a few coins in there, one day I must pop back and repeat the experience.

 

Owain

O'loughlins I remember, then there was a bike repair shop in Kirkby Stephen sold Hornby stuff but never anything upto date. 

[Firecracker]

7 minutes ago, paullad1984 said:

O'loughlins I remember, then there was a bike repair shop in Kirkby Stephen sold Hornby stuff but never anything upto date. 

Yes, had a good display of Britain’s farm stuff as well, remember visiting there occasionally (at the time we never went to Kirkby Stephen, now I drive through it regularly).  There was another shop in Penrith that carried EFE lorries (the AEC mammoth) and buses when they first appeared in the UK (weirdly the first of those was actually bought in North Wales on holiday, the green JD Lowne dropside)

 

Owain

[paullad1984]

1 hour ago, Firecracker said:

Yes, had a good display of Britain’s farm stuff as well, remember visiting there occasionally (at the time we never went to Kirkby Stephen, now I drive through it regularly).  There was another shop in Penrith that carried EFE lorries (the AEC mammoth) and buses when they first appeared in the UK (weirdly the first of those was actually bought in North Wales on holiday, the green JD Lowne dropside)

 

Owain

There is still a toy shop in Penrith (I live there) but they only sell Hornby and peco, and usually at horrible prices! 

[Firecracker]

6 minutes ago, paullad1984 said:

There is still a toy shop in Penrith (I live there) but they only sell Hornby and peco, and usually at horrible prices! 

That the Toymaster on Middlegate?  Didn’t know that was still going!  After the old man took early retirement he used to go to Penrith during the week to do the weekly shop, now and again he’d get me humbrol paints and glues I’d run out of from there.

 

Owain

[Talltim]

I’ve just come across a seller on eBay who says they are selling stock from Victors. Someone must have been sitting on it for a while

[paullad1984]

11 hours ago, Firecracker said:

That the Toymaster on Middlegate?  Didn’t know that was still going!  After the old man took early retirement he used to go to Penrith during the week to do the weekly shop, now and again he’d get me humbrol paints and glues I’d run out of from there.

 

Owain

Yes it's still going. But a bus ride to Carlisle to c&m models is easy and presents far better opportunities 

[brushman47544]

2 hours ago, paullad1984 said:

Yes it's still going. But a bus ride to Carlisle to c&m models is easy and presents far better opportunities 

 

This is a railway forum yet you're advocating a bus between two rail connected towns.. :-)

[paullad1984]

1 hour ago, brushman47544 said:

 

This is a railway forum yet you're advocating a bus between two rail connected towns.. :-)

I have a disabled person's bus pass, I use the bus every day to go to work in Carlisle. The train times coming back unfortunately don't run late enough for me to get home. 

[Locksley]

Only just stumbled across this thread, being born in late 91' I'm a tad young to remember some previously mentioned model shops in and around Sheffield, but there are some notable closures even more recently.

 

I'm just old enough to remember Beatties of course, opposite the Town Hall/Peace Gardens, the G Scale loop suspended from the ceiling is still etched into my mind, although strangely I don't actually remember going there that much.

 

There was a small shop of which the name escapes me on Abbeydale Rd opposite the SMRE clubrooms, that must have closed in the late 90's. (EDIT: I think this place may have been called 'Road and Rails' or something along those lines.)

 

MG Sharp I think is now gone at Attercliffe, again another shop I only remember going in once or twice.

 

TMC/ModelZone at Meadowhall, along with IIRC two further model shops in 'The Lanes', one of which certainly sold model railway stuff, the other I have a feeling may have been more geared towards diecast but I'm not 100% sure.

 

TAGS, latterly Antics, at Fitzallan Square marked the final proper City Centre model shop to close, I have fond memories of wandering down there during down time at Hallam Uni and buying the odd model kit and RC bits and bobs. There is still Wargames Emporium in Orchard Square but they only have a very limited selection of Tamiya and Italeri kits, plus a few lines of paint. No railway stuff.

 

There was one other model shop that briefly opened on Chesterfield Rd in probably the mid 2000s, but I don't recall if they sold any railway stock. I think it only lasted a few months at best before closing.

 

We're now down to 'just' four proper model shops now, which I know is likely more than most places. Sheffield Transport Models on London Rd is still going strong, affectionately known as Ollivanders. If you've ever visited you'd probably get why. Marcways at Attercliffe is another frequent haunt. There's Rails of course, just down the road from where I grew up so that was always the place we tended to go. Olivia's being the last one, but somewhere I've only been to once which I'm sure wouldn't be a shock to anyone else who has had the misfortune to visit. A very odd experience of feeling slightly unwelcome/uncomfortable being in the place, coupled with them having no prices on anything. Probably because everything is so damn expensive. Amazed it's survived this long tbh.

Edited September 23, 2020 by Locksley

[Northmoor]

Opposite to the theme of this thread, a new model shop has OPENED this year not too far from me in Fleet.  I've not been there yet but since last time I wanted any model paint locally, I had to queue outside Hobbycraft for nearly 30 minutes (so they could apparently practice social distancing measured in furlongs), I will be delighted to give them some business, even if only for bits and pieces.

[brushman47544]

22 minutes ago, Northmoor said:

Opposite to the theme of this thread, a new model shop has OPENED this year not too far from me in Fleet.  I've not been there yet but since last time I wanted any model paint locally, I had to queue outside Hobbycraft for nearly 30 minutes (so they could apparently practice social distancing measured in furlongs), I will be delighted to give them some business, even if only for bits and pieces.

 

I've been pondering this queueing lark. Does it actually mean you get served any slower? Before, you walked into the shop, looked around, found what you wanted and paid. Now you wait, perhaps outside, before entering but assuming the same number of staff to help/take payment, surely the throughput is more or less the same?

Edited August 26, 2020 by brushman47544

[pete_mcfarlane]

5 minutes ago, brushman47544 said:

 

I've been pondering this queueing lark. Does it actually mean you get served any slower? Before, you walked into the shop, looked around, found what you wanted and paid. Now you wait, perhaps outside, before entering but assuming the same number of staff to help/take payment, surely the throughput is more or less the same?

Surely it depends on the other customers? 

 

I've been to Hobbycraft in Nottingham twice mid-week, and neither time did I have to queue. But I guess if you go at the Weekend, and there's a few dithery families who've decided to spend the afternoon shuffling around the store gormlessly looking at stuff but not buying shopping, then you may have to wait for them to finally make up their minds what they want and leave. That must be bloody annoying if you're just after a couple of tins of Humbrol and can be in and out in 2 minutes. 

 

 

[caradoc]

28 minutes ago, brushman47544 said:

I've been pondering this queueing lark. Does it actually mean you get served any slower?

 

Your time within the shop may well be the same, but if you have had to wait outside in a queue beforehand the total length of your visit is certainly extended !

 

[Northmoor]

3 hours ago, brushman47544 said:

 

I've been pondering this queueing lark. Does it actually mean you get served any slower? Before, you walked into the shop, looked around, found what you wanted and paid. Now you wait, perhaps outside, before entering but assuming the same number of staff to help/take payment, surely the throughput is more or less the same?

The impression I got was that you stay in the shop longer, which may even be the intention of the shop (a big chain is more likely to plan this than a family-run shop).  Having waited a long time outside the store, unless you have a deadline (e.g. car park ticket) you are more likely to "make it worth your while" once in the store, and see if there's something else you need.