Bizarre places you bought model railway equipment

[brianusa]

While checking out an antique shop in Oakland, CA, I found the start of my conversion to tinplate. There were examples of Hornby wagons, track, stations, signals, even a turntable in boxes at Dollar prices, which at the time was quite favourable. These few items have been built upon to the empire that fills the train room today. Now, Oakland is not exactly a tourist mecca, so to find any trains is remote but to find Hornby is remarkable.

 

Brian.

[RJS1977]

Slightly off topic but back in 1990, I was on honeymoon in Acapulco and spotted, but didn't buy because I already had one, a copy of the then current MRJ.....

 

Rumour has it that it reached there before subs copies in the UK

 

About 20 years ago, one of the characters in Neighbours ran a newsagents shop, and Railway Modeller could often be spotted on his news stands!

[Mallard60022]

Around 1976 I was living and working in Wellingborough (semaphores galore). At one of the favourite spotters parking places by Findon Road bridge I got chatting to another chap, about my age and his son. He turned out to be the Manager of the furniture section of a Department Store (Co-oP?) I think it was in Rushden. He told me he also had a small Model Railway section in that Department. I think I bought a K's Grange and a Wills Finecast Hall kit. I attempted to build both using Epoxy Resin glue and,of course, never got them anywhere near finished. The Grange was built for me (under protest I must admit) by the late great Geoff Brewin in about 1998 using original parts and motor and he made it work. I still have it but it needs a good home. Sadly the Hall is still languishing in a box somewhere....it will never be finished by me.

I wonder what happened to him and his lad as they were lovely people and we went on a couple of spotting trips around the midlands. I'd left Wellingborough by 1979 but met up with a pair of the semaphores (Home and Distant) at a friend's house here in 36E in 2017!

Phil

Edited September 24, 2018 by Mallard60022

[HonestTom]

I find car shows are often a good source of model railway bargains - on the trader stands, people will be selling car parts and accessories, but may take the opportunity to get rid of some of their old junk, which often includes model railway stuff which is often underpriced. My top find was one of the old Hornby O gauge Percy the Small Engine models for £5. That being said, I've also seen people try to flog bog standard Hornby wagons from the 1970s for £12 each.

 

There's also a furniture clearance shop near me which has a load of old N gauge stuff, which I find particularly weird, because it's about two minutes down the road from an actual model shop.

[Mallard60022]

I find car shows are often a good source of model railway bargains - on the trader stands, people will be selling car parts and accessories, but may take the opportunity to get rid of some of their old junk, which often includes model railway stuff which is often underpriced. My top find was one of the old Hornby O gauge Percy the Small Engine models for £5. That being said, I've also seen people try to flog bog standard Hornby wagons from the 1970s for £12 each.

 

There's also a furniture clearance shop near me which has a load of old N gauge stuff, which I find particularly weird, because it's about two minutes down the road from an actual model shop.

Sadly I think that many a house clearance after a death can result in 'train stuff' being acquired in this way. If the family do not exist or are not bovvered then away it goes.

I've yet to go to a proper auction to see if any stuff is on offer

P.

[Owd Bob]

Best and weirdest place i knew in my home town was a large corner car spares shop, it was open from the late '60's up until the early '90's, it was called 'Barkers Motorail' The first three quarters of the shop was all crammed full of car spares, but if you walked through all the car stuff you got to the very back rear quarter of the shop and it had its own separate counter and window display, later it had its own entrance door, it was always very well stocked full of the latest model railways, as well as Mamod, Britains, Dinky and Corgi vehicles. I remember buying a then new Airfix class 31, and a Palitoy/Mainline new class 45. Happy days   

[RedgateModels]

I was approached by one of my car mates who owns a very special show winning Impreza P1 (running 600bhp) about a few "trains" he had to get rid of. Fair price was agreed for a Bachmann Railfreight 08 and a log carrying wagon (#2 son's Christmas that year) and a DCC sound 158 which I sold on to a grateful friend for a small profit.

[Rhys Underwood]

I once picked up a then brand new Mainline blue Hornby class 60 in TK Maxx back in the days when they stocked Hornby, Corgi etc for below the RRP. I later picked up a Bachmann Underground Ernie Circle for £5 in there. 

[HonestTom]

I once picked up a then brand new Mainline blue Hornby class 60 in TK Maxx back in the days when they stocked Hornby, Corgi etc for below the RRP. I later picked up a Bachmann Underground Ernie Circle for £5 in there. 

 

I got a fair few Underground Ernie bits in TK Maxx. I don't know what the shop assistant thought when I came to the counter with three Ernie 1s and two Circles.

[Robin Verth]

A couple of years ago at the Hook Road Arena Ewell boot sale I picked up 20+ yards of SMP track and a number of new Peco code 75 points for the grand sum of £10, at the previous sale someone was trying to sell a large number of mainline/Bachmann wagons as mint but all had loads glued into them and this had caused the sides to bow inwards when I left he had not sold any, other intresting things were a Gaiety N2 0-6-2 with its original Gaiety chassis and motor, Bing 00 gauge items, a Hornby 0 gauge L1 and a massive Triang collection all boxed for £100 (it was sold within half an hour).

[Barry Ten]

Somewhere around the 2000s Schiphol airport used to have a model railway selection in the departure lounge, after security. It was all Athearn stuff as far as I remember, so not much use if you wanted a souvenir of a Dutch unit. I never bought anything from it, though, because while it was American it was all HO. It didn't last long, no more than a year or two.

[Talltim]

I’ve bought stuff on eBay while on the loo...

[Big James]

I’ve once bought model railway stuff while on a pub crawl. I don’t think it counts though as it was from a model shop. It was a surprise waking up though with 2 new engines that I didn’t remember buying. My friends filled me in on the details though luckily.

 

Big James

[Tim Hall]

I’ve once bought model railway stuff while on a pub crawl. I don’t think it counts though as it was from a model shop. It was a surprise waking up though with 2 new engines that I didn’t remember buying. My friends filled me in on the details though luckily.

 

Big James

 

I regularly used to call in C and G in Darlington after a few, on my way back to the station, and surprised myself several times with my purchases.

[Tim Hall]

I regularly used to call in C and G in Darlington after a few, on my way back to the station, and surprised myself several times with my purchases.

 

Mostly in a good way, mostly.....

[Steamport Southport]

Somewhere around the 2000s Schiphol airport used to have a model railway selection in the departure lounge, after security. It was all Athearn stuff as far as I remember, so not much use if you wanted a souvenir of a Dutch unit. I never bought anything from it, though, because while it was American it was all HO. It didn't last long, no more than a year or two.

 

I remember a model shop. I can't recall any model railway stuff in there, maybe I didn't really take any notice due to it being foreign but I did pick up a few reasonably priced plastic kits.

 

 

 

 

Jason

[colin penfold]

B&Q

 

 

 

 

114mm squareline guttering

[dseagull]

Have had a fair few bits from Boot Sales over the years. I also remember once buying a Ratio van kit at Longleat Safari Park many years ago!

 

Facebook selling pages are worth keeping an eye on too. Unfortunately I saw this lot about an hour too late earlier this week...

 

 

 

 

[The Stationmaster]

There was an electrical discount warehouse out near Aldermaston that used to stock Hornby and some Bachmann - their prices made Hattons look like highway robbers.

[Fastdax]

B&Q

 

114mm squareline guttering

 

Wickes household coal. Smashed up with a 2lb lump hammer, it makes scale coal enough to fill thousands of tenders and bunkers!

[luckymucklebackit]

I once picked up a then brand new Mainline blue Hornby class 60 in TK Maxx back in the days when they stocked Hornby, Corgi etc for below the RRP. I later picked up a Bachmann Underground Ernie Circle for £5 in there. 

 

I always check the "toy" shelves when in, after seeing Hornby class 56s and GWR steam locos (cant remember which, they all look the same to me) in TK Maxx in East Kilbride at very good prices.  There is an outlet store in Coatbridge called Mackinnon Mills which I was very surprised to find a load of Hornby stuff for sale, bought a LNER suburban coach at way below RRP. There is also a crafts section selling mounting board etc

 

Jim

[Guest teacupteacup]

I always check the "toy" shelves when in, after seeing Hornby class 56s and GWR steam locos (cant remember which, they all look the same to me) in TK Maxx in East Kilbride at very good prices.  There is an outlet store in Coatbridge called Mackinnon Mills which I was very surprised to find a load of Hornby stuff for sale, bought a LNER suburban coach at way below RRP. There is also a crafts section selling mounting board etc

 

Jim

They've done away with the Hornby concession now, they the now stock Oxford Diecast (cars only)

[40F]

As for TKMax they only sold remainder lines they were never a Hornby concession

[BlackRat]

Something for the weekend sir.....???

 

Terrys barbers shop......Bodmin.

 

Terry had a large loft layout and often had OO and HO stuff for sale in his shop......you really could get something for pleasure for Saturday nights!

[Barry Ten]

Something for the weekend sir.....???

 

Terrys barbers shop......Bodmin.

 

Terry had a large loft layout and often had OO and HO stuff for sale in his shop......you really could get something for pleasure for Saturday nights!

 

Short back and Powsides, sir?