Gone but not forgotten

[micknich2003]

Who remembers Mr Duggleby's shop Hull, corner of Princes Avenue and Ken Marsden who worked there?

[pete55]

Who remembers Mr Duggleby's shop Hull, corner of Princes Avenue and Ken Marsden who worked there?

 

Who could forget that shop....used to shop save my copy of the Modeller every month!!

[Big James]

Don't know if anyone has mentioned Hythe Kent models down in Hythe. I spent so much of my arcade winnings in there when I was little. The gentlemen who run it was really nice. I remember he sold me my first merchant navy class.

 

Big james

[Orange Cat]

I think that's the relocated Redgates, originally they were round the left hand corner of the pic on the RHS of The Moor.

There was a model/toy shop on Bellhouse Road at Firth Park at the bottom end near the tram roundabout, family business, but beggared if I can remember the name.

Edit. A Google reveals Kenyons as the shop.

 

Mike.

There was a tunnel connecting the two shops originally. It was closed off when the shop on The Moor closed down and subsequently changed hands. I remember buying a whole load of Minic Motorway stuff cheap from Redgates after it went out of production. I still have a lot of it.

[tetsudofan]

Don't know if anyone has mentioned Hythe Kent models down in Hythe. I spent so much of my arcade winnings in there when I was little. The gentlemen who run it was really nice. I remember he sold me my first merchant navy class.

 

Big james

 

Ah, but was that pre- or post George? I got on well with him but many other customers thought otherwise!! He had quite a reputation.

 

Prior to Hythe Kent Models closing down the model shop in the Old High Street in Folkestone and Wheeltappers in Cheriton closed down. Closest remaining decent model shop is The Hobby Shop at Faversham, 26 miles away.

 

Keith

[Simon Lee]

Ah, but was that pre- or post George? I got on well with him but many other customers thought otherwise!! He had quite a reputation.

 

Prior to Hythe Kent Models closing down the model shop in the Old High Street in Folkestone and Wheeltappers in Cheriton closed down. Closest remaining decent model shop is The Hobby Shop at Faversham, 26 miles away.

 

Keith

 

George was quite a character, I was in there one day the guy in front of me bought a loco, I bought 2 Mainline 03's (remember them) George gives an almighty shout "fetch a bucket of water the tills going to overheat".

 

The shop on the Old High Street was run by someone who worked in Waterloo offices, his elderly mother usually kept the shop open, she knew as much about model railways as most people.

[wollastonblue]

In the 80s there was a photography shop on Lower High Street in Stourbridge called Hals that was also a model shop. Also a toy shop called Woodworths sold model railway stuff. 

 

Also in the late 80s and early 90s there was Wordsley Model Centre on the main Wolverhampton road. The owner there was really helpful to a young 'un looking for Lima 37s.

[devondynosoar118]

There was 'The Modeller's Den' in Bath. Opened in 1948, it lasted until 2012 when the high rates that Bath Council charge meant it was no longer viable.

 

Stan who ran the modellers den also ran and raced in an RC car club. I spent lots of my pocket money savings and holiday money in his shop in the 80's. I still have stuff my dad bought there and never opened, complete with the price tags still. I bought tons of different things in there, mostly not railway related! He sold everything from JetX model aircraft kits to RC.

High business rates and astronomical lease increases make any shop a risky business these days, I think we will probably see the end of most small dedicated model shops that don't sell online too within the next 20 years. Town centres are not a good retail environment for tight margins.

Edited May 11, 2017 by devondynosoar118

[57xx]

I think that's the relocated Redgates, originally they were round the left hand corner of the pic on the RHS of The Moor.

There was a model/toy shop on Bellhouse Road at Firth Park at the bottom end near the tram roundabout, family business, but beggared if I can remember the name.

Edit. A Google reveals Kenyons as the shop.

 

My nan & gran used to live in Shiregreen, so I used to visit various shops in the area with my Dad back in the 70's although I don't remember a shop in Firth Park!  I often went to Redgates, the one pictured looks familiar, and Beatties (hopped on the bus at Bellhouse Road and paid my 2p to get into town), We also visited Marcway and MG Sharpes on Attercliffe (neither gone or forgotten).

 

Another shop, not gone as such but relocated, is Kittle Hobby. Whenever we went on holiday in Gower, we stopped to see family friends in Kittle and visited the shop when it was situated there. I can remember Dad getting many 3mm GEM kits from there.

[dick rowland]

I was serving at RAF St Athan around 1988. Margriet was away with the children so I had a free weekend. At that time Kittle Hobby ran a full page ad in the Continental Modeller featuring all sorts of Deutsche Bundesbahn-orientated exotica.

I thought, 'That's not too far, the other side of Swansea', I'll drive over on Saturday'. 

The trip took me about five hours, the M4 didn't extend that far and the traffic in Swansea was Bedlam.

I eventually got to Kittle, strictly a 'one street' place. I must have driven up and down about twelve times looking for a model railway shop. I eventually enquired at a porcelain shop: the lady said, 'That's right, this is Kittle Hobby'.

I saíd, 'where is the model railway stuff', as I'd expected to see display cases everywhere full of German O scale, Rivarossi etc.

The 'shop' was a cupboard at the back of the shop: if I wanted to see anything I had to ask, otherwise there was nothing on show at all.

Eventually I bought two Rivarossi N scale DB Sleepers and some brass 'H' profile. Not the 'browsing' experience that I had expected.

Edited May 12, 2017 by dick rowland

[andyman7]

And not too far from there was Braley's in Ealing. Never a price ticket in sight, loads and loads of second hand and I'm sure he used to price on what he thought you could afford. Never liked kids either.

 

While in the area - there was Ernie's in Chiswick High Road too. Remember mum buying me a loco from there as a reward for passing my school exams

Ah, Braley's. Proprietor was an oriental gentleman who didn't actually appear to like customers as the shop was festooned with notices saying 'don't touch' 'don't look' 'go away' (OK I might have made those last two up but you get the picture). His shop opened at 10.45 which I eventually discovered was because it was the earliest he could get there by using a Cheap Day Return ticket valid from Bromley South leaving at 09.30. Eventually I managed to strike up enough of an acquaintance with him to actually buy the occasional item from him but blimey it was hard work.

I visited Ernie's in Chiswick a couple of times. The two are connected because at Braley's I bought a Triang Hornby R644A E3001 train pack missing the loco, which I managed to then acquire at Ernie's, the total price being acceptable for what was a rare set.

Edited May 11, 2017 by andyman7

[stewartingram]

I was serving at RAF St Athan around 1988. Margriet was away with the children so I had a free weekend. At that time Kittle Hobby ran a full page ad in the Continental Modeller featuring all sorts of Deutsche Bundesbahn-orientated exotica.

I thought, 'That's not too far, the other side of Swansea', I'll drive over on Saturday'. 

The trip took me about five hours, the M4 didn't extend that far and the traffic in Swansea was Bedlam.

I eventually got to Kittle, strictly a 'one street' place. I must have driven up and down about twelve times looking for a model railway shop. I eventually enquired at a porcelain shop: the lady said, 'That's right, this is Kittle Hobby'.

I saíd, 'where is the model railway stuff', as I'd expected to see display cases everywhere full of German O scale, Rivarossi etc.

The 'shop' was a cupboard at the back of the shop: if I wanted to see anything I had to ask, otherwise there was nothing on show at all.

Eventually I bought two Rivarossi N scale DB Sleepers and some brass 'H' profile. Not the 'browsing' experience that I had expected.

2 sleepers and a length of brass? How much track were you building?

 

Stewart

[Dava]

Frizinghall Model Railways original shop in Bradford was always a treasure trove with obscure books & bargains. It's good they've reinvented & relocated.

 

Dava

[andyram]

C&B never really had much in although I may have found it late in the day just before it became a totally R/C outlet. 

Trainlines used to be at 79 Ashbourne Road (between Friargate and Markeaton) which is now Georgies Vintage Cafe. He only opened two days a week and couldn't have done much business. 

After relocating to the old Nottingham Road, he opened a lot more frequently but the business was sold not long after to TTC Diecast who are still there.

 

You must have found C&B very late because it was always well stocked before its owners retired and an employee turned it into an all R/C shop that had no hope of survival. I remember Trainlines being on Ashbourne Road but only ever visited it when it was on Old Nottingham Road. I know TTC now occupy the shop but their opening times are inconsistent. I must admit that of all of these establishments only the owners of C&B seemed welcoming to their customers.

[nick_bastable]

George was quite a character, I was in there one day the guy in front of me bought a loco, I bought 2 Mainline 03's (remember them) George gives an almighty shout "fetch a bucket of water the tills going to overheat".

 

The shop on the Old High Street was run by someone who worked in Waterloo offices, his elderly mother usually kept the shop open, she knew as much about model railways as most people.

loved the shop in the old High Street a pint of prawns at Chummys and a rummage through the model shops  clearance bin to follow

 

Nick

Edited May 11, 2017 by nick_bastable

[Big James]

It wasn't in the late 90's early 00's. I remember once getting jackpot on one of the adult arcade machines and tearing into the Hythe shop armed with £100 in £1 coins so I could by a Bachman lord Nelson and bullied coaches. It was such a shame when he closed

 

Big james

[stevejjjexcov]

 

Might that be Kemilway (sp?)?[/quote

 

 

O.k. As a resident of Coventry for 50 years perhaps I can help clear up some confusion. There was a shop called Finnisters which closed in the mid 1950's. The Experimental Model Shop was in Lower ford street this is where I began modelling building Airfix and Revel aircraft. Modelers World was in Sewell Highway and run by Barry Jones and his wife Shirley and you could find all the small bits and bobs need for scratch building. I got my first white metal kit from Barry (k's bulldog). There was a model shop in Spon end which delt with radio control cars and aircraft. There is another shop on binley road which also deals with plastic kits and radio control.

There was yet another shop in Biggin Hall Cresent run by Ron Pratt who was part of the shop in lower ford st.

Bobs Models was in Birmingham.

Kenline was not in Coventry.

 

Oh and we had a brilliant toy shop when I was young called Barnabys in the city center which sold HornbyDoublo.

 

There was a shop in the Burges called Haveys of Coventry that had an auto model railway in the window. It could be made to work by dropping one old penny in a slot. When it broke down and was going to be scrapped my father(who worked for harveys in there wholesale warehouse) bought it. I was presented with it on Christmas morning in 1965/6.

 

Well that's as much as I can remember. All the best Steve

[tractionman]

Brilliant, thanks very much Steve, you've answered the questions in my mind about the lost Coventry model shops I remember from the seventies :

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/69759-gone-but-not-forgotten/?p=2690435

 

The shop on Biggin Hall Crescent always smelt of cigarettes and reminded me when I visited it of my Grandad's house!

 

The folks on Sewell Highway were always very welcoming and didn't mind me dithering for ages in the shop deciding what to buy for my 50p.

 

Happy days.

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

[stevejjjexcov]

Hi Keith do you live in Coventry? I just realized I forget to mention that the gentleman who ran Finisters was a founder member of the Coventry Model Railway Club his first name was I think Ron but his surname escapes me. Ron's shop in Biggin Hall Cresent was at one time the only place you could but Tamiya kits he also had a lovely daughter called Elaine......so two reasons for a Saturday shopping trip!!

All the best Steve

[tractionman]

Hi Keith do you live in Coventry? I just realized I forget to mention that the gentleman who ran Finisters was a founder member of the Coventry Model Railway Club his first name was I think Ron but his surname escapes me. Ron's shop in Biggin Hall Cresent was at one time the only place you could but Tamiya kits he also had a lovely daughter called Elaine......so two reasons for a Saturday shopping trip!!

All the best Steve

 

Hi Steve,

 

I left Cov in 1987, but still go back to see the folks, I probably was more interested in the trains at the shop when I went in there than girls, at the youthful age I was back then!

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

[anroar53]

Anyone remember 'Modelmart', High Road Willesden? Got some good secondhand N bargains there in the 70s.

Then there was 'Blunts' Mill Hill Circus NW7, very friendly service, managed to get an Arnold N Loco repaired by them on site. I believe they had a second shop in Welwyn Garden City, but never visited that one. 

Definitely remember Puffers at Kenton, mainly as the place would vibrate as something thundered by on the adjacent West Coast Main Line (nice view from the back window as you went downstairs).

Platform 2 at Wimbledon, yes, nice lot of secondhand stuff to be had, always seemed to be busy.

Howell Dimmock of Lordship Lane Tottenham, remember getting some early brass made colour light signals with grain of wheat bulbs. (around 1967-8?)

Later on and more recently was Modelzone at Newnham Court Maidstone. After an initial slow start it was just beginning to stock everything when it closed down

 

Andy.

[railroadbill]

Hi Andy,

 

Seem to remember seeing adverts for Blunts, was it a general model shop (planes, boats kits etc) as well as trains? It would have been a bit far for me to go then.

Just looked at an old MRC from 1980 and there's an ad for a shop at 121 Lordship Lane but under the name of Chris Crawley rather than Howell Dimmock. Could well have changed hands - I think I went there at least once and bought various bits - including some BSL cast LNER coach bogies that went under a scratch built Thompson brake - which is still running round the layout. Recently fitted buffers and glazed the windows - finally finished over 40 years since I started it!

[RANGERS]

Hi Andy,

 

Seem to remember seeing adverts for Blunts, was it a general model shop (planes, boats kits etc) as well as trains? It would have been a bit far for me to go then.

Just looked at an old MRC from 1980 and there's an ad for a shop at 121 Lordship Lane but under the name of Chris Crawley rather than Howell Dimmock. Could well have changed hands - I think I went there at least once and bought various bits - including some BSL cast LNER coach bogies that went under a scratch built Thompson brake - which is still running round the layout. Recently fitted buffers and glazed the windows - finally finished over 40 years since I started it!

I remember Chris Crawley after he moved to Lincolnshire, firstly to somewhere in the North of the county then to Irby and finally to the former station hotel at Firsby. He acquired various kit ranges (Nu Cast, Cotswold and I think Ks also) as well as publishing A4 format catalogues, one for rail and one for road vehicles.

 

He finished finally in the nineties, I bought some kits from his daughter when she was disposing of the remaining stock on Ebay around 2005.

[stewartingram]

I used to (in fact still do it myself for the Ally Pally do) go to London with 2 or 3 mates, for a day trainspotting and off to the Easter exhibition. One year we set off and D brought along a HD 3rail loco (Duchess?) which was a terrible runner and he just could not get it to run right. Round the show we went, no trader would buy it from him. On the way back up the A10, we stopped at Lordship Lane, and in we went. Without disclosing the poor condition, and not even having it test run, D was offered an excellent price for the loco. We scarpered pretty quick!

Memories of those trips flooding back......

 

Stewart

[melmerby]

Brilliant, thanks very much Steve, you've answered the questions in my mind about the lost Coventry model shops I remember from the seventies :

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/69759-gone-but-not-forgotten/?p=2690435

 

The shop on Biggin Hall Crescent always smelt of cigarettes and reminded me when I visited it of my Grandad's house!

 

The folks on Sewell Highway were always very welcoming and didn't mind me dithering for ages in the shop deciding what to buy for my 50p.

 

Happy days.

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

Any idea what the shop was in Cov suburbs on the south side somewhere?

It was somewhere in a housing estate from what I can remember but I only went there a couple of times about 40 odd years ago!

The guy introduced me to chemical blacking of brass using IIRC phosphoric acid!

 

Keith

 

EDIT There also used to be (Still is?) an outdoor live steam club at the old Stoke Works sports ground - Google Earth still seems to show it (opposite Second Avenue)

Edited June 5, 2017 by melmerby