Gone but not forgotten

[4railsman]

Recounting back to my recall of the late lamented Harrow Model Shop some pages back, they used to sell a broad range of mostly white metal kits of London Underground subjects (I had a couple of their Metropolitan A Stock sets and a battery loco IIRC many moon ago).

 

What happened to the range?  Someone asked me about them a few weeks ago and I have to admit I do not recall seeing any of the Harrow Model Shop range resurface anywhere else after the shop closed. 

 

Harrow Model Shop London Underground range morphed into Radley Models ( http://www.radleymodels.com)and still has plenty to offer provided you are not wanting the latest fine detail models of today! However, most of the range are for "kit builders" although they do offer a build & paint service but not sure how that would compare with current R-T-R models.

[kernowtim]

I remember visiting zodiac toys in Luton's west side centre, a fine example of 1960s concrete shopping centre, demolished many years ago and replaced by a Sainsbury supermarket,they had bought up a large amount of triang transcontinental models and were selling of cheap, wagons were 99p and locos £4.99, I bought a orange cp switcher and resprayed it in BR green!!! Guessing it was early 1980s

Edited December 31, 2017 by kernowtim

[Pandora]

Cuttrisses in Doncaster, train set in the window, massive lego Queen Elizabeth (ship not monarch)in the middle of the shop and a Railway Magazine on the counter

 

proper model shop

40 Duke Street Doncaster,  a large shop with a staff of 4 or 5 on duty, more on Saturdays,  and something of an institution in the town, a considerable number  of made up Airfix model aeroplanes on display, the shop closed in the mid seventies to much surprise, a    report in the local newspaper the owners gave the reason for closure  as  " we saw the writing on the wall,  boys are not interested in making things any-more"

[Steamport Southport]

Zodiac killed off quite a few local model shops in town centres, their pile it high sell it quick and sod the customer attitude probably also brought about their downfall.

All they seemed bothered about was beating the competition on price from my experience.

 

Mike.

 

To be honest I don't think that happened locally. It was more places like Woolworths that suffered.

 

The only other model shops that had survived into that era was City Models which carried on until the 1990s, Beatties that only disappeared recently after it been a Modelzone, Catchpoles (more plastic kits, RC and aircraft) which soldered on until the death of the owner about ten years ago.

 

The only survivor is Hattons, although that's now in Widnes. They were even cheaper than Zodiac for most things.

 

 

Jason

[MarkC]

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

 

Ah yes, City Models and its proprieter, Jerry. Many happy hours spent there in the 70s... Then he opened the bigger shop near Exchange - which has also been mentioned. It didn't have the 'atmosphere' that the little shop near Central had though.

 

Mainly Trains - yes, sadly missed. I spent a lot of money with Dave!

 

Ditto C&G in Darlington. Another one sorely missed.

 

I was fascinated by the discussions upthread (a while ago!) by, inter alia, Porcy, Simon & Neil about Tyneside shops. I too used to love going into "The Model Shop" on Blenheim Street, and I remember Northumbria Models in Waterloo Street too. Who was it that had a shop at the bottom of Dean Street in Newcastle? It wasn't there too long, iirc?

 

I vaguely remember the model shop at Laygate, South Shields. Also Railway King in Sunderland. If I was in town, I used to make a point of going in.

 

[RANGERS]

C&G was a favourite haunt of mine at shows, George invariably had something of interest he would be willing to barter over. I've a number of kit built locos which came by that route. They acquired the business of Brian's Kits & Bits, another exhibition favourite for all manner of the sundry items you struggle to find nowadays. along the same lines as Mainly Trains. Brian is still around and can occasionally be seen visiting the odd show, the O Gauge specialist shows predominantly.

[Steamysandy]

C &G got me into American Athearn in the 1990s.George was at many shows at that time and it was cheap!Mac's Model Railroads in Helensburgh also kept me going.My wife was found to be ceoliac and the only place we could find gluten free sausages was a shop in Helensburgh so a load of Athearn thus acquired which I still have but it's seldom looked at now.

One of these days I'll have to have a clear of!

[dibber25]

EAMES of Reading - strategically placed! Egham to Reading South, spotting at General, then a swift walk to EAMES, and on to Reading West in time to catch a Bulleid Pacific-hauled express to Oxford. Magic! (CJL)

[dibber25]

EAMES of Reading - strategically placed! Egham to Reading South, spotting at General, then a swift walk to EAMES, and on to Reading West in time to catch a Bulleid Pacific-hauled express to Oxford. Magic! (CJL)

Also Victors, up the hill from King's Cross but originally a corner of Bernie Victor's record shop. It was the cupboard under the stairs, I think, stuffed full of blue box Athearn and Roundhouse. My first visit was looking for really old style freightcars because I wanted to do a Wild West layout. (CJL)

[MarkC]

I seem to remember an EAMES by the side of Kings Cross station?

[Kris]

One from the late 70's / early 80's was Melksham Models, located in the main street near to where the entrance to Sainsburys is now. USed to stock Lima as I recall. Another name that has also appeared in this thread, was Howell Dimmock. Anyone remember when he had a shop in the old school in Chantry, near Frome? After this, he had another small shop in Catherine Hill, Frome. Talking of Frome, in the 90's, Mendip models started out with 2 different shops in the town.

I remember the Melksham model shop, it was still going into the early 90’s. It looked very run down by then.

The first n gauge loco I purchased came from one of the Frome shops, still got the loco. That would have been some time in the early 90’s.

[andyram]

I remember, vaguely, a branch of Zodiac Toys in the old Eagle Centre in Derby. I believe it closed in the early 90's. I can't remember if it carried any model railway stock because I was not modelling at the time.

 

Over the years the city has had many modelling outlets. I remember Golden Gaines had an upstairs packed with Hornby etc, C & B Models on Normanton Road was a sad loss. We also had Trainlines that traded from various shops around the edge of the city centre, Keith's Model Cars carried some second hand Railway from the stall in the Eagle Market. Further back there was a shop called Midiquip (spelling may be wrong) which was a DIY store with a model railway area. More recently we have had a branch of Modelzone and also Galactic Models.

 

Sadly the city is now a lot poorer for would be modellers. Poyntons newsagents, in the Market Hall, has started stocking Hornby products but all are at RRP. The lay other shop is TTC Diecast (formerly Loughborough Model Centre) - a shop with a less than welcoming proprietor (unless his wife is there) and a shop that is often closed when I try and visit, including on 28th December 2017. No wonder online is becoming so popular.

[Enterprisingwestern]

I remember, vaguely, a branch of Zodiac Toys in the old Eagle Centre in Derby. I believe it closed in the early 90's. I can't remember if it carried any model railway stock because I was not modelling at the time.

 

Over the years the city has had many modelling outlets. I remember Golden Gaines had an upstairs packed with Hornby etc, C & B Models on Normanton Road was a sad loss. We also had Trainlines that traded from various shops around the edge of the city centre, Keith's Model Cars carried some second hand Railway from the stall in the Eagle Market. Further back there was a shop called Midiquip (spelling may be wrong) which was a DIY store with a model railway area. More recently we have had a branch of Modelzone and also Galactic Models.

 

Sadly the city is now a lot poorer for would be modellers. Poyntons newsagents, in the Market Hall, has started stocking Hornby products but all are at RRP. The lay other shop is TTC Diecast (formerly Loughborough Model Centre) - a shop with a less than welcoming proprietor (unless his wife is there) and a shop that is often closed when I try and visit, including on 28th December 2017. No wonder online is becoming so popular.

 

When I worked for a company in Dewsbury, one of the owners was a diecast car collector, and as I was the rep for the East Midlands area, Golden Gaines was visited more than once to top up his stock with new relaeases, which were competitively priced ISTR, no great hardship for me, I was getting paid to buy my railway modelling requisites!

 

Mike.

[Brit70053]

I seem to remember an EAMES by the side of Kings Cross station?

 

The shop on York Way just over the road from Kings X Station was better known as 'Kings Cross Model Shop' but was effectively a branch of EAMES.

Also referring back to your post #358, I recall once being advised by the guys in The Model Shop, when still located in Blenheim Street, Newcastle, to try the shop on Dean Street for parts they were 'out of stock' of (wheels/ frame spacers who knows?).

When I found the shop on Dean Street, The proprietor and another chap were discussing the progress of or preparation timescale of A kit (long, long time ago, can't remember details).

 

That was the only time I ever found that shop open, as you say, it wasn't there very long.

 

Since then, I've met and bought kits and parts from Dave Alexander at shows he's attended locally and I have a tendency to think he was the other party discussing a kit in the conversation I unavoidably overheard in Dean Street.

 

I may of course be a million miles wrong here, but I'd think it not beyond the bounds of possibility.

 

Regards,

 

John

 

Edit to complete text

Edited January 2, 2018 by Brit70053

[LNWR18901910]

Castle Trains in Warwick went out of business years back.

[Liam]

Castle Trains in Warwick went out of business years back.

Ditto my post a few months ago. Shame, as most of the things for my home layout came from there (and Hobbycraft before they stopped doing Hornby). The pricing wasn't bad either; a few years ago picked up a brand new Northern 153 from them for about £50.

 

We became very good friends with Stuart, one of the employees who also worked at Tyseley Loco Works and was often on the footplate on the Shakespeare Express, but he left before the demise of the shop; I think the place had some new management who wasn't very well liked among staff and customers alike. But at least Footplate of Kidderminster is still going strong.

 

My last visit to Castle Trains was June 2012, when did they actually shut down?

[tractionman]

Castle Trains in Warwick went out of business years back.

I remember a model shop in Warwick further down Smith Street, at the junction of the Coventry Road, I used to cycle there from Cov in the early eighties, can't remember the name of the place, something like Warwick Model Shop!?

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

[ejstubbs]

I remember, vaguely, a branch of Zodiac Toys in the old Eagle Centre in Derby. I believe it closed in the early 90's. I can't remember if it carried any model railway stock because I was not modelling at the time.

 

Over the years the city has had many modelling outlets. I remember Golden Gaines had an upstairs packed with Hornby etc, C & B Models on Normanton Road was a sad loss. We also had Trainlines that traded from various shops around the edge of the city centre, Keith's Model Cars carried some second hand Railway from the stall in the Eagle Market. Further back there was a shop called Midiquip (spelling may be wrong) which was a DIY store with a model railway area. More recently we have had a branch of Modelzone and also Galactic Models.

 

The one I remember well, from my early-70s railway modelling days before I got in to wargaming, was Sheila Hames on Reginald Street, near the Arboretum.  The customer area was tiny, but lined floor to ceiling with tempting goodies, and the stockroom behind the counter seemed to be inexhaustible.  Well, to me, anyway - though no doubt someone with greater financial resources than my weekly pocket money would have found its limits sooner or later.

 

EDIT: I've just noticed that Sheila Hames is mentioned in post #54 of this thread.  As also is Goodere's, which I seem to remember using a few years later, probably after Sheila Hames had closed.  IIRC Goodere's was actually on the corner of Osmaston Road and Nightingale Road, a site which now looks (on Google Streetview) to be a car park.  But I'd discovered beer by then, so my memories of that time likely aren't as clear as they might be...

Edited January 2, 2018 by ejstubbs

[andyram]

The one I remember well, from my early-70s railway modelling days before I got in to wargaming, was Sheila Hames on Reginald Street, near the Arboretum.  The customer area was tiny, but lined floor to ceiling with tempting goodies, and the stockroom behind the counter seemed to be inexhaustible.  Well, to me, anyway - though no doubt someone with greater financial resources than my weekly pocket money would have found its limits sooner or later.

 

EDIT: I've just noticed that Sheila Hames is mentioned in post #54 of this thread.  As also is Goodere's, which I seem to remember using a few years later, probably after Sheila Hames had closed.  IIRC Goodere's was actually on the corner of Osmaston Road and Nightingale Road, a site which now looks (on Google Streetview) to be a car park.  But I'd discovered beer by then, so my memories of that time likely aren't as clear as they might be...

Goodere's also ran the newsagents in Sinfin off Falcon Way. Was there for many years until the late 80's when they took on a shop in Friargate. I don't remember them ever stocking model railway items though.

[pete_mcfarlane]

I remember visiting zodiac toys in Luton's west side centre, a fine example of 1960s concrete shopping centre, demolished many years ago and replaced by a Sainsbury supermarket,they had bought up a large amount of triang transcontinental models and were selling of cheap, wagons were 99p and locos £4.99, I bought a orange cp switcher and resprayed it in BR green!!! Guessing it was early 1980s

 

That probably explains a childhood memory I have from the early 1980s of visiting a toy shop in the Queensgate Centre in Peterborough that had vast amounts of Triang transcontinental stuff on sale. 

[Sir Hadyn]

I remember a model shop in Warwick further down Smith Street, at the junction of the Coventry Road, I used to cycle there from Cov in the early eighties, can't remember the name of the place, something like Warwick Model Shop!?

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

That will have been The Train Shop, Warwick as was. Took far too much of my childhood, teenage and twenties cash and I've never seen a model shop like it since. Much missed in either its incarnations at Coten End or St John's but I never went much after its third move.

[Theo C. Cupier]

Just spotted the reference to Mac's Model Railroads in Helensburgh above.  I worked with the proprietor, Bernie, before he retired from the Navy.  Only visited the shop a few times as I had transferred down to Bath before it opened, and only got back to the area infrequently. 

When I lived in Scotland, I used to visit the Argyll Model Dockyard, under the Scotsmans umbrella on Argyll Street, Glasgow, and another model shop  further up the street near Tollcross.

Also remember The Modellers Den (TMD) and Eric Snooks in Bath, Stoud-Sims in Silver Street, Trowbridge, and Froude&Hext in Swindon.

Oh, and Pleasures toy shop in Warminster, an offshoot of Paynes newsagents!

[railroadbill]

Re Eames of Reading and Kings Cross Model railways, I visited both shops but the York Rd one far more frequently when I worked in London.  Their etched name/number plates were very useful (I put Kings X plates on a Dapol Western when they were released several years ago, must have had the plates for, er, thirty years or so...)

 

Eames also made Jamieson brass kits. My V2 still gets an outing round the layout from time to time, with its Romford Bulldog motor still running smoothly.

 

Here's a price list from 1978 as a matter of interest. Note VAT is 8%...

 

[RANGERS]

That probably explains a childhood memory I have from the early 1980s of visiting a toy shop in the Queensgate Centre in Peterborough that had vast amounts of Triang transcontinental stuff on sale. 

 

The shop in Queensgate was Taylor and McKenna which opened with the centre in the Spring of 1982. The shop later became a Beatties until they ceased trading and is now a branch of HMV records. I have a vague recollection that T & McK acquired Zodiac, the shop Zodiac had in Kettering was next door to Taylor & McKenna's shop and closed about the same time as T & McK opened there around 1978.

[RANGERS]

The shop in Queensgate was Taylor and McKenna which opened with the centre in the Spring of 1982. The shop later became a Beatties until they ceased trading and is now a branch of HMV records. I have a vague recollection that T & McK acquired Zodiac, the shop Zodiac had in Kettering was next door to Taylor & McKenna's shop and closed about the same time as T & McK opened there around 1978.

Evidently T & McK didn't acquire Zodiac, Google reveals - https://zodiactoys.wordpress.com