Opher-Line1 (shop in Paris)

[Barry Ten]

I was in Paris over the weekend and popped into two of my favorite train shops, Opher-Line1 and Au Pullman. I noticed that Opher-Line1 had a lot of discounted stock and far less French stuff than on my previous visit, and sadly - according to the advert in Loco Revue - it looks as if they're closing soon. A great shame as it's a friendly and attractive shop right on the Seine - imagine if London had a fantastic model train shop right on the Thames and a stone's throw from a tube station.

 

On the other hand, Au Pullman still had great stocks of SNCF stuff, and the service was equally friendly, as it was on my last visit.

 

 

[SNCF stephen]

Sad news that Opher Line 1 is going. I visited it only once but found the staff to be friendly and helpful. If I were a frequent visitor to Paris it would be my shop of choice. I was also saddened recently when I visited Brussels and found that Dream Collection had gone which adds salt in the wound about Jocadis closing relatively recently! Whenever I go to a model shop I always make sure I spend some money but my visits to the continent are so rare I doubt I contribute much to them staying open. 

 

I shall have to make a trip to Au Pullman. 

[mikeyk]

Hi guys :-)

 

Off to Paris in mid-September and was looking for a model railway shop to visit and I couldn't have planned it better if I had tried. Au Pullman is just a short walk away from my hotel :-)

[Joseph_Pestell]

Hi guys :-)

 

Off to Paris in mid-September and was looking for a model railway shop to visit and I couldn't have planned it better if I had tried. Au Pullman is just a short walk away from my hotel :-)

 

So you won't be far from the rue de Douai where there are three more.

[Barry Ten]

Au Pullman is great - brilliant shop and (at least when I've been there) there's a really helpful lady behind the counter who speaks a bit of english and is always keen to give your engine a run on the test track.

[decauville1126]

So you won't be far from the rue de Douai where there are three more.

I recall Transmondia and there was I think another shop next door. Can you please enlighten us with the current situation? Thanks in advance.

[Joseph_Pestell]

I recall Transmondia and there was I think another shop next door. Can you please enlighten us with the current situation? Thanks in advance.

 

Transmondia is next door to TransEurop. Both are really part of the same family business.

 

On the other side of the road, about 50 metres further west is another shop (can't remember the name) run by a guy called Serge. Good stocks of all sorts when I was last there a couple of years ago.

[decauville1126]

Transmondia is next door to TransEurop. Both are really part of the same family business.

 

On the other side of the road, about 50 metres further west is another shop (can't remember the name) run by a guy called Serge. Good stocks of all sorts when I was last there a couple of years ago.

Asphalte (isn't Google streetview wonderful!)

[Joseph_Pestell]

If it seems strange to have three model railway shops on one street, the more musically minded RMWebbers will be intrigued to find that rue de Douai also has about 20 guitar shops.

[Joseph_Pestell]

Asphalte (isn't Google streetview wonderful!)

Remembered since last night that Serge's shop is/was called Aux Cheminots. But he did have a big stock of model road vehicles as well which would make Asphalte an appropriate name.

[Fat Controller]

If it seems strange to have three model railway shops on one street, the more musically minded RMWebbers will be intrigued to find that rue de Douai also has about 20 guitar shops.

Be careful; you'll resurrect the threads about musicians who model railways.

[rue_d_etropal]

In the UK we tend to be better at promoting the hobby, but that has not saved our model railway shops. I remember when there were model railway shops in central London, some not far from the Thames, but the rising cost of property and no-one with the cash to take over shops when owners retire, has decimated the number of model railway shops, not just in London but across the UK.

Now it seems something similar is or has been happening in parts of France. Not helped by a mixture of promotion,  lack of products from China, and red tape.

France is a big country, and had developed its own equivalent to internet before rest of the world, so people are possibly more used to dealing online, despite some of the horror stories I have heard about poor online customer service.

I always will try to support local shops, but the number of model shops up this way has gone down a lot over past 20 years. hen I eventually move to France, I will try to use local, but finding them is difficult. Someone her has told me of one shop, so I may use them.

Other thing is that I would not describe myself as the 'normal' modeller. I prefer to model in less popular scales and gauges, so many shops simply don't sell what I want, although I would probably end up spending a lot in any French shop, because I find French model railways irresistible .

[Barry Ten]

I can't say for certain, but I think there's a bit of a renaissance in French modelling in the last few years. Jouef have begun to put out some excellent, state of the art models, but they've been joined by REE with a superb and growing line of products, as well as LS Models, Roco, Makette and a few others. Loco Revue is also an excellent magazine, and while my French isn't good enough to get the most out of it, it's packed full of good how-to articles with a real spread of topics, from etched brass to scenery. They also carry an advertising section for their own affiliated range of card structure kits and accessories, which is really extensive.

 

Perhaps it's similar to the UK in that there's an age band of modellers with a bit more disposable income than in past years, who knows. In any case, now is definitely a great time to be modelling French stuff.