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Post by atsfan on Jan 8, 2015 16:03:36 GMT -8
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Post by The Ferro Kid on Jan 8, 2015 16:19:46 GMT -8
That was quite a run! There's still LBC Model Trains in the suburb of Williamsville. I no longer live in Western New York, so have only dealt with LBC via eBay. I've always been happy with them.
WAY back when I was in high school and college (late 1960s and early 1970s) I had dealings with Kar-Line train store in East Aurora. Harold ran a small shop in his basement -- his layout took up most of the basement. He did a lot of mail order with his line of Kar-Line rolling stock (specially painted and decaled Athearn and MDC boxcars, equipped with Central Valley trucks and Kadee couplers).
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Post by NS4122 on Jan 8, 2015 17:56:06 GMT -8
Walthers shows 2 other stores in Buffalo. Niagara Hobby & Craft Mart and Section 8 Hobbies.
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Post by ambluco on Jan 8, 2015 18:05:01 GMT -8
LBC closed their brick and mortar. That was quite a run! There's still LBC Model Trains in the suburb of Williamsville. I no longer live in Western New York, so have only dealt with LBC via eBay. I've always been happy with them. WAY back when I was in high school and college (late 1960s and early 1970s) I had dealings with Kar-Line train store in East Aurora. Harold ran a small shop in his basement -- his layout took up most of the basement. He did a lot of mail order with his line of Kar-Line rolling stock (specially painted and decaled Athearn and MDC boxcars, equipped with Central Valley trucks and Kadee couplers). |
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Post by The Ferro Kid on Jan 8, 2015 19:13:15 GMT -8
LBC closed their brick and mortar. That was quite a run! There's still LBC Model Trains in the suburb of Williamsville. I no longer live in Western New York, so have only dealt with LBC via eBay. I've always been happy with them. WAY back when I was in high school and college (late 1960s and early 1970s) I had dealings with Kar-Line train store in East Aurora. Harold ran a small shop in his basement -- his layout took up most of the basement. He did a lot of mail order with his line of Kar-Line rolling stock (specially painted and decaled Athearn and MDC boxcars, equipped with Central Valley trucks and Kadee couplers). Sorry to hear that. All too common... |
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Post by alcoc430 on Jan 8, 2015 19:43:34 GMT -8
There is still Niagara hobby on Walden Avenue in Cheektowaga at least it was there in the two years since I been there. Maybe not the best train collection but generally good selection of tools and supplies.
Too bad for kval it was a good run. Being from the suburbs I didn't get there much.
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Post by fiend540 on Jan 8, 2015 19:47:41 GMT -8
I am honestly surprised they were still open when I read this on another forum, I visited it once when I got back into the hobby and there was a lot of neat stuff, older things with some new sprinkled around. Haven't lived in buffalo for close to 5 years now though thankfully.
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Post by lvrr325 on Jan 9, 2015 6:11:50 GMT -8
Niagara Hobby, the one with the Erie caboose out front, was there December 17th when I drove by. I've yet to have time to stop by, but I pass it a few times a year, usually coming/going from the Hamburg show or when I went to the Super Flea down the street.
FWIW, anyone in that area catch that they're reviving the Lockport Train Show? That's the one that got killed by an overnight break-in and theft. Will have an overnight guard now.
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Post by riogrande on Jan 9, 2015 7:44:55 GMT -8
I had some environmental jobs in Buffalo back in the 1990's and as usual tried to visit train shops in the area. As it turns out, KVAL was closed when I went by that shop so I never got the pleasure - might have been after hours? I did visit Niagara Hobbies and another shop on the east side of 95.
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Post by buffalobill on Jan 9, 2015 8:17:17 GMT -8
Niagara Hobbies is still open, but they do not have much in the way of Trains, particularly in HO. Jim McWhite closed his store just after Labor Day of 2013, but he is still in the business, preorder and internet. If you are unfortunate enough to live in the Buffalo area, you end up having to drive to the Toronto area, or to Webster, NY for a hobby shop that as any HO or N scale. The shop on Seneca Street is mostly plastic kits, and Warhammer type stuff. Decent selection of non RR paints and tools though. If you want something in HO, you end up pre ordering or buying over the internet.
The revived Keenan Center show is scheduled for late April, and yes, there will be overnight security.
Bill
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Post by ambluco on Jan 9, 2015 13:37:40 GMT -8
Yes, I sopped at Niagara mid-2014 and most of non-O & G was gone.
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Post by lvrr325 on Jan 10, 2015 2:23:24 GMT -8
Keenan Arena Lockport show is, somewhat surprisingly, on the same weekend it always used to be on in late April. Which is not a great date for a train show; when the Ithaca show had to go from it's March weekend at the Armory to the third weekend in April at the sports complex, that slowly killed it. The last one it was sunny and 70' F on Sunday afternoon. The one time I was to Lockport the weather was about the same. I think I spent more at a garage sale on the way home than at the show.
Plus it essentially is a third Buffalo market weekend show, on top of at least three one day TTCS shows out there. I've thought for a long time that the WNYRHS having two shows four months apart, cannibalize one another - I guess we'll find out next month if that's a fact (Nov. show was cancelled because of heavy snow) - not sure they need one more.
I suppose they could have tried it on the traditional Rochester Greenberg show weekend in March, but that's only a month after the winter WNYRHS show, and I'm sure if the venue Greenberg used to use there ever sells to someone they'll be right back in it again. I miss that show, it was a nice boost.
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Post by umtrrauthor on Jan 13, 2015 16:35:26 GMT -8
I'm getting weekly e-mails from Niagara Hobby and they are still around. The crazy snow in that area this season hasn't helped them.
Selection has been in a steady decline over the past few years. N Scale selection is down from most of a long aisle to a little bit of one side of one of the shorter aisles in the back. HO Scale is down from something like 2 1/2 to 3 long aisles to maybe 1 1/2 short aisles in the back.
Unfortunate, but not surprised that LBC shut the B&M store. Jim and Belinda's stock was also in steady decline over time. They moved into HO and O after being exclusively N Scale for many years. I think they had to in order to get enough volume to stay in business.
The store in Webster has gone to mostly HO and a little O, the N Scale is being closed out and there's not much left. Despatch Junction is going to reopen, hopefully by Memorial Day 2015, one year after the building burned down, in order to get favorable zoning treatment (i.e. less paperwork).
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Post by fiend540 on Jan 13, 2015 17:39:15 GMT -8
I'm getting weekly e-mails from Niagara Hobby and they are still around. The crazy snow in that area this season hasn't helped them. Selection has been in a steady decline over the past few years. N Scale selection is down from most of a long aisle to a little bit of one side of one of the shorter aisles in the back. HO Scale is down from something like 2 1/2 to 3 long aisles to maybe 1 1/2 short aisles in the back. Unfortunate, but not surprised that LBC shut the B&M store. Jim and Belinda's stock was also in steady decline over time. They moved into HO and O after being exclusively N Scale for many years. I think they had to in order to get enough volume to stay in business. The store in Webster has gone to mostly HO and a little O, the N Scale is being closed out and there's not much left. Despatch Junction is going to reopen, hopefully by Memorial Day 2015, one year after the building burned down, in order to get favorable zoning treatment (i.e. less paperwork). Is the webster store called Empire Northern? |
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Post by atsfan on Jan 13, 2015 18:47:40 GMT -8
I'm getting weekly e-mails from Niagara Hobby and they are still around. The crazy snow in that area this season hasn't helped them. Selection has been in a steady decline over the past few years. N Scale selection is down from most of a long aisle to a little bit of one side of one of the shorter aisles in the back. HO Scale is down from something like 2 1/2 to 3 long aisles to maybe 1 1/2 short aisles in the back. Unfortunate, but not surprised that LBC shut the B&M store. Jim and Belinda's stock was also in steady decline over time. They moved into HO and O after being exclusively N Scale for many years. I think they had to in order to get enough volume to stay in business. The store in Webster has gone to mostly HO and a little O, the N Scale is being closed out and there's not much left. Despatch Junction is going to reopen, hopefully by Memorial Day 2015, one year after the building burned down, in order to get favorable zoning treatment (i.e. less paperwork). This is happening to many stores (drop in store inventory). Many reasons for it. All combine to make visiting the store not really worth the time. Then the store closes due to lack of business. I see this nationwide. Not just train stores either. |
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Post by lvrr325 on Jan 13, 2015 19:30:34 GMT -8
That snow caused the November WNYRHS Train & Toy show to be cancelled.
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