Nostalgia & History > Long Beach Ca Hobby Shops in the 1960's

When I was a kid, I would visit my Grandparent in Long Beach Ca. This would be in the late 1960's. One of the highlights would be going to the hobby shops, of which I remember two. I think one was on American / Long Beach Blvd. It had a HO layout in its front windows. To this day I can remember strings of HO orange PFE reefers disappearing into the layouts tunnels. Somewhat later I remember another larger layout in a shop further east, maybe in a back room. I don't know if this was a separate store or a later version of the one on Long Beach Blvd. Besides watching the layouts, it was also the first place I was able to purchase railroad magazines. Does anyone know the names of the places I so vaguely described? When I was a kid, they were like visiting Oz.

haneckow......

I knew it well.

Ray's Model Train Supply

1222 Long Beach Boulevard.

Use to ride my bike from Torrance and back.

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

I wish they were still there. I live about a mile from that place!

Ray's has been gone for decades, but I too miss the essence of excitement that you got watching that Cab-Forward pulling those PFE Reefers through the orange groves......a very well done storefront layout.

Bob

ATSF100WEST......Out

Wow, you are right, come to think of it there was a cab-forward. I remember thinking they looked odd (I had only seen pictures of steam locomotives, and never of a cab-forward). Thanks for filling out the picture a little more! Is the old storefront still there?
-Dan


ATSF100WEST Wrote:
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> Ray's has been gone for decades, but I too miss
> the essence of excitement that you got watching
> that Cab-Forward pulling those PFE Reefers through
> the orange groves......a very well done storefront
> layout.
>
> Bob
>
> ATSF100WEST......Out

haneckow Wrote:
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> Somewhat later I remember
> another larger layout in a shop further east,
> maybe in a back room. I don't know if this was a
> separate store or a later version of the one on
> Long Beach Blvd.

You might be thinking of Bob's Hobbies on East Fourth Street, about a mile or so east of Downtown. In the back room of the store was the HO layout of the Beach Cities Model RR Club. I was a Junior Member in the '70's, before the shop closed and the layout was demolished. Cripes, that was a long time ago!

I was once told that Bob's also hosted a small N scale club which, after relocating several times, evolved into what is now the Belmont Shores Model RR Club. Perhaps someone associated with that group can verify.

-YD-

It was started in the belmont Library and moved to Bell for a short time and is now in San Pedro Ca. the club was started in 1971
You can check out more infoe on http://www.socaln.com

I dug up a couple old Model Railroaders and here are the Model Dealers back when. I don't have any idea where they are located in Long Beach. Ah, the phone numbers...... And Ray's has the same phone number, street number, but different street.

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January 1952

Bob's Hobbies & Crafts
2120 E. 4th St. ph. 963-20
Best selection of HO trains Planes, Ships, Cars, Leather, Copper, Wood Fibre, Art, Plastics, etc.

Model Trains
2042 South St. ph. MEtcalf 3-8087
Railroads only, Scale, Tinplate, Hours: 9-9

Ray's Hobby Model Supplies
1222 American Ave. ph. 640-54
Headquarters for your hobby. Complete stock of supplies for model railroads, airplanes and ships.

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April 1970

Bob's Hobbies & Crafts
2226 E. 4th ph. GE 9-6320
Home of both Alamitos, Bixby & Cerritos AND Long Beach Model Railroad Clubs. Closed Sun. and Mon.

Jiggs Hobby Shop
938 South St. ph. GArfield 2-2349
Jiggs and Robbies U-Mak-It Hobbies Complete line of hobby supplies and trains.

Ray's Hobby Model Supplies
1222 Long Beach Blvd. ph. HE 6-4054
Headquarters for your model RR supplies HO, HOn3, Marklin, OOO/N, tinplate. Books & records. Open daily except Thur.


jb

Wow what a blast from the past. I grew up in Carroll Park about a block south and east of Bob's Hobby Shop. It was a great hobby shop, I would spend hours and hours and spare dollars made delivering the "Press Telegram". I still have some of stuff I bought way back. I also remember the HO layout in the back room. It a small scene of hobos with campfire that was lit up with a small red light bulb. As I recall it turn into Rim's Hobby and then moved to a lager store in the traffic circle area. There was a huge club layout being built in the new store, all hand layed track. All of a sudden they shut the doors and not long after everything was gone.

I also recall Ray's on Long Beach Blvd. My mom and I would go there after picking up my dad from McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Co.. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
Mikado out

It was 1953 and I was 11 years old. I would go to Long Beach to stay with my Grandmother during the Summer months.  Somehow I found out about Ray's  and I would walk
from the intersection of Appleton and Orange, up American Ave to Ray's shop..Up until then Lionel Trains was what I was use too, but then I saw HO gauge, and I was hooked
I was  given allowance money,  plus I earned money collecting  empty soda bottles off the beach and turning them in for cash,  Normally I would spend the money at the Pike
but one day when I was at Ray's  I saw a Varney flat car kit for around $2.00.  I had to choose between the Pike or the Varney flat car...I chose the flat car, and started on a 
life long journey of being a Model Railroader.