Model Railroading > Honolulu Hobby Shops?

Hello,

I will be spending the Martin Luther King weekend in Honolulu, Hawaii. Are there any good hobby shops in that area?

Thanks!

none, nada, zero, zippo, zilch
Unfortunately there was a good store until about 3 years ago but not enough business. Most of us out here commute to Santa Clara or Pasadena for supplies.

Found the same thing during my visit to Oahu a few years ago.

But don't forget that the Hawaiian Railway Society should be operating on Sunday!

http://www.hawaiianrailway.com/Fares.html

Red_over_Yellow Wrote:
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> none, nada, zero, zippo, zilch
> Unfortunately there was a good store until about 3
> years ago but not enough business. Most of us out
> here commute to Santa Clara or Pasadena for
> supplies.


Throw in the fact that there are no trains or real railroads on the islands (aside from some tourist ex-cane RR's), this is the single reason why I would never move to Hawaii. Really love it there too seeing I feel right at home with my Hapa brethren, the spirit of the Islands...

There is a small hobby shop in Lihue, Kauai. Mostly toys & RC stuff, but they did have a model railroad selection. Hard to believe there more of a model RR market in Lihue than Honolulu!?

-Brian-

espeeboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Red_over_Yellow Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > none, nada, zero, zippo, zilch
> > Unfortunately there was a good store until about
> 3
> > years ago but not enough business. Most of us
> out
> > here commute to Santa Clara or Pasadena for
> > supplies.
>
>
> Throw in the fact that there are no trains or real
> railroads on the islands (aside from some tourist
> ex-cane RR's), this is the single reason why I
> would never move to Hawaii. Really love it there
> too seeing I feel right at home with my Hapa
> brethren, the spirit of the Islands...

There are a couple of real railroads out here three 1:1 narrow gauge tourist lines (one on Oahu, Maui and Kauai) and a number of incredible layouts.

---

I've heard that Hawaiians are real receptive to tourists but not real keen to non natives moving there.

In addition to a high standard of living it ain't all heaven. A friend of a coworker had a son that worked as a contractor for a power company there. Anyway, he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time out in the field and some paranoid drug dealers nearly beat him to death. He was crippled for life.

I remember when I was in college we had two Hawaiian dorm mates. Anyway, Todd's ancestors were Japanese and Rupert's were Filipino. It seems Todd looked down on Rupert beecause he wasn't a "true" Hawaiian even thouigh Rupert's dad was a doctor. Todd came from a working class family (like me.) You didn't have to go back far to determine both of their ancestors had come to Hawaii only a couple of generations ago, so neither were "true" Hawaiians. Human beings are funny about this thing about heritage and pride. <G>

It's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. I'm like espeeboy, I gotta have mainline railroads!

espeeboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Red_over_Yellow Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > none, nada, zero, zippo, zilch
> > Unfortunately there was a good store until about
> 3
> > years ago but not enough business. Most of us
> out
> > here commute to Santa Clara or Pasadena for
> > supplies.
>
>
> Throw in the fact that there are no trains or real
> railroads on the islands (aside from some tourist
> ex-cane RR's), this is the single reason why I
> would never move to Hawaii. Really love it there
> too seeing I feel right at home with my Hapa
> brethren, the spirit of the Islands...

Hawaii like anywhere people live in quantity certainly has its issues. There are some situations that might smack of racism but having lived in large cities in the US mainland and here in Hawaii it is probably less than most big mainland cities. Hawaii has no dominant race, Caucasians, Pacific Islanders, Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Portuguese, Filipinos and native Hawaiians all make up a similar percentage of the population. Most residents show a general concern for their fellow residents that I have never experienced in a mainland big city except maybe in the Midwest. People are actually pretty nice to each other here. Like big cities around the globe if you go into seedy parts of town (Honolulu) you can expect to be hassled or worse. There is relatively low violent crime and the annual murder statistics compare to the daily rates of South Central LA. It is true there are no mainline railroads out here (except in model form) and that I miss. I am fortunate to travel back to the mainland every couple of months for modeling supplies and to head track side. By the way it is currently 78 degrees with a nice breeze and low humidity (typical for here) outside.....

---

How long is the flight between the Islands and the Mainland?

Obviously depends where on the mainland and wind velocity. the times I listed are nominal and can be 30-60 minutes longer or shorter depending on Jet Stream position and headwind component. It is typically 30-45 minutes faster going East. HNL - LAX = 5.5hours, HNL - SFO = 5 hours, HNL - LAS = 6 hours, HNL - DEN = 7 hours, HNL - ORD = 10 hours, HNL - DFW = 9.5 hours, HNL - EWR = 11 hours. There are a few other direct routes depending on carrier choice. A long commute for Scalecoat paint.......

No train hobby shops on Oahu or Hawaii. I just got back from three weeks there and searched in vain for a train hobby shop. I understand the Hawaii division of the NMRA is also dormant. So enjoy the beach.

GNRRGUY