Model Railroading > Chicago model railroad shops

I will be in Chicago I'm business for the next couple days, I was wondering if there are any good model railroad shops left in the vicinity.

James Auriemma

Posted from Android

Probably the best for selection and pricing in Chicagoland and not too far from O'Hare Airport.

https://lombardhobby.com/

 Lombard, Grayland, Des Plaines, Zienteks and Walt's to name a few.........

I was just there in June and went to Lombard Hobbies and Des Planes Hobbies.  Both of them were fun to check out.  As JETRR said, Lombard has a huge selection and good prices on everything in the store.  I now check their website for deals on models that I'm looking for.

​Des Planes Hobbies (also close to O'Hare) also has a huge selection but their prices are closer to suggested retail.  They had a sales table of used stuff at super cheap prices - I got a Ambroid GN caboose that needed some work for a dollar.  I couldn't pass it up.  I was also able to find a couple of kits that I haven't been able to find in Oregon, so overall I was happy with my visit.

wingomann Wrote:
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> ​Des Planes Hobbies (also close to O'Hare) also
> has a huge selection but their prices are closer
> to suggested retail.  

Get on Des Plaines email list as they have sales 3 or 4 times a year. You can order online during the sale and get the discount price.

I’ll second that. Lombard is one of the best shops around.

JETRR Wrote:
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> Probably the best for selection and pricing in
> Chicagoland and not too far from O'Hare Airport.
>
> https://lombardhobby.com/

Posted from iPhone

For a little drive south check on Valley Roundhouse in Spring Valley. Marion has a older shop with most inventory below msrp. If u like to dig you’ll find some interesting finds. Check him out too!

Posted from iPhone

flippin77 Wrote:
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> For a little drive south check on Valley
> Roundhouse in Spring Valley. 

You're right about Valley---he has stuff that most other places haven't had in years!!
 

JETRR Wrote:
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> Probably the best for selection and pricing in
> Chicagoland and not too far from O'Hare Airport.
>
> https://lombardhobby.com/
I have purchased from them often didn't realize they were so close. I will stop in.
Thanks for the great info.
James

Posted from Android

Chicagoland Hobbies in Norwood Park section of Chicago, which also has lot of used stuff in boxes. They are my favorite.
Nice coffee shop/diner a few blocks away. Served by CTA 68 bus and a UP-Metra line

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Chicagoland Hobbies in Norwood Park section of
> Chicago, which also has lot of used stuff in
> boxes. They are my favorite.
> Nice coffee shop/diner a few blocks away. Served
> by CTA 68 bus and a UP-Metra line

Yes, Chicagoland was a great place to take a long lunch when working downtown...catch a CNW/UP Northwest Line scoot to Norwood Park, grab a bite at the diner and still check out Chicagoland before the next inbound.

FWIW, where you go may depend on what you're looking for:

Locos/Rolling Stock: Lombard, hands down. Des Plaines second.
Detail Parts: If Des Plaines doesn't have it, neither will the others.
Books: Des Plaines by a country mile, Chicagoland second.
Narrow Gauge: Des Plaines is about it for HOn3, Sn3, On3. They all have G scale or Bachmann On30".
O/S Scale: Des Plaines. Chicagoland will have some O scale and tends to have more traction stuff in O.
Lionel/Hi-Rail: Chicagoland will have the best selection. DesPlaines also has quite a bit. Lombard has some but will probably have the best price. There is also a shop on Irving Park Road in Itasca (a significant walk from the Metra Milwaukee West line station) called America's Best Toy and Hobby that caters to the Lionel/MTH crowd and a shop in Berwyn, also a very healthy walk from the BNSF.
Paint/Scratchbuilding Supplies/Tools: Des Plaines will have best selection, Lombard the best price if they have it.

BTW, you should know Valley Roundhouse (owned by Marion Brasher, a dear friend) is an EXCELLENT shop with a lot of HO and some N, but no O/S. Many hard-to-find itrems can still be found in stock. It is also about 100 miles from O'Hare off I-80 in Spring Valley, IL. Open 3-8 PM weekdays and 10-4 Saturdays, closed Sundays. You will need a rental car and allow 2 hours driving each way to visit, but it would be worth it. Ask to see the Rock Island layout in the basement!

Lastly, if you're in town THIS coming weekend (Oct. 18-20), did you know the Chicagoland RPM meet is going on at the Sheraton on Warrenville Road in Lisle, IL, just off I-88? They have a one-day admission on Saturday and the exhibit hall has quite a few vendors with resin kits/parts, hard-to-find decals, etc.
More info:  http://www.rpmconference.com/

Good hunting!

NZ
  

I went to Lombard hobbies After work and it was fantastic. I highly recommend if anybody is in the Chicago area or the Lombard section of Chicago to stop in and visit. Well worth the trip..
Maybe tomorrow or Thursday I will visit Des Plaines.
James

Posted from Android

While in Norwood Park:

https://chicagolandtoysandhobbies.com/

https://www.facebook.com/NorwoodRestaurant/

Try Hands to Work Hobbies on South Cicero Ave. in Alsip.

Posted from Android

After the RPM meet I stopped in Lombard and Chicagoland yesterday. 

I have been a Lombard customer for a long time,  usually in the shop a few times a year.   My last visit was in the spring....and...NOTHING has changed.   I saw no real new stock outside of a few Scale Trains items, and Rapido F40s.   Other then that, its all older stock.   No current Genesis items, or Walthers, Intermountain, etc.    Even with the current China syndrome,  they are way out on having fresh stock on hand.    It was rather disappointing.  First time I ever left without buying anything.   I really thought the new management would turn the place around and jazz it up, but I am just not seeing it.   And the new website, Sucks.    They DO still have the best prices around, and is well worth stopping in if you never been..

Also stopped at Chicagoland for the first time.    Word of warning- Dont go on a Friday night.   It was FULL of the "locals" doing nothing but standing around chatting,  and not getting out of the way of customers.    MASSIVE O scale selection.    Lots of used stuff, decent used book selection,  a full magazine rack,   a fair amount og used HO stuff...but also ALOT of used "junk".   Certainly a place worth stopping in at.   

sixaxlecentury Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> After the RPM meet I stopped in Lombard and
> Chicagoland yesterday. 
>
> I have been a Lombard customer for a long time, 
> usually in the shop a few times a year.   My
> last visit was in the spring....and...NOTHING has
> changed.   I saw no real new stock outside of a
> few Scale Trains items, and Rapido F40s.   Other
> then that, its all older stock.   No current
> Genesis items, or Walthers, Intermountain, etc. 
>   Even with the current China syndrome,  they
> are way out on having fresh stock on hand.    It
> was rather disappointing.  First time I ever left
> without buying anything.   I really thought the
> new management would turn the place around and
> jazz it up, but I am just not seeing it.   And
> the new website, Sucks.    They DO still have
> the best prices around, and is well worth stopping
> in if you never been..

When I sold the Allied Model Trains business in 2007, I fully expected the three seasoned, professional, very knowledgeable, new owners to run massive sales, to quickly liquidate—or literally DUMP—a lot of the old stock they got from me, to make way for new items.  However, they took what was left in my 12,600 square foot building and literally CRAMMED it into the 4,200 square foot building across the street.  In addition, they walled off about a third of the floor space, and built offices for themselves, along with storage space where tons of the old stuff was simply warehoused, collecting dust.  That was in 2007.  When I last visited the store, in 2015, right before it went bankrupt, I again shook my head as I passed by display case after display case still filled with much of the same, old stuff they got from me—many items STILL carrying my old, hand written price tags, if you can believe it.

When it came to a presence on the web, the new ownership—who seemed to be chomping at the bit to replace the very simple website I had established—dragged their feet for years before ever putting any effort into giving the business a decent, let alone a competitive website.  And when they finally did revamp their website, it was light years behind others in the industry, rarely updated and, in my opinion, a complete and utter failure.  “Let George do it?” 

Lastly, unlike the comment above about Lombard having “the best prices around,” the prices I noticed at “The New Allied” were always full retail.  By late 2007 and certainly by 2008, paying retail certainly was for “DUMMIES,” and Allied management should have changed with the times, but I never saw any signs of that.

If what is said above about Lombard is true, and if anyone from Lombard reads these boards, a word to the wise:  You NEED to clean house of all the old junk and stay current with new releases.  The old stuff, for the most part, isn’t appreciating, it is depreciating and sitting on it is a fool’s game.  Shake things up!  Freshen those displays and get things going!  A full blown, interactive website is no longer something to think about doing, it is a necessity!  There are still wonderful opportunities for a well run, brick & mortar model railroad store.  Allied could still be making someone a really great living, if only it had been managed properly and worked long & hard.  Actually, when one looks back on how “The New Allied” fiasco unfolded, one might surmise that the actual goal in buying the business was to not.................Oh well, not my problem anymore.  

Hope you are all well,

Allen Drucker

 

Streamliner Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> sixaxlecentury Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > After the RPM meet I stopped in Lombard and
> > Chicagoland yesterday. 
> >
> > I have been a Lombard customer for a long
> time, 
> > usually in the shop a few times a year.   My
> > last visit was in the spring....and...NOTHING
> has
> > changed.   I saw no real new stock outside of
> a
> > few Scale Trains items, and Rapido F40s. 
>  Other
> > then that, its all older stock.   No current
> > Genesis items, or Walthers, Intermountain,
> etc. 
> >   Even with the current China syndrome,  they
> > are way out on having fresh stock on hand.   
> It
> > was rather disappointing.  First time I ever
> left
> > without buying anything.   I really thought
> the
> > new management would turn the place around and
> > jazz it up, but I am just not seeing it. 
>  And
> > the new website, Sucks.    They DO still have
> > the best prices around, and is well worth
> stopping
> > in if you never been..
>
> When I sold the Allied Model Trains business in
> 2007, I fully expected the three seasoned,
> professional, very knowledgeable, new owners to
> run massive sales, to quickly liquidate—or
> literally DUMP—a lot of the old stock they got
> from me, to make way for new items.  However,
> they took what was left in my 12,600 square foot
> building and literally CRAMMED it into the 4,200
> square foot building across the street.  In
> addition, they walled off about a third of the
> floor space, and built offices for themselves,
> along with storage space where tons of the old
> stuff was simply warehoused, collecting dust.
>  That was in 2007.  When I last visited the
> store, in 2015, right before it went bankrupt, I
> again shook my head as I passed by display case
> after display case still filled with much of the
> same, old stuff they got from me—many items
> STILL carrying my old, hand written price tags, if
> you can believe it.
>
> When it came to a presence on the web, the new
> ownership—who seemed to be chomping at the bit
> to replace the very simple website I had
> established—dragged their feet for years before
> ever putting any effort into giving the business a
> decent, let alone a competitive website.  And
> when they finally did revamp their website, it was
> light years behind others in the industry, rarely
> updated and, in my opinion, a complete and utter
> failure.  “Let George do it?” 
>
> Lastly, unlike the comment above about Lombard
> having “the best prices around,” the prices I
> noticed at “The New Allied” were always full
> retail.  By late 2007 and certainly by 2008,
> paying retail certainly was for “DUMMIES,” and
> Allied management should have changed with the
> times, but I never saw any signs of that.
>
> If what is said above about Lombard is true, and
> if anyone from Lombard reads these boards, a word
> to the wise:  You NEED to clean house of all the
> old junk and stay current with new releases.  The
> old stuff, for the most part, isn’t
> appreciating, it is depreciating and sitting on it
> is a fool’s game.  Shake things up!  Freshen
> those displays and get things going!  A full
> blown, interactive website is no longer something
> to think about doing, it is a necessity!  There
> are still wonderful opportunities for a well run,
> brick & mortar model railroad store.  Allied
> could still be making someone a really great
> living, if only it had been managed properly and
> worked long & hard.  Actually, when one looks
> back on how “The New Allied” fiasco unfolded,
> one might surmise that the actual goal in buying
> the business was to not.................Oh well,
> not my problem anymore.  
>
> Hope you are all well,
>
> Allen Drucker
>
>

The Lombard Hobbies website is new and improved as of the last 3 months or so. It is one of the better in the industry. Their inventory stays fairly fresh and proces are discounted off list. Not sure why all the negativity.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Lombard does do a decent job atleast trying to blow some of the older stock out,  but there is still quite a bit in house, and its not compounded by the more recent stuff. 

And just because its a new website, does not mean its a good website.   The old one was much easier to navigate.  

 As a somewhat regular shopper at Lombard I can attest that the new stuff that is ordered moves very quickly! They do bring in the latest items----and they move it right out into customer's hands.....

Case in point: I was there the day they were stocking the shelves with Scaletrains Carbon Black covered hoppers. They had every roadname and every number series offered-----therefore hundreds of cars total. A month later the shelves were wiped clean------every one sold!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/18 17:31 by ghemr.