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Manhattan Hobby Shops (was Expanded Subjects)

 

It's hard to believe how many model railroad were in once in Manhattan.? I have been reading chronologically through the Model Railroader DVD and the "Directory of Approved Model Dealers" was pretty extensive!

I'll stick to the ones I've personally visited, though.

First, the one on 5th and 32nd that you're thinking of is Polk's Model Craft Hobbies.? They not only had that flagship store but several branches including one in the Woodbridge Center mall in New Jersey.? They were multi-floor; you'd ride an elevator to the correct stop for your particular hobby.

Second, America's Hobby Center was on 146 West 22nd Street, which was between 7th and 8th Avenue.? In theory you could visit, but it was so oriented to mail order that getting personal service there was... well, let's just say it was easier to mail order.

I can't leave out Madison Hardware, 105 East 23rd Street, actually on the corner of Park Avenue South, not Madison.? They were far, far better known for their extensive stock of Lionel but carried N Scale also.?

And then of course there is the trifecta that once existed between 5th and 6th Avenues on West 45th Street.? (No, it's NOT "Avenue of the Americas," only tourists call 6th Avenue that!)? The longest running shop was the Model Railroad Equipment Corporation, proprietress of which was one Carmen Webster.? It was so unusual to have a woman running a train shop that she appeared on "To Tell The Truth"!? That's the one that was down the basement at 23 West 45th.? Also on that block was The Red Caboose and a third store which I remember being called The Roundhouse but may have had several incarnations.? The Red Caboose still survives as far as I know, having moved from its location across from Model Railroad Equipment into that space.

Ah, memories... including of $1.50 A1G cars...

Cheers,
George (your list-owner)
 

Living here in Minnesota. I only ever got to imagine what those stores were like. There were some fairly good sized ones in Minneapolis but nothing like the Manhattan stores, or what I imagined them to be, anyway.

As I indicated in my previous post, I did order some stuff from AHC and also from International Models but it was mostly pre 1967 N scale. I bought 4 Treble-O-Lectric switches once and those had been bought from Montgomery ward by International Models (the boxes still had Ward's catalog numbers on them and I believe I.M. bought out Ward's remaining stock).

I did order my UP Atlas RSC-2 from AHC as soon as I could (in late 1968, I believe).

Doug

In a message dated 8/18/2020 11:49:23 AM Central Standard Time, groups@... writes:

It's hard to believe how many model railroad were in once in Manhattan.? I have been reading chronologically through the Model Railroader DVD and the "Directory of Approved Model Dealers" was pretty extensive!

I'll stick to the ones I've personally visited, though.

First, the one on 5th and 32nd that you're thinking of is Polk's Model Craft Hobbies.? They not only had that flagship store but several branches including one in the Woodbridge Center mall in New Jersey.? They were multi-floor; you'd ride an elevator to the correct stop for your particular hobby.

Second, America's Hobby Center was on 146 West 22nd Street, which was between 7th and 8th Avenue.? In theory you could visit, but it was so oriented to mail order that getting personal service there was... well, let's just say it was easier to mail order.

I can't leave out Madison Hardware, 105 East 23rd Street, actually on the corner of Park Avenue South, not Madison.? They were far, far better known for their extensive stock of Lionel but carried N Scale also.?

And then of course there is the trifecta that once existed between 5th and 6th Avenues on West 45th Street.? (No, it's NOT "Avenue of the Americas," only tourists call 6th Avenue that!)? The longest running shop was the Model Railroad Equipment Corporation, proprietress of which was one Carmen Webster.? It was so unusual to have a woman running a train shop that she appeared on "To Tell The Truth"!? That's the one that was down the basement at 23 West 45th.? Also on that block was The Red Caboose and a third store which I remember being called The Roundhouse but may have had several incarnations.? The Red Caboose still survives as far as I know, having moved from its location across from Model Railroad Equipment into that space.

Ah, memories... including of $1.50 A1G cars...

Cheers,
George (your list-owner)
igoldberg1
 

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YES, it was Polk's.? How many years ago did they go out of business?? Remember them well.? Very large store with excellent selections.

On 08/18/2020 12:49 PM G.J. Irwin <groups@...> wrote:


It's hard to believe how many model railroad were in once in Manhattan.? I have been reading chronologically through the Model Railroader DVD and the "Directory of Approved Model Dealers" was pretty extensive!

I'll stick to the ones I've personally visited, though.

First, the one on 5th and 32nd that you're thinking of is Polk's Model Craft Hobbies.? They not only had that flagship store but several branches including one in the Woodbridge Center mall in New Jersey.? They were multi-floor; you'd ride an elevator to the correct stop for your particular hobby.

Second, America's Hobby Center was on 146 West 22nd Street, which was between 7th and 8th Avenue.? In theory you could visit, but it was so oriented to mail order that getting personal service there was... well, let's just say it was easier to mail order.

I can't leave out Madison Hardware, 105 East 23rd Street, actually on the corner of Park Avenue South, not Madison.? They were far, far better known for their extensive stock of Lionel but carried N Scale also.?

And then of course there is the trifecta that once existed between 5th and 6th Avenues on West 45th Street.? (No, it's NOT "Avenue of the Americas," only tourists call 6th Avenue that!)? The longest running shop was the Model Railroad Equipment Corporation, proprietress of which was one Carmen Webster.? It was so unusual to have a woman running a train shop that she appeared on "To Tell The Truth"!? That's the one that was down the basement at 23 West 45th.? Also on that block was The Red Caboose and a third store which I remember being called The Roundhouse but may have had several incarnations.? The Red Caboose still survives as far as I know, having moved from its location across from Model Railroad Equipment into that space.

Ah, memories... including of $1.50 A1G cars...

Cheers,
George (your list-owner)
 

I don't remember how long ago they went out of business as a retail store.? A "spin-off" of sorts, Aristo-Craft Trains, lasted longer marketing model railroad equipment which was multiple orders of magnitude larger than our topic-- G Scale!? Aristo-Craft was nominally located in Jersey City for a while (across from Manhattan, I shouldn't assume everyone knows that!) and followed Polk's out of business in 2013.

I see from the post cited below that Polk's was started in 1935.? There are plenty of their ads in early issues of Model Railroader.



(Note: The "spinoff" in the thread leads to a junk domain.? I suppose you know how I know this.)

There is a long thread which started with Polk's and ends, well, I didn't read the whole thing, here:



Cheers,
George (your list-owner)

?

?
igoldberg1
 

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I have been in N scale almost from the beginning in the 60's/? I dod knoww of Aristo Craft in Jersey City, but was not ierested due to the fact that it was large scale.
Another hobby shop was run by Alan.? Can not remember the name of the store.? He started out on the east side around 33nd Street and moved to West 45th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.? Do not know if he is stilll in business.
?????? Ira

On 08/18/2020 4:33 PM G.J. Irwin <groups@...> wrote:


I don't remember how long ago they went out of business as a retail store.? A "spin-off" of sorts, Aristo-Craft Trains, lasted longer marketing model railroad equipment which was multiple orders of magnitude larger than our topic-- G Scale!? Aristo-Craft was nominally located in Jersey City for a while (across from Manhattan, I shouldn't assume everyone knows that!) and followed Polk's out of business in 2013.

I see from the post cited below that Polk's was started in 1935.? There are plenty of their ads in early issues of Model Railroader.



(Note: The "spinoff" in the thread leads to a junk domain.? I suppose you know how I know this.)

There is a long thread which started with Polk's and ends, well, I didn't read the whole thing, here:



Cheers,
George (your list-owner)
 

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George thank you for the run down of these shops.

I loved Polks. I went to the AHC store in the 1970s I think. I bought eight N scale cars. Four bogus Burlington insulated? 40' box cars and four Hamms Beer cars. I think they were Model Power. Heavy paint and detail. Atlas made? similar but much better cars just not in those road names.

Chuck Seemann? ? Aurora, Colorado

 

Ira, if it's the Alan I am thinking of, it's the Red Caboose which is where the Model Railroad Equipment Company was, in the basement of 23 West 45th Street.? I have not been back to Midtown during business hours in a number of years.? There is an active website though the copyright date is 2004.? My guess is that he's still open.

--George
igoldberg1
 

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George:
? You are correct it is the Red Cagboose.? I have know Alan for more years than I want to say.? I left New York in 1971 to work for the US Government and was back only onec in 2000 when I went back on government business.
???? Ira

On 08/18/2020 8:31 PM G.J. Irwin <groups@...> wrote:


Ira, if it's the Alan I am thinking of, it's the Red Caboose which is where the Model Railroad Equipment Company was, in the basement of 23 West 45th Street.? I have not been back to Midtown during business hours in a number of years.? There is an active website though the copyright date is 2004.? My guess is that he's still open.

--George

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