Model Shops Remembered

MarkR

Western Thunderer
Another one was Geoff Barlow models in the Towngate in Poole, close to the High Street level crossing with a great second hand bookshop opposite, both shops swept away by re-development.

Mark
 

ceejaydee

Western Thunderer
I have visited Tennents Trains but it was around 8 0r 9 years ago and whilst we're over 'that way' Footplate in Kidderminster when I visited the SVR.
For me growing up it was Bryan Scale Models in Bedford then later Bedford Scale Models run by the 'rather odd' Vaughan - he had a strange manner but I got on with him well and I used to help him out now and then and went to Imrex with him in the late 1980's.

Plenty of others now gone but I'll have to mention Model Junction in Slough as it has only recently closed and remains trading online for a little longer but will then be gone completely.
 

76043

Western Thunderer
I got to Kings Cross Models, Victors of Pentonville Rd, Harrow Model Shop and W&H models, all just once. KX models lives in my memory as a faded dusty experience.

Hornby Dublo three rail D8000 and BR Standard Class 4 MT tank 80154 (?)

I took delivery via eBay of a battered Romford wheeled Dublo 4MT only this morning, the number is 80054, which is heading to my restoration queue. They also produced 80033 in two rail and the super rare 80059 late three rail version.
Tony
 
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Ressaldar

Western Thunderer
Cove Models in Cove (strangely), run by Dave Smith, latter-day purveyor of Blacksmith Models. Then they moved to North Camp and it was downhill all the way. Before they moved there was another model shop along the same road, I think it was Barlow's, but that could be a trick played by my memory. Both of them payed an important part in my dabblings in railway modelling.

Prior to being Cove Models, were they not Mallard Models with a shop on London Road, Camberley?

Lynchford Road, Farnborough/North Camp was the address when they moved from the tiny shop in Cove. Were Barlow's not located at the bottom of Downing Street, Farnham, opposite the Police Station and one of the sons then started the Expo business?

regards

Mike
 

isambardme

Western Thunderer
Yes I remember that shop and the one on Hagley Road. This shop is still open (subject to current limits) but John retired a couple of years ago.
I also remember Birmingham Models in Summer Hill Road and Bearwood Models on Three Shires Oak Road & the signal out side. When George Evans retired, I think late 1970s Robert Chester-Lamb took over, the shops then closed and he moved to Malvern where he repaired clock and vintage trains, and my still do. Roger Carpenter, the railway photo man seen at many exhibitions, also worked there.
CCW Models/Hetheringtons lamps were in Avon Street.
Bunns of Birmingham, 'we buy sell & exchange SH model railways', where in an upstairs room next to the Birmingham Hippodrome. This later became Alan Bunn (who I think was the son) then West Country Kits.
And there was Chuffs, next door to the Bank of England with Peter Hunt. This became Perfect Miniatures with his wacky adverts in Gazette until his resent retirement.
Am I getting old? yes.:);)
Regards
Allen Morgan



Bob Chester Lamb moved to Upton, near Malvern, He is still running Bearwood Models from there and has a very well equipped engineering machine shop there, as well as a course scale basement layout where the Bassett Lowke society meet from time to time. Bob still restores clocks too, including local church clocks. He is an indefatigable character who still drives his vintage Bentley and helps crewing and driving traction engines from time to time. Wisely, retirement is not a notion he entertains.
Steve
 
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Mick Bonwick

Active Member
Prior to being Cove Models, were they not Mallard Models with a shop on London Road, Camberley?

Lynchford Road, Farnborough/North Camp was the address when they moved from the tiny shop in Cove. Were Barlow's not located at the bottom of Downing Street, Farnham, opposite the Police Station and one of the sons then started the Expo business?

regards

Mike

Mallard Models would have been before my living in that area. The other end of Lynchford Road (Western end) was the location of the Barlow's that I remember. I don't recall a model shop in Farnham, but that may also have been before I lived in Church Crookham.

I had previously lived in Winchester, and remember a model shop there in City Road. I think it was called City Models, but am not too sure about that. The proprietor was Alan Brown, and his previous life had been with British Railways, working in the office of a certain Dr Beeching. He had a good few stories to tell!
 

markjj

Western Thunderer
I got my first 0-gauge loco kit in Kings Cross models some 30+ years ago. It was a Springside 14xx kit. I can remember visiting W&H several times for things like rail and whitemetal chairs to make track. I haven't seen anyone mention Home of 0-gauge yet lol another favourite place of mine. I spent many a Saturday there trying to decide what to buy next....
 

adrian

Flying Squad
As long as you didn't mention Scale7.
:)) :)) :)) - As a naive 20yr old at IIRC Bletchley Guild convention (late '80's and pre "Guildex" days) I remember going to a stand asking for Scale7 wheels and axles and being rather affronted that the stall holder then proceeded to make the sign of the cross to ward off the devil. That was Home of o-gauge and he must have thought it was a wind up but I honestly wasn't aware of the antagonism at the time. Thankfully I can laugh about it now! :thumbs: :thumbs:
 

daifly

Western Thunderer
Prior to being Cove Models, were they not Mallard Models with a shop on London Road, Camberley?

Lynchford Road, Farnborough/North Camp was the address when they moved from the tiny shop in Cove. Were Barlow's not located at the bottom of Downing Street, Farnham, opposite the Police Station and one of the sons then started the Expo business?
Can't comment about Barlows but you're spot on about Mallard/Cove Models, Mike. It was visiting Fred Blackman's Mallard Models shop c1974 that got me back into railway modelling.
Dave
 

Hobbyhorse

Western Thunderer
Anyone remember Kemco Historical Models in Rochester Kent, I used to help out in the shop, always a brew on.

Simon
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
Anyone remember Kemco Historical Models in Rochester Kent, I used to help out in the shop, always a brew on.

Oh yes. There was a kind of informal Friday night club, if I recall correctly. I met Best Beloved at Kemco, and we are both still friends with other regulars at the shop.
 

Eastsidepilot

Western Thunderer
As a young Essex Boy, in particularly the S.East part I tended to visit Sarf'end and surrounds for model railway shops.
Blackwell's in Hawkwell, near Hockley and Ray Rippon at Leigh-on-Sea were well visited, and there used to be another in the old Victorian shopping arcade at Vic. Circus in Southend-on Sea but can't remember the name but do remember buying a Tri-ang cl31 and Mk1 buffet car in maroon from them with money given to me for my birthday.:D

Col.
 

Overseer

Western Thunderer
The basement at Puffers in Kenton had a good stock of O gauge kits back in the late 80s but not so much by the mid 90s, then nothing.
W&H's closing down sale unearthed some incredible things, but it was a sad day when it closed and I lost a lunchtime destination from work nearby.
Home of O Gauge was a semi regular haunt when I lived in Clapham South. I don't remember any antipathy to Scale 7 but I probably just didn't buy steamroller wheels with the kits.
Victors was useful for other things, I was using some plastic nut bolt washer castings bought from them years ago just the other day.
Not a model shop as such but The Booking Hall always had a good range of secondhand books, but the owner (was it Nigel?) seemed to become more morouse as the years went by.
 

LarryG

Western Thunderer
TrackShack has now gone. Shops i remember from when I lived in the greater Manchester area were Tyldsley & Holbrook, Deansgate and Basstte-Lowke on Corporation Street. My uncle took me to the latter just after the war on a Manchester tram, but I 'found' T&H in the 1950's when I was dabbling in O gauge clockwork. Shops I had trade accounts with from the late 1960's disappeared years ago and their big-spending with whitemetal kits manufacturers sank with them....never to return. Norman Wisenden's at Greenfield was really a sports shop before the war, but model railways really took over post-war. Another casualty of ageing people and changing times.
 

Pencarrow

Western Thunderer
Growing up in Stafford, I have fond memories of Bagnalls model shop from which I got my first Hornby train set in the late 70s.

The first was actually a HST blue and grey set (only 3 or 4 vehicles long) but that didn't work, so was swapped for the LMS Duchess of Sutherland set. Had the HST worked would I now be modelling diesels rather than steam?

TBS - Trains Bits and Spares was the other one I visited.

Both long gone...
 

djparkins

Western Thunderer
Plus the Motorail model and bookshop in Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth, and the earlier shop just opposite that was tied in with OPC, I think Jim Russell my have managed it at one time.

Mark

I think he used to be there about three days a week. If I wanted an opc book of his then he would sign it. He once asked one of the other guys who worked there if l was a ‘ Raster’ on account of my longish hair! I also recall my then wife and l going to a Segovia concert with him and his wife at Poole. Happy days.

And talking of happy days, does anyone on here remember ERGs at Roumelia Lane in Boscombe, Bournemouth? Down in the basement with all the stray cats, which the owner ‘Jock’ Stewart used to feed. And the ‘back in 15 minutes’ sign he would put up when off to ‘put a few bob on the gee-gees!’ Not to mention his extraordinarily inventive way of accounting for VAT.

And now, with the death of Adrian Swain, we have lost another highly individualistic character from the hobby.

Regards

DJP/MMP
 
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