Howdy all. I am heading to the St Louis area during the first weekend in August. What hobby shops are there? Is'nt there a museum of some sorts up there?? I would ask about rail fanning,,,,,,, but the wife and kids are anti-railfaning.....Wife does not mind,, but kids " this is boring" Or do I just need to bring my tools and work on fellow TB'ers layouts that live in the area?? LOL I know I will be coming through Springfield, and I do plan on stopping there to take some pics. I used to live all over missourri,, just don't recall any shops,,,, or good all around train spots. I was too busy working and rodeo'n back then. Adios Wyatt
Wyatt: Someone with Frisco knowledge may be able to speak with more knowledge about what still remains today, but wasn't there a big Frisco engine facility in Springfield MO? Are you going to get any farther north than St Louis this trip or at some time in the future? I'll be on my own vacation that weekend, but there are a half dozen TBers in Central Illinois who might be able to point you to Illinois options.
Do not miss the MUSEUM OF TRANSPORTATION. A real nice collection. Trains, planes and automobiles. Go to: http://www.museumoftransport.org/ for more info. The Museum sits right on the UP mainline and it has a viewing platform next to the right-of-way. Go down town to see Union Station, the Arch, and Budweiser Beer. I'm not the beer drinker that I used to be, but a tour of the factory was something to see. Again go to: http://www.budweiser.com/ for info.
Mark Twain Hobby Shop is pretty good...it is in St. Charles, MO, about 15 minutes from Lambert-St. Louis Int'l Airport. I just got back from STL and bought a few things there and would have bought more if I could! The Museum of Transportation is fun and worth a visit! If you like subways/light rail, the Metrolink transit system might be kind of neat as well. You could take it from one of the suburban stops to the Arch and back. Not too teriibly far from the Museum of Transportation is the Kirkwood, MO, Amtrak Depot, my favorite little station. A couple of Amtrak trains and usually a bunch (one are two every hour it seems) of UP freights run through there and it is a very safe and nice place to hangout. There is an ice cream stand at the other end of the parking lot and lots of good places to eat. There is also a hobby shop about two blocks south (Hobby Station).
Springfield, MO was the hub of Frisco activity, and home to a large yard and diesel facility. The yard is on the north side of town.You'll see BNSF trains coming & going from Kansas City, St. Louis, Tulsa and Memphis. IIRC, there is a hobby shop called the Hobbydashery on the south side of the same town. I second making a trip to the National Museum of Transport- it's off I-270 on the west side of town.
ok, bob... 1st week of august? HMM!!!! This poses several possibilities! Let's see, will you be there on the 5th of August (1st sunday)?? If so, then a trip to Maryville, Illinois is in order. It is home to K-10's Model Trains, a hobby shop AND layout. Ken, the owner, runs the hobby shop (along with help from his loyal comrades)... The hobby shop is housed in a warehouse-sized building.... well... the front-right 1/10th of it. The front-left 1/10th of it seems to be some type of housing, but I cannot confirm. THEN the back 4/5ths of it is a large layout. All HO scale. Since it is the first sunday, he opens the doors at 1:00 P.M., and all people entering pay $5.00, and they get to run trains til 5:00pm (might be 6, but I doubt it). You can bring your own trains, or run trains that are already there. I'd show up at around 12:30, though... Throttles run out fast! the hobby shop is well, stocked with locomotives and rolling stock... scenery is partial, and detail parts are "eh". By the way, Maryville is just across the river, about 20 minutes' drive from the Arch, given that there is no traffic. Now, if you don't feel like running trains (or your family, either), make a trip out to Glencoe, Missouri -- which is actually about 5 minutes from Six Flags... The Wabash, Frisco, and Pacific is located here. It is a 12 inch gauge railway, which is 1-1/2 miles long. A round trip lasts 30 minutes long, and is only $3.00 per person. We (yes, I'm an engineer here) run diesel locomotives, steam locomotive (both oil and coal fired), and trains depart the station roughly every 20 minutes. Now, you COULD make it out to the WF&P in the morning -- our first train leaves at approximately 11:00AM, and we run til 4:00pm or so.. So you could make it out here, take a ride or two (sometimes one ride is not enough for some!) then drive out to Maryville. Let's see.. There's the Hobby station which is just down the road from the Amtrak depot, as previous members have stated. They are an o-kay shop, but their prices are high to some... Sometimes they'll have a bargain, but they have enough experience to know what to sell items for. Hobbytown USAs are in the area, but unless you want to see a lot of bachmann, athearn, i'd steer away... Just your typical Hobbytown USA. Schaefer's Hobby shop is located about 10-15 minutes' drive from the Amtrak station. This is an interesting shop, in that they do charge so-so, but they have more than Hobbytown USA's have to offer... Shoot me an e-mail at m r w 5 3 9 0 ( a t ) r i t ( d o t ) e d u and I'll be glad to shoot you some directions. Mike Walsh
