IMHO, The best model RR shop in SoCal is closing. The sale starts tomorrow. If I were you, I would be there!! I don't have any other information, Mike Smith, the proprietor, is a great guy. I will be there and will find out details then. The inventory in this shopis fantastic. All scales and a lot of it. I hope to buy a magazine there! [ 12. February 2005, 13:41: Message edited by: sapacif ]
Is this a retirement? Or has something else happened? I'm always sad to hear of a good shop closing. Boxcab E50
I need more help here. It is on the PCH in Torrance. Mike always advertised in Model Railroader. I am sure the address is in there. Maybe someone can post.
http://www.all-aboard-rr.com/ Too far for me up here in Sacramento area... perhaps someone can call me from the store??
Off to All Aboard at 0645 LAX time. Am I already too late? Hope to see some of you there. I will have my Cotton Belt Engine Crew red hat on and will be carrying a camera. Be sure to speak. Pictures this afternoon.
Sounds like we may have an impromptu, west coast Trainboard gathering! I hope you guys get some pics! Russ
Situation update: Store at 0730 am. (Store opens at 1000.) Seems a little early to me. I went back home and will be back around 1000L.
Hey Flash, If you see any Roundhouse DRGW 50' Overland sets (not the 34 footers) for a good price, will you get me 4 - 6 cars? Thanks!
Just got back. I will not bore you with pictures of several hundred rabid modelers drooling through the door in a feeding frenzy! I was not prepared for this! At opening, there were about 100 in line to get into the store. I decided to wait until 1030 when the line would be smaller. Bad idea! At 1030, I got in a line of around 150 people. When inside around 1100, I went to see all the stuff, talk with all the RR buddys there, and wait until 1200 when the crowd had cleared out. I didn't want much and I would then just casually go through the line around noon. Another bad idea! At 1230, I gave up and got in line for the cash register. At 1430 (2:30 pm), two hours later, I made it to the cash register to check out. 3:00 pm and I am back home. Wow! Tons of stuff being sold at 40 percent off retail. I saw lots/ most of the N scale rolling stock left. About 8-20 pieces of Micro Engineering code 55 bridge track. Atlas code 55 turnouts. Just about everythig was there in small quantity. The sale will go on at least through next weekend. Mike Smith (proprietor) said that next Saturday, everything would be 50 percent off. There you have it. Not for the faint hearted!! It has been too long since I did this. [ 13. February 2005, 00:34: Message edited by: sapacif ]
Ha ha. Train guys in a feeding frenzy, I can see it now. Train guys are the best snipers on ebay . . . I wonder what they are like in person though under that type of free-for-all setting.
WWE has nothing on a rabid crowd of model railroaders Being held back form their sale...hehehe, Imagine Rock, Undertaker, and Cain at those doors...hehehe
I knew there was going to be a feeding frenzy! Thanks for the pic and summary, Flash. Several guys from my RR club went (in fact, I can see a couple of them in your pic!), and I almost went, but passed at the last minute. Oddly enough, there's nothing I really need at the moment, and more importantly, I need to save a little $$$$ for a weekend getaway at the end of the month. As an aside, last Saturday, myself and some friends from the club (including the guy in the green Packers jacket ) went there to pick up a few odds-and-ends. Upon leaving, Mike took the time to come out to the parking lot to say goodbye to us as we were pulling away. Kinda odd, since he'd never done that before, and when you stop to think about it, he'd probably made up his mind to close the store by then, and was quite literally saying "goodbye". His was one of the best stores in SoCal, and I hate to see him close. Just wishing I'd gone there more often; it's only about 30-mins away from me, which isn't bad considering how good a shop it is. Still, he has his reasons for closing, and I wish him and the rest of his crew best of luck.
More news as I think I heard that Mike will be moving to Florida in a couple of weeks. Mike's Dad has a layout in the garage. Maybe Mike will get back into modeling as I am sure an enterprise such as this keeps you away from trains in your free time. The forty percent sale is on through Friday. Fifty percent sale starts on next Saturday.
