Traveling scenes

I took advantage of my travels to scope out some train related locations - sneaking them in around the edges of a family trip. I really don' want to subject my wife to train events and visits - she's really not into them. She'll put up with things, but gets bored by them easily.

I put a call out to the Model Rail Radio community to see if anyone was in the immediate area, but things started getting a bit..."messy". I didn't want to get other people involved in potential drama. We had a rather packed trip planned anyway - there wasn't a lot of wiggle room for additional journeys.

I have not even been able to catch many local trains this trip. I can usually see a few with the girls or on walks, but my timing has been completely off this trip and I've missed a bunch. I'm not sweating it, however. No need to create stress over seeing trains.

There have been some train related jaunts.


Cabin John Park Train
http://www.montgomeryparks.org/facilities/regional_parks/cabinjohn/

This was a fun little "fake" steam train in Cabin John Park. A little diesel engine dressed up to look like a steam train. We still had a nice time on it...until my wife got stung in the FOREHEAD by a BEE! :::sigh:::: Again...on a train related jaunt. hehehehe See why she doesn't like trains? heheheh

I's a sweet little ride and there's a MASSIVE play area a mere stroll away, so it's an ideal spot for a little family trip. It even has a dog park.

Gaithersburg Community Museum
http://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/about-gaithersburg/city-facilities/gaithersburg-community-museum

Need a coffee and a little train time? (Very little) :)  Stop by the Gaithersburg Community Museum. It's a cute little scene with a coffee shop in the same area. RIGHT next to the tracks, so there are rail fan opportunities as well!

And, there are some fun trains and the like out front.

Other items:

Silo Ivy
This is down the street and I thought it might be of interest for someone. Sorry I didn't get more images - I can if people are interested if people get back to me in the next few days. :) It's an old silo that had a bunch of ivy growing on it. It seemed like a good prototype to add some interest to a bare silo. 

Boxcar Building
In the same area, they have this crazy item. Box cars stacked up and used for storage on a small building. It's super interesting and I thought that it might make a great addition to a layout. It's a while little building. I might even tackle it for my layout just to add some additional interest. Fun stuff. 

Engine House Hobbies visit - http://enginehousehobbies.net/
( Previous post - http://n-rail.blogspot.com/2014/11/engine-house-hobbies-gaithersburg-md.html )

I stopped in to see my buddy Ken at Engine House Hobbies - my once a year visit. He's a great guy and Engine House is amazing for O scale folks. Some good train deals, details, buildings.... He really seems to cover a good range of O. He also has a good selection of HO items as well. I model N, so there's not a lot for me, but I did pick up some trees and drooled over the O scale trains. I always love seeing them up close on his wall while I dream of an O scale garden layout. :::sigh:::  I'd love that. If I ever come into a money pile somewhere.....

The other cool thing about the place is the fact that the tracks run right behind the building. So, while I was browsing and chatting, a HUGE CSX train roared by with two or three engines pulling a huge line of car carriers. I got to stand in the lovely AC and stare right out the window at it.

If you're in the area, stop in and say hi to Ken for me! :)

Cheers!
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Engine House Hobbies - Gaithersburg, MD

Well, we're out here visiting the in-laws for the Holiday out here in Gaithersburg, MD and I had remembered visiting a cool little shop in the area a few years back. I made the 10 minute trek over with my daughter, but the store was closed Mondays. I posted something up to MODEL RAIL RADIO because I thought people could relate. "I'm going to the train shop! Gonna see trains! Whoot! Ah....shoot...it's closed today..." 


Like I said, I had been there before and loved the place. It had a charm and the owner/operator was friendly and fun to chat with. The place is right by the tracks, so when the CSX rolled through, the five or so gents in the shop walked over to the window and all watched like kids. Friendly folk and a great trainspotting location. 

I was taken aback when the Yelp page was added as a comment on my post. The Yelp review was one star and filled with horrid service comments and stories about the owner hating children. I thought that maybe the ownership had changed hands - this wasn't the same shop I had been in. My uncle lives in Bowie, MD and he used to drive over to frequent the shop as well. I cruised over today - sans daughter just in case - and the experience was fantastic. 

Ken wasn't the horror that he was made out to be at all. Even though he was trying to get something done before the UPS guy came in, he took the time to ask me if I needed help. When I informed him I was just browsing, he completed his task, then circled back around to chat. 

We talked trains, I explained that I was running an N scale Japanese style layout and he was very interested. He asked about Christmas and we talked trains around the tree and the potential I had for a train in the yard. No hard sale talk, just train chat. When I mentioned that my Uncle used to come in, he remembered him and asked how he was doing - a bit worried because he hadn't been in in a while. 

This was no ogre. This was a really cool guy. I mentioned the Yelp review thing and he was really sad about it. He explained a few of the interactions that were on the site and that he tried to make things right with the reviewer, but he was too upset to talk things through with. 

In short, ENGINE HOUSE HOBBIES was a great shop for O and HO modelers. He has a lot of O items and I think the place would be well worth stopping in on if that's your gauge. And, the store is located right by the tracks, so when the train rolls by, you can view it passing from a lovely, warm location. It just goes to show that Yelp reviews may or may not be helpful - it really depends on who's leaving the reviews and why they are choosing to leave it when they do. Sometimes, it may be posted out of spite. 

Check 'em out!

ENGINE HOUSE HOBBIES 

http://www.enginehousehobbies.net/

1A East Diamond Ave
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
301-590-0816 

Sun 12:00 -5:00,  Mon - closed,  Tues - Fri 10:00-6:00,  Sat 10:00-5:00
https://plus.google.com/u/0/115391504113915818521/about 

My personal favorite - I'd love to own one of these Penn electrics

HO and toy items along with paint supplies and a large supply of scenic materials.

A very large O scale selection!

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Engine House Hobbies - Maryland

 

Engine House Hobbies
1-A East Diamond Ave
Gaithersburg, MD 20877  
Phone: 301-590-0816
http://enginehousehobbies.net

While back visiting here in Maryland, I made the rounds doing some light trainspotting and hobby shop exploring. Today's stop took me to ENGINE HOUSE HOBBIES and I was glad it did.



When I planned the trip, I didn't see that the shop was primarily O scale. I walked in hoping to pick up a little something in N scale and was a little disappointed to see 90% O scale and a lot of it. But, after the initial disappointment, I took the inventory in and had a lot of fun.

The shop is small, but packed with merch to sell. A huge selection of O scale buildings, engines and accessories to choose from. I was on my way out when (sorry, never asked his name) the guy behind the counter asked if there was anything he could help me with.

I told him that I was an N scaler was just enjoying the browse. Next thing you know, he was asking me about my setup and how I liked it in San Francisco. We talked SF hobby shops, my N scale Japan module and then talked about the shop. He was great to talk to - super friendly and positive. A fellow shopper suggested that he hook me up with an O scale starter set to take home with me. We had a good laugh about it.

The store is right next to the tracks, so every time the CSX trail rolled by, the whole shop stopped to stare out the window. I asked about the trains that went by and the guy behind the counter new all about them, their time frames and where they were headed off to. Super helpful.





The shop also has a large, O scale layout in the center of it which was a lot of fun to explore. While the layout takes up potential floor merchandise space, it also fuels ideas and desire to buy.

Super friendly staff - this guy was great to talk to!

The wall behind the counter is filled with mounted track packed with engines and rolling stock. If you're looking to buy some O scale in this area, this is the place to visit. It was a friendly shop PACKED with O scale goodness! I would love to get some O scale going later in life.

Check out ENGINE HOUSE HOBBIES. It has a fantastic feel and a friendly staff with a GREAT view of the tracks! :)