Larry Truett is a freelance PHP and MySQL programmer living in the San Carlos neighborhood of San Diego with his wife and their 3 cats. He enjoys hiking, reading, gardening, watching too much television, and other nerdy activites.
For the past year I've been compiling a list of model train stores for my model railroading website. These shops all look like a lot of fun to visit, but what are the most popular? Here is a list for the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
The most popular model railroading shops (based on online chatter) in New England are:
10. Rainy Day Trains in Saco, Maine
9. Bill Parker's Train Shop in Springfield, Vermont
8. Mike's Hobbies and Raceway in Rutland, Vermont
7. Grandma's House and Grandpa's Train Depot in Warwick, Rhode Island
6. Bill's Hobby Barn in Salem, New Hampshire
5. Danbury Hobby Center in Danbury, Connecticut
4. Treasured Toys in Salem, New Hampshire
3. Mainely Trains in South China, Maine
2. North East Trains in Peabody, Massachusetts
...and the most popular shop for model trains in New England is...
1. Time Machine Hobby in Manchester, Connecticut
Hobby shops not quite making my top 10 were Hobby House in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine; Centerline Hobbies in Hyannis, Massachusetts; Charles Ro Supply Company in Malden, Massachusetts; Hobby Stop in Foxboro, Massachusetts; J and M Hobbies in Eastham, Massachusetts; LightHouse Hobbies in Townsend, Massachusetts; Railyard Hobbies in Dracut, Massachusetts; Apponaug Color and Hobby Shop in Warwick, Rhode Island; Darlington Hobbies in Pawtucket, Rhode Island; Depot Antiques and Toys in Laconia, New Hampshire; Hartmann Model Railroad in Intervale, New Hampshire; R/C Toy Box in Saint Johnsbury, Vermont; and Vermont Toy and Hobby in Essex Junction and South Burlington, Vermont.
Lots of great model railroading shops from all over New England in the top ten with every state making it into the top ten - so no matter where you live in New England there are great hobby shops right in your own state.
When in New England be sure to visit some of the excellent railroading museums including Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum in Willimantic, Connecticut; Connecticut Trolley Museum in East Windsor, Connecticut; Danbury Railway Museum in Danbury, Connecticut; Railroad Museum of New England in Thomaston, Connecticut; Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven, Connecticut; The Peters Rail Road Museum in Wallingford, Connecticut; Boothbay Railway Village in Boothbay, Maine; Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. and Museum in Portland, Maine; Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine; Wiscasset, Waterville, and Farmington Railway Museum in Alna, Maine; Bay State Model Railroad Museum in Roslindale, Massachusetts; Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum in Lenox, Massachusetts; Old Colony and Fall River Railroad Museum in Fall River, Massachusetts; Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts; Beaver Brook Farm and Transportation Museum in Mont Vernon, New Hampshire; Gorham Railroad Station and Historical Society in Gorham, New Hampshire; Rutland Railway Association in Rutland, Vermont; and Swanton Railroad Depot Museum in Swanton, Vermont.
I compiled this list by searching for the hobby shops listed on a number of search engines and ranking them by the number of web pages, discussion forums, photos, videos, etc that are available online. I further screened this list to include only pages that mentioned model railroading.
See a complete list of Model Train Shops in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont at www.ModelTrainsWithLarry.com which has complete contact information for each shop including an address, phone number, and map to the store.
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