Gone but not forgotten

[TheSignalEngineer]

I used to get some stuff from the barber shop in Albert Walk in Harborne, I think his name was Sid. He sold toys and had a good stock of Trix and Triang as well as aircraft and ship kits, glue and paint. The Engineers Mess Van parked in my yard was made from a Triang Clerestory I bought from him in the 1960s.

[oh my goodness me]

Growing up in Morecambe, before Richard opened the train shop on Pedder street, Cliff and his wife had a model shop just past the battery with a continental railway in the back which was accessible from the prom side. He had mainline and all sorts of second hand.

The marvellous trains and transport in Preston already mentioned above relieved me of great sums. There was a small but well stocked shop "junction 35" at the entrance to steam town at Carnforth for a while. Palatine model rail in Blackpool was always worth a visit, I remember picking up a pair of H & M walkabouts there after the lads from barrow let me trial one on their layout bolden junction.

[Stevelewis]

There  was  a  Newsagents  in  Helsby  Cheshire,  sold  Triang Railways,  one  day  they  took me  into  their  stockroom  and  i  found  a    Triang 2 Car  EMU  which  of  course  I  bought!

[Coppercap]

Interestingly  When  I  did  a  proper  job  for  a  well known  Health  Care  Company, who once had a tall building on  the  Great  West  Road  Nr  the  Chiswick Flyover

I take it that was Beechams? Building's still there, listed.

[Enterprisingwestern]

Gee Dee's to close???

 

Do we have any evidence?, it's only up for sale as I am aware.

 

Mike.

[BlackRat]

Guy Norris? Used to be a regular in the RM in the 70's.

[Stevelewis]

I take it that was Beechams? Building's still there, listed.

 

Yes  that  is  correct  worked  for  them  for  30  years,  only visited  Beecham  House   3  times,    I had  heard  that  the  building had  been converted  to  apartments??

 

They  outgrew  it  in around ,90  and  opened other  premises  across the  A4  at  New Horizons Court,  sad  the  see  the  Beecham name  has  disappeared  from  their  title, now  its  GSK  Glaxo  Smithkline

[Coppercap]

Yes  that  is  correct  worked  for  them  for  30  years,  only visited  Beecham  House   3  times,    I had  heard  that  the  building had  been converted  to  apartments??

 

They  outgrew  it  in around ,90  and  opened other  premises  across the  A4  at  New Horizons Court,  sad  the  see  the  Beecham name  has  disappeared  from  their  title, now  its  GSK  Glaxo  Smithkline

Did you know Beechams weren't the original occupiers of what became known as Beechams House?

Funny, I visited Beechams more times than you went to the site, as a PO Telephones apprentice! Really nice staff restaurant, probably the best on the Great West Road.......we'd often just happen to find reasons to call in at lunchtime!

[Stevelewis]

No  Wasnt  aware  of  that,   the  restaurant  on  the  upper  floor  was  quite  good  only  went  in there  once!! if  I recall   it  had   a  sort   of  conveyor  belt  system  running down  the  centre  where  used  trays  and  plates  etc  were  deposited  and  transported  back  to  the  kitchen!

 

As  we   are  now  off topic  I  had  better  confirm  they  did not  have  a  model  shop  on  site!  But  one  of  the  directors  did  have  a  Model  Railway  interest  and  was  building  a  layout  based  on  the  East  Coast  main   line  in  steam  days  cannot  recall  the   area  he  featured  but  will update  if   I remember!

[Jol Wilkinson]

Moore's Handicrafts, Rugby. At the corner of Bath Street and Clifton Road, opposite the Lawrence Sheriff School.

 

Moore's were a hardware store with a model shop on the first floor and carried a range of products for the aspiring model maker in the 1950/60s  (and possibly later, but I moved away in 1964). The location now contains a Mobility "scooter" centre, perhaps they are still dealing with some of the same clientele.

[tractionman]

A lot of newsagents/toy shops sold, mainly, Triang / Triang Hornby and mostly trainsets, although some sold other items.

I worked as a teenager doing a paper round for a Dillons shops in Kingshurst, Birmingham and my tips at Christmas paid for a trainset.

It was not bought from Dillons, though, another newsagents in the precinct.

My mum used to take me to Barnby's in Coventry precinct to get my train set stuff in the early seventies as a very young boy...

 

http://s12.photobucket.com/user/BazAdams/media/Old%20Cov%20Pics/BarnbysAdvert_zps52d06fce.jpg.html

 

I still remember going upstairs to where the trains were, well over forty years ago!

 

I then 'graduated' to 'proper' model shops, two near where I lived, one at the top of Sewall Highway near the junction with Ansty Road and another off the Binley Road at Crescent Avenue I think. Both long gone.

 

Anyone remember them?

 

All the best,

 

Keith

[Smoking gun]

D Hewins Models and Hobbies closed at the beginning of this month following the death of Dave Hewins last year.

 

Article from local paper here: http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/grimsby-model-and-hobby-shop-hewins-to-close-after-37-years/story-30221552-detail/story.html

 

Spent many days there mostly buying wargaming and general modelling supplies.

 

Martin

[Enterprisingwestern]

Talking of the area, is Loftis still going on Grimsby Road in Cleethorpes, seem to remember the guy was getting on a bit when I frequented the place in the late 80's early 90's?

 

Mike.

[amwells]

Did you know Beechams weren't the original occupiers of what became known as Beechams House?

Funny, I visited Beechams more times than you went to the site, as a PO Telephones apprentice! Really nice staff restaurant, probably the best on the Great West Road.......we'd often just happen to find reasons to call in at lunchtime!

And not too far from there was Braley's in Ealing. Never a price ticket in sight, loads and loads of second hand and I'm sure he used to price on what he thought you could afford. Never liked kids either.

 

While in the area - there was Ernie's in Chiswick High Road too. Remember mum buying me a loco from there as a reward for passing my school exams

[RANGERS]

D Hewins Models and Hobbies closed at the beginning of this month following the death of Dave Hewins last year.

 

Article from local paper here: http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/grimsby-model-and-hobby-shop-hewins-to-close-after-37-years/story-30221552-detail/story.html

 

Spent many days there mostly buying wargaming and general modelling supplies.

 

Martin

I have to confess I thought this shop had closed some time back. I was last in there about 20 years ago and even though I used to be in the area fairly regularly, it never occurred to me to pop in. Sorry to hear it has finally gone though.

[Colin]

Guy Norris? Used to be a regular in the RM in the 70's.

I well remember Guy Norris Neil, they had several shops in the Ilford and Barking areas plus one in Southend. They were around in the Airfix/ Mainline era of the mid to late 70s and were almost the perfect shop for me, selling a huge range of railways plus books (I bought a fair few of the Bradford Barton volumes there). They were also, of course, a record store so I was able to indulge my love of rock music there as well. I understand they went bust overnight, early '80s IIRC.

[SGP]

 

 

but I'm pretty sure that was Apex Craft, ABC doesn't ring any bells

Yes you're right ... a senior moment, sorry. 

I also recall a model shop on Narborough Road on the top floor a general store. 

 

 

 

Gee Dee's to close??? 

Yes, unless the current owner can find a buyer. He is in his 80's and wants to retire. Can't blame him really, I retired at 54. 

There is a separate thread about this.

 

Edited April 18, 2017 by SGP

[Smoking gun]

Talking of the area, is Loftis still going on Grimsby Road in Cleethorpes, seem to remember the guy was getting on a bit when I frequented the place in the late 80's early 90's?

 

Mike.

 

Hi Mike,

 

Loftus went many years ago, I'm afraid to say.

 

Regards,

 

Martin

[BlackRat]

I well remember Guy Norris Neil, they had several shops in the Ilford and Barking areas plus one in Southend. They were around in the Airfix/ Mainline era of the mid to late 70s and were almost the perfect shop for me, selling a huge range of railways plus books (I bought a fair few of the Bradford Barton volumes there). They were also, of course, a record store so I was able to indulge my love of rock music there as well. I understand they went bust overnight, early '80s IIRC.

Thanks Colin, I always wondered what happened to them.

 

I bought my first 'finescale' items from them....an Airfix prairie and B set, I'm guessing it was around 1977?

[railroadbill]

I well remember Guy Norris Neil, they had several shops in the Ilford and Barking areas plus one in Southend. They were around in the Airfix/ Mainline era of the mid to late 70s and were almost the perfect shop for me, selling a huge range of railways plus books (I bought a fair few of the Bradford Barton volumes there). They were also, of course, a record store so I was able to indulge my love of rock music there as well. I understand they went bust overnight, early '80s IIRC.

Guy Norris also had a shop in Covent garden,  where I bought a Mainline J72 (which I've still got, replacement chassis and lots of fiddling later)  plus some Mainline ex LMS 57' paneled  coaches. Those coaches really got me back into 00 gauge, due to having realistic looking windows (unlike the horrible recessed  ones that Mk1 etc models had then).  Still got them and they come out for a run round the loft every now and again, though they now have metal wheels.   They were £2.99 each.

[geoffers]

There was a general toy shop in the town of Wimborne Minster in Dorset in the 50s and 60s and possibly into the 70s - known as Haywards.They had a good supply of Triang and later Triang-Hornby. Got a Britannia from them and have had a soft spot for these locos ever since. Mr Hayward was quite a dour man I seem to recall but was always very helpful to a nipper coming in to spend his pocket money on train related stuff. Did Scalectrix too.

[Colin]

Guy Norris also had a shop in Covent garden,  where I bought a Mainline J72 (which I've still got, replacement chassis and lots of fiddling later)  plus some Mainline ex LMS 57' paneled  coaches. Those coaches really got me back into 00 gauge, due to having realistic looking windows (unlike the horrible recessed  ones that Mk1 etc models had then).  Still got them and they come out for a run round the loft every now and again, though they now have metal wheels.   They were £2.99 each.

I remember coaches retailing at under £3 as well. As for wagons, I bought my first Mainline 16T minerals at Blackwells of Hawkwell around 1975 for 75p each.......

I think Guy Norris possibly overstretched themselves, a short time after diversifying into railways they were stocking some fairly esoteric stuff at the Barking shop such as Rivarossi US outline and possibly Rowa (ancestors of Roco?) European models, hardly mainstream stuff in those days. Discounts were always pretty good, I remember buying an Airfix 14xx and auto coach for well under a tenner!

[Colin]

Anyone remember Moore's Models in London Road, Leigh on Sea? Bought my first Rebuilt Bulleid Pacific there (Dublo "Barnstaple") for under a fiver back in 1972 (IIRC). I think they closed down towards the end of the 1970s.

[Giles]

Going back to the 2013 posts - Bearwood Models (in Birmingham) was run by Mr Evans, assisted by Bernard, who went on to run a model shop in another West Midlands town, if I remember.

 

Bearwood Models is where my pocket money went....

 

A wonderful shop.

[SGP]

 

 

I certainly miss C & B Models in Derby. The loss of that shop and Trainlines has much reduced the options in the city. 

C&B never really had much in although I may have found it late in the day just before it became a totally R/C outlet. 

Trainlines used to be at 79 Ashbourne Road (between Friargate and Markeaton) which is now Georgies Vintage Cafe. He only opened two days a week and couldn't have done much business. 

After relocating to the old Nottingham Road, he opened a lot more frequently but the business was sold not long after to TTC Diecast who are still there.