No, I didn't accidently mis-post something that belongs in the For Sale forum. My chiropractor recently gave me a September 1960 issue of a popular model railroad magazine. A couple years ago this same man gave me a TCA Quarterly with an article by Ron Hollander, which led me to purchase Hollander's book, "All Aboard!", which in turn led me back into model railroading and enticed me into buying my first Lionel O Gauge car, first Lionel set, and more stuff that I can't afford. So my impending financial ruin is kinda my chiropractor's fault. But anywho, this 1960 magazine contains lots of great stuff, such as a Madison Hardware ad that lists a ZW 275 watt transformer for $29.95, an LW 125 watt for $12.95, and Super O Remote Control Switches for only $14.75. As a bonus, Madison Hardware pays postage and includes a Lionel 1959-60 Catalog free with every order. So seal up the catalogs, wait 62 years, and they might pay for whatever you ordered back then. Now admittedly, I couldn't afford even these low, low prices in 1960 when I was two years old. But if only I had a time machine.
I suspect that very few of the dealers still exist. In the Philadelphia area, Allied Hobbies itself advertises ten stores. The magazine does contain ads for two Philadelphia-area hobby shops that are still among the living: Nicholas Smith ("60 N. 11th St, Philadelphia 7"), and Sattler's trains in South Jersey. Among the advertisements is my vote for the most unlikely combining of Model Railroads and Something Else in a single store: Pavone's Shoe Hospital of Plattsburg NY. They sold hobbies along with, as you might gather, shoe repair.
Of interest is the editorial on Radio Control of model railroads that opines, "On the face of it, the whole concept of radio control seems appealing. On the other hand, there's good reason to wonder if perhaps the enthusiasm and effort being generated about radio control aren't a bit misdirected... it might eventually amount to something. Right now, though, its appeal and usefulness are extremely limited."
Other helpful tidbits of this 1960 publication: How to construct realistic scenery using asbestos High Temperature Insulating Cement over Celotex. I also read that "Pure gasoline can be used quite satisfactorily as a solvent to weld styrene."
John
