11th and Arch Streets, Philadelphia

Around 1950-51, My dad did the repairs for both Nicholas Smith Trains &  William Becker Trains located on 11th & Arch St.   Dad & I would go to the Lansdale Reading Railroad station, load my Radio Flyer wagon into the baggage car, and take the train to Philadelphia on Friday night when we finished dinner.  My wagon contained 2 bushel baskets , one for Smith & one for Becker. We would deliver the finished repairs to each, refill the baskets again w/ more repairs and return home.  Dad did this for several years for about 3 months before & after Christmas.  Eventually Dad asked for more money repairs , as he was paid a flat rate.  Mr. Becker refused, and that train ride ceased.   Dad was doing repairs locally in the area, but needed a new source for parts, and joined up w/  Mr. Jerry Caselle who ran a bicycle / train repair shop called Hill Cycle Shop in Chestnut Hill.   Mr. Caselle  had a train repair parts section in the basement that has parts cabinets floor to ceiling about 35' long covering both sides of the basement.  Jerry was a direct customer w/ Lionel on both parts & general merchandise.  His general merchandise order was always cut back by Lionel, so one year , 1955, he ordered almost twice as much hoping that Lionels usual cutback would give him what he really wanted.  Jerry was devasted when Lionel shipped 100% of his order. Jerry w/ his parents help, stored trains in their house and his.  Within a year, Jerry, to make room, unboxed about 25% of the delivery and dis-assembled for parts. I eventually bought out the entire remaining parts collection, including the cabinets , about 1985,  when Jerry passed on.  I personally  had my first store in 1958 (15 years old ), selling HO trains, and bought out 18 stores of their train parts by 1968. I had always given my father all of the Lionel parts for his business.  My mother used to drive me to B. Paul Distributors on Allegheny Ave. in Phila. until I got my drivers license. Dad passed on in 1998, and I inherited his remaining stock of parts.  I am getting carried away here.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!   Harry 

@PRRMP54 posted:

The only Philadelphia area train store that I can recall going into was up on Street Road and called something like Joe's or jim's(?) Train Station. I always came out with something either HO or O and at reasonable prices.

Joe's Train station moved some years ago from Street Road in Feasterville to East County Line Road in Hatboro.

Nice story Harry

Nice to read something different on here

Now back to our regularly scheduled show "What color is your favorite caboose?"

That’s a great story Harry as well as, up to now, an untold piece of history. Please share any other stories too. Thank you very much.

Now that I think about it your Dad probably fixed my engines. If something needed repair it was southbound on the Broad Street subway and walk it over to Beckers. I didn’t take things anywhere else.

Some years ago, I bought the #746 N&W loco at Nicholas Smith in Broomall. Later, when I turned over the loco and looked at the top, inside of the cab, there was a sticker from Henning's, Lansdale. Proof we really do not own our trains, but merely borrow them and pass them around. The loco which came out in 1957 runs as good as new many years later. Santa brought me the 1958 edition with the culverts, which got lost to siblings when I was away at school and since replaced. Mark

@Prr7688 posted:

FYI - Chris has sold Nicholas Smith to his daughter.

Chris DID NOT SELL the store to his daughter...he has stepped back some, and she is handling some of the day to day operations with a new GM, but he did not sell. I am very friendly to a few that are still there....

@ZWPOWER13 posted:

Chris DID NOT SELL the store to his daughter...he has stepped back some, and she is handling some of the day to day operations with a new GM, but he did not sell. I am very friendly to a few that are still there....

So Joey isn't there anymore?

@Gene H posted:

So Joey isn't there anymore?

Sadly no, he moved on to other ventures