Pittsburg PA hobby stores

Hobby Express in Cranberry is a must - they recently just expanded the store and have a large assortment of O scale, plus all things hobby related.  Its just off the PA turnpike exit 28 and near I-79.

Brady’s Trains in Greensburg- about 30 mins from Pittsburgh.

Len’s trains and diecast in Irwin- about 30 mins from Pittsburgh.

both stores are in the same direction from Pittsburgh also.

Patrick's Trains in Wheeling is about an hours drive west.

@MartyE posted:

Patrick's Trains in Wheeling is about an hours drive west.

And if you go that far, you might as well visit T&K - just over the river in Bridgeport Ohio.  It's just off I-70, but can be a bit tricky to find.

@MartyE posted:

Patrick's Trains in Wheeling is about an hours drive west.

Patrick's is a great shop, and if traveling from the Pittsburgh direction, you can easily hit a couple of other good shops as well:

T & K Train and Hobby in Bridgeport, OH is only 10 minutes from Patrick's, and Chipper's Trains and Collectibles, inside Washington Crown Center Mall, is right along the way, so you can easily hit all 3 in one trip if timed right (I hit all 3 every time I head to Patrick's, along with Cabela's and Menards in WV if time permits).

Andy

@Casper posted:

Brady’s Trains in Greensburg- about 30 mins from Pittsburgh.

Len’s trains and diecast in Irwin- about 30 mins from Pittsburgh.

both stores are in the same direction from Pittsburgh also.

In addition to Brady's and Len's, Bill and Walt's Hobby Shop in White Oak, PA is in the same general direction from Pittsburgh, and all 3 can be easily visited in one trip in this direction.

Andy

@M J Breen posted:

Hobby Express in Cranberry is a must - they recently just expanded the store and have a large assortment of O scale, plus all things hobby related.  Its just off the PA turnpike exit 28 and near I-79.

And while in this direction, C.T. McCormick, an old-school train shop section inside and old-school hardware store, is only a 15-20 minute drive from Hobby Express.

And if in this direction and in the mood for some 1:1 train activity, you could continue on to the Greenfield Railroad Museum and Park.  The park can be visited pretty much any time -- the hours listed are for the indoor museum and gift shop.

Also in this direction, but a little out of the 90 minute drive window (approximately 2 hours), is the Corner Field Model Railroad Museum & Trading Post Train Shop.  The shop is small, but the layout is huge and well worth a visit.  Be sure to check hours and if open as they sometimes have to close due to family issues or obligations.

If planned and timed properly, all 4 of these places can be visited in a single day trip (start at CF at opening, then Greenfield, CT and then HE).

Andy

@NHVRYGray posted:

I asked this several years back, but things change, shops close etc.  Looking for updates.

What is your recommendation of shops in say a 90 minute radius of Pittsburg.  O scale, 3 or 2 rail is a must, Die Cast and models would be nice, nice old trucks Deopke, Smith Miller, etc) are also a consideration, books are a plus.

What is out there.

Not quite sure where a "misc" question should go.

Hobby Express in Cranberry Township hits nearly all the criteria out of the park.  They have extensively expanded their store a couple of years ago.  The store features:

• A wall of locomotives (HO, O, S, G, N); many, many 3-rail offerings  - Lionel, MTH, Williams, Atlas
• Track systems from Lionel, Atlas, MTH, GarGraves
• Extensive freight cars, passenger cars and train sets
• Scenery and scratch-building materials
• Structure kits and built-ups
• Paints, brushes, glue, solvents
• Foam, balsa, basswood
• Extensive Plastruct, Evergreen, K&S offerings
• Electrical and wiring components
• Plastic models - cars, ships, airplanes
• Diecast - 1:18, 1:24, 1:43, 1:64 vehicles
• R/C planes, boats, trucks - sales and service
• Drones
• Model rockets
• Puzzles - very large jigsaw puzzle selection
• Toys for smaller children
• Science aisle
• Slot cars

Full disclosure:  I used to work there.  However, based on my observations of the surrounding stores, Hobby Express is probably the best equipped hobby store in 3 states.  Very knowledgeable and friendly staff as well.

George

I dig C.T. McCormick also. They're model railroaders themselves and I love that I can do some hardware shopping while I'm there if I need anything.

If we're including 1:1 places, there's also the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum near Washington.