Two more new locos

[DSY011]

I was given a gift voucher for the Load & Butler 10th Anniversary weekend in Cardiff for Fathers Day. There were 7 layouts set up in the shop and a Dirty Boy dept, a custom weathering service.
I picked up a new Bachmann C39 for just £45:00 and a J72 in BR black for £15:00. The both run well at high and very low speed. Also got 2 BR 26Ton Ore wagons with different running numbers for £8:00.
In the shop next door, they were selling 1.72 scale vehicles for £2:50 each or 3 for a fiver. I had 2 Series III LWB Land Rovers, and a LWB Land Rover Defender.
Went back to the daughter's home to enjoy a BBQ and a good evening before returning to Bristol.

[swisstrains]

Excuse my ignorance Syd but what is Load & Butler?
It certainly sounds good

[DSY011]

Load & Butler is the main model railway shop in Cardiff. In fact it is 2 shops. One shop near the city centre deals mainly in 'N' gauge, but carries a fair stock of '00' and other gauges. The other shop is on the out skirts of the city in an old pump house. The pump house is a lot of antiques shops , but down on one floor is The Lord & Butlers other and older shop. It stocks just about everything you need for model railways. It has been going for 10 years now, hence the anniversary weekend with all the offers. Most stock was 20% off, and some was a bit more. They also had a good stock of second hand railway items. I just wish I had taken some more money with me but thank heavens I did not take my Credit Card.

[swisstrains]

Thanks Syd.
Decent model railway shops are sadly few and far between nowadays. I always try to visit "real" shops whenever I can but very few stock European models so I invariably end up buying mail-order.

[thetriangman]

Decent model shops are indeed becoming a rarity, eBay, the likes of the big discounters like the Hattons, Rails etc of this world, the internet and the downturn have all taken their toll.

If you read the hornby forum, most people on there think the small-large model shop makes a mint, but that is far from the case.

To keep a bricks and mortar model shop open today you need mega bucks. I have been looking at it as I want to start up myself, but I am staying internet and toyfair based. The overheads for a proper bricks and mortar model shop are crippling!

To compete with the big discounters you make a mere 5% on train sets and 10% on other stuff. The big boys get 25% off the trade list price so you start on an uneven market.

An example is shown here, trade list to the ordinary small-large trader for a Hornby R.1085 Local Frieght Set is £30.80+VAT, which works out at £36.19. The big boys sell that set out at £38.99. To compete with the big boys and get the business I have to sell the same set out at £37.99 which means the average trader makes just £1.80 Gross profit on the set. The big boys buy the set in massive bulk from the likes of Hornby at trade £30.80-25%(their special discount)+VAT=£27.14 net. The big boys make £11.85 gross profit!

People go to the big boys primarily because they are cheap and will undercut anyone else. Ebay has killed the secondhand market for the small model shop, with most people buying used items off EBay.

It's a tough world out there. Swisstrains has the right idea! My advice is the same, use your local model shop or loose it they are becoming a rare beast, it's as simple as that!

[DSY011]

Apart form The Lord and Butler in Cardiff, which I have already said is a very good Model shop, I have 3 other shops even closer to me. All 3 are in Bristol. About half a mile from my home is Modelmania. It is run by Brian Tozer and his wife. Both are very well up on model railways and road vehicles. they have a good stock and will go out of their way to get anything you may want if it is not in stock. they have 'n', '00', 'HO' 'O' and a few others gauges also. They are also keen to help with questions and problems.
The next closest shop to me is Antics which is about a mile from me, in the city centre. They are more a model aircraft shop in Bristol, but do have about a third of the shop set aside to model railways. They have a good stock of track, locos, coaches and wagons in both '00' and 'N' gauge, but not a lot of other things like buildings, people etc. Not a bad shop when it comes to price.
The last shop in Bristol is about 3 miles from me but it is on my way home from work. It is the 'Gloucester Model Warehouse' in the Southmead area of Bristol. It carries a large stock of mixed equipment and rolling stock as well as a good range of spares and scenic material. They also have a chip fitting service and layout building service.
I try to use all the local shops as I find unless there is a very good offer from an online shop, by the time I have paid for the post and insurance, I could have had it the same day at about the same cost as on the net. I can also test the locos in the shop before I buy it and don't have to wait days for a replacement if all is not well. Two of the shops also sell on web sites and if I go in and say ' but you sell it for £?:?? on the net, I get it for the net price anyway.

[lnwr20]

Has anyone been to Hereford Model shop they sell mostly british diesel & steam but also european also Amreican. Real good stock of second hand as well both track & stock i use this model shop when i need anything if they haven`t got it they`ll get it for you asap.phill

[paul miller]

Hi Syd,
When I visit my daughter in Cardiff I always pay a visit to Lord and Butler at the Pumping Station. As well as being a great shop the location in the old pumping station is amazing. All tiles and lovely cast iron staircases, you know what I mean from an era when we used to construct proper buildings.
Local to me in Derby C&B Models is someone I use a lot.
Paul.

[DSY011]

The Hereford Model shop is one I hope to visit soon as it is not that far from Bristol and has a good reputation. I have only been to Hereford once and found myself under armed guard. The wife and I went to a friends wedding at the SAS officers mess. Not allowed to go into detail of the guard, but it was the safest wedding I have ever been to.
Paul, you are absolutely right about The Pump House, Its like an Aladdin's cave when it comes to Victorian antiques. There is so much in the Lord and Butler model railway shop that it feels crowded with just 3 people in there, yet I have seen as many 15 people in the shop. Somehow everyone seems quite happy to be in the company of other railway enthusiast fans.