There’s something unforgettable about walking into a model train shop for the first time the shelves stacked with rolling stock, the faint scent of track cleaner, and that buzz of excitement seeing layouts in action.
Do you remember your first visit to a train store?
Was it a small-town hobby shop, a big city landmark, or a pop up stall at a train show?
That first visit is something that sticks with you.
For me, it was a tiny hobby shop tucked away in a strip mall—not much from the outside, but once I stepped in, it was like discovering a secret world. I remember the rows of HO scale locomotives behind the glass counter, the handwritten price tags, and the friendly owner who let me test-run a used GP38 on a loop behind the register. I must have spent an hour just soaking it all in.
The smell of scenery glue, the soft hum of a layout running in the back, and the older modelers chatting by the counter, it was pure magic.
