Model trains line up at Depot

Shop that caters to railfans once aspired to be a hotel

Sunday, June 24, 2007

By JOHN R. PULLIAM

The Register-Mail

GALESBURG - Business may not be as brisk as it once was at Depot Hobby Shop, 180 S. Seminary St., but it's still the premier location in Galesburg for serious fans of model trains.

JoAnn Black, who manages the store, said it opened in 1979. The store across the street from the Amtrak depot has been there almost from the beginning of Railroad Days. This is the 30th anniversary of Galesburg's celebration of its rail heritage. In fact, the former brick depot, with the big city feel, still stood when the store opened.

Black said her husband, George Black, who also works at the hobby store, was part owner of Black's Hardware, which closed in 1978. It was located at Seminary and Main streets, about two blocks from Depot Hobby Shop. Meanwhile, Ray's Hobby Shop in 4-L Plaza sold out in 1978. Ray Johansen, who owned the store in 4-L Plaza, came to work at Depot Hobby Shop. JoAnn Black said Johansen managed the store for about 10 years.

The couple's son, Rob Black, also works at Depot Hobby Shop.

It's appropriate that this store, which has launched many children and adults into the hobby of model trains over the years, was built by two railroad men. George Black said that in the early 1920s, the men saw a six-story hotel in Stevens Point, Wis. They liked it and decided to build its twin at the corner of Seminary and Tompkins streets. He said the men had the plans, but they also had something else, the foresight to see the approaching Great Depression.

"With the Depression obviously coming, they decided that (the hotel) would not be a great thing to have," George Black said.

Instead, the one-story building that houses the hobby shop was all that was built. It later housed a number of businesses, including a DeSoto dealership.

It only takes a little imagination to see the store as a hotel lobby, however.

"All the woodwork we have is from that time," JoAnn said.

While the economy has hurt business some, George Black is philosophical, saying "it kind of goes in cycles."

His wife thinks changes in society may be the cause of the current downturn in business.

"I think part of it is hobbies have changed so much," JoAnn said. "Kids get into computer games."

That's not to say the store is not able to excite a railfan, however. Although inventory is down, the Blacks have plenty of catalogs with a wide variety of trains and accessories. No surcharge is placed on special orders.

"We can get any new cars within two days," JoAnn said. "There are several ways we can help out that the big-box stores can't."

Some readers may be scratching their heads, thinking about the giant model train show each year at Carl Sandburg College. And, that continuing interest in little locomotives is encouraging for the Blacks. A concern, however, is "it's not a kid's hobby now," George said. "The kid has gray hair."

There are still railroad magazines for sale. Fewer than at one time, but still more than at most, if not all, locations in Galesburg.

"We used to get about 25," JoAnn said. "Now we get about six."

The hobby shop is usually closed on Sunday, but is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day during Railroad Days. It's worth it for railfans just to take a look around.

For instance, the CB and Q's Denver Zephyr, built by the late Henry Adams, sits on a ledge at the north side of the store. The 1/4-inch to 1-foot scale train is a thing of beauty. Adams converted freight locomotives into passenger locomotives, and "he handmade the cars himself," JoAnn said.

There are glorious observation cars, each lovingly constructed cars authentic to those of the Denver Zephyr.

"That's one of a kind," JoAnn said.

When Adams died, his son said the train could stay on display. The son now also has died, but the family continues to leave the train in its place of honor, near where the real Denver Zephyr once passed through Galesburg.

There are other delights. One red freight car, which is for sale, includes tiny lettering that says, "When empty, return to the CB and Q, Galesburg, Ill."

Virtually every Railroad Days poster and brochure is on display, along with a model freight train pulled by a steam engine.

But, this is a store, not a museum. There are railroad T-shirts for sale, as well as hats and cups. There are postcards showing colorful pictures of vintage trains, such as an engine from the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio, which became part of the Illinois Central Gulf. In 1999, the Illinois Central Gulf was absorbed by the Canadian National Railway Co.

For hobbyists looking for something different than trains, there are model kits ranging from ships and planes to The Incredible Hulk. There are supplies for coin collectors, which JoAnn said some customers said can't be found at other stores in Galesburg. You can even buy an ant farm.

Still, this is a railroader's store.

"I can remember when I was little and the Denver Zephyr came through," JoAnn Black said. "We'd get an ice cream cone and watch it go by. That was our entertainment. Things change."