Top Slots & Trains closing

I'd just like to join with others to express my sadness at the possible closing of Top Slots. I have bought a lot of Pola kits from them since I started in the hobby. Their prices were excellent. Best wishes are extended to the owner for the future.
Trevor
 
Passed there tonight on the tram and the 'TO LET' boards are up. Jack at Jobstoys tells me that the deals that used to be around have gone and heavy discounting with it.
Rent shown as £20k with rates at £11.25k and that's before you earn a crust!
 
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kim said:
Rent shown as £20k with rates at £11.25k and that's before you earn a crust!
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That sort of price has the unpleasant smell of greed about it. The owner is probably hoping to turn the premises into dwellings
 
There may be some light at the end of the tunnel for topslots. A few times in recent email conversations Darren has mentioned resuming the business from home, perhaps just for G-scale stuff not the slot cars. A "gentleman's club" he referred to it as. He couldn't maintain the same local stock levels but I said as far as I was concerned as long as he could still offer the prices he used to I wouldn't mind waiting while he stocked up from wherever.
Not sure there are many gentlemen on here but if you would like to express your support for such an idea you could ping Darren on topslots (at) btinternet (dot) com
 
idlemarvel said:
It is very sad. They were the only UK retailer who came anywhere close to matching continental prices, and their service was second to none. They will be missed. I'm not sure what has precipitated the closure, does anyone know?
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Probably like everywhere else. People are buying online and young chaps are more interested in video games. Then there is Rapido Trains out of Toronto. They seem to be bucking the trend. They specialize in N and HO scale high end and detail models. My Rapido Turbo Train is sold and off to Halifax today is the plan. They are coming out with a newer better version.
 
idlemarvel said:
There may be some light at the end of the tunnel for topslots. A few times in recent email conversations Darren has mentioned resuming the business from home, perhaps just for G-scale stuff not the slot cars. A "gentleman's club" he referred to it as. He couldn't maintain the same local stock levels but I said as far as I was concerned as long as he could still offer the prices he used to I wouldn't mind waiting while he stocked up from wherever.
Not sure there are many gentlemen on here but if you would like to express your support for such an idea you could ping Darren on topslots (at) btinternet (dot) com
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Well for what it is worth all that I bought from Topslots was on line so whether he was working from shop or home would have been irrelevant to me. Even if stuff not available within a day or so would not have mattered either. Just an acknowledgement of order and approximate delivery would work just fine for me, so that would work just as well if he carries on with the business at home.
 
Dave, isn't the email address topslotsntrains (at) btinternet (dot) com?

I've sent him an email of encouragement to go online. KGR are there already, of course.
 
I know we hate to see things go or close down. But sometimes it is just time to say goodbye. He might of thought that before he closed shop. Sarnia lost it's only hobby shop a few years ago. It was run by a Scotsman. I just posted on another site that Sarnia has no more comercial flights. It might be time to close it down as well. Our city spends 500 000 c on that airport every year.
 
So the good news is topslots'n'trains is resuming business. He has managed to create space at home all be it small in comparison, so he will be continuing with gscale.
Stocks will be low to start while he shifts other lines to make space. Big ticket items will generally be to order. He'll be moving over the next couple of weeks and then will start updating website with the new items that will be released this year etc. This all came from Darren himself, I am passing it on with his permission.
 
Excellent news!
 
There's been a skip outside the shop most of last week, last passed on Saturday, so I guess Darren is almost done.
 
I placed an order with TopSlots last week. Nearly everything on the website is listed as being on "back order" as he holds little stock now and gets everything from Gaugemaster (PIKO UK distributor) I believe but a lot cheaper. In my case a Bo-Bo diesel 37568 which Gaugemaster have at £475 and TopSlots price was £368. I don't know how he does it but I'm glad he does! Took 8 days from order to delivery. Apart from the longer delivery times it seems normal service has been resumed.
 
idlemarvel said:
I placed an order with TopSlots last week. Nearly everything on the website is listed as being on "back order" as he holds little stock now and gets everything from Gaugemaster (PIKO UK distributor) I believe but a lot cheaper. In my case a Bo-Bo diesel 37568 which Gaugemaster have at £475 and TopSlots price was £368. I don't know how he does it but I'm glad he does! Took 8 days from order to delivery. Apart from the longer delivery times it seems normal service has been resumed.
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In last week or two got a couple of Piko Battery RC units, service as always.
 
JimmyB said:
Just ordered some N Gauge bits for my X**s layout, cheaper than anywhere else (including evilbay), one item on back order, so we will see how that goes, but I am confident :)
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I got a fair bit of my Kato N tram stuff from TnS, much cheeper than elsewhere except for the odd end of line knocked out at discount at Shows.
 
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