Bruce stated that he spent $345.50 over the years at Bruce's.

In the Pittsburgh area, AB Charles & Son has been the major local hobby shop. When I first moved to Pittsburgh 20+ years ago, it had a great selection of stuff. However, as I have been more of a fan than a modeler, my purchases tended to be magazines, books and calendars. Sometimes I purchased HO-scale models such as a brass Great Northern caboose or an Athearn WP F7/GP7 set in the Special Edition series.

I never went over only to stand around talking to people, although once or twice I chatted with the store staff and/or other patrons.

During my last visit (around May or June), there was very little merchandise in stock. There was a clearance sale of which I was unaware. I was surprised that I could not even purchase a transformer - a rather basic piece of model railroad equipment.

I don't have the sales receipts for my purchases, but I estimate that I've spent $600 - $700 over the past twenty years. This discussion leads me to wonder, what is an amount that hobbyists should spend at their local hobby shops? While I'm sure that some will say I've spent too little, again keep in mind I'm a Rio Grande/SP/SOO Line/Milwaukee Road/WP/Great Northern fan living in the East.