Monday, Jul. 13, 2009
Massachusetts
Photo credit: Charles Ro
There's something quaint about model trains, maybe because they remind us of a time when just watching a toy go around a simple track counted as an evening's entertainment. The Charles Ro Supply Co. in Malden is the country's largest train store — the brick building is the size of many grocery stores — and one of the top Lionel dealers in the world. Charles Ro started the business back in the 1970s as a supplement to his hairdressing business, and it grew from there. Kids especially get a kick out of wandering the aisles stocked with replica cars and watching the various model sets running throughout the store. If only Amtrak had the same allure.