About Us
Papa Ben's Train Place is a model train hobbyist's dream in Houston, Texas. We maintain a large inventory of starter sets, engines, freight and passenger cars, track, electronics, building kits, scenery materials, detailing parts, paints, books, and magazines. Anything from Z to G! Inside you find helpful, friendly staff, ready to assist you with whatever you need. Don't hesitate to ask questions.
Store Hours
| Monday: | 10am - 6pm |
| Tuesday: | 10am - 6pm |
| Wednesday: | 10am - 6pm |
| Thursday: | 10am - 6pm |
| Friday: | 10am - 6pm |
| Saturday: | 10am - 5pm |
| Sunday: | closed (noon - 5pm during the months of November & December only) |
Contact Information
4007 Bellaire Blvd, Suite E, Houston, Texas 77025
During business hours (see above), please call us at either of these numbers:
(713) 523 - 5600 (after hours, feel free to leave a message)
(713) 858 - 3047
Stay Up-to-date
Our web site supports RSS (Really Simple Syndication), which you can
integrate into your web browser, so that you can quickly see what we've changed on our web site. Click on the icon on the right, and your web browser will do the
rest. If your browser doesn't have support for RSS feeds, check these links:
Add-on Extension for Firefox web browser
Add-on Extension for Google Chrome web browser
Add-on Extension for Opera web browser
Windows 10 Edge web browser does not support RSS feeds
Our History
Papa Ben's Train Place opened its doors in June 2002 at its original location (a renovated theater). It was started by famed N-scale model railroader, Ben Pearlman. When Ben unexpectedly passed away, Ben's brother, Allyn, bought the store from Ben's widow, and continues to run it today. In late 2008, the theater was sold, so the store moved to its present location. Although the store is smaller than before, it offers ample parking, which was always a bit of a challenge at the old location. Because of that, some of our larger products are kept in storage, so if you don't find something in the store, be sure to ask.
Store Features
In-store Layout
As you enter the store, on your right is a finished, working layout. It features dedicated tracks for N, HO, O (Lionel), and G scales.
Houston N'Crowd Layout
Papa Ben's Train Place is proud to host the "Houston N'Crowd" model railroad club's permanent layout right in the store. The layout is open to visitors when the store is open, however, trains only run most Saturdays between 10am and 3pm.
Books & Magazines
We stock all the latest (and some older) books and magazines. The book rack, along with a nice seating area, are found to your left as you enter the store.
Inventory
Our inventory is constantly changing, so if you are looking for something specific, call or e-mail us. We specialize in train sets, Lionel trains, garden trains, (of course) HO- and N-scale products, and consignment sales. We also carry a large collection of detailing parts, paints, and tools. No layout is complete without scenery, so you will find on our shelves such items as trees, bushes, ground foam, water-making materials, ballast, etc. We also carry track and rail for various scales and rail heights. Structures (kits and pre-built) and electronics (components, parts, and DCC systems) are also always in-stock items.
Our Web Site
Our site was created (and launched when the store opened) by Fourth Ray Software. The company continues to maintain the site. We post our most active products on the web site, but we don't list every product. Items such as scenery items, which are generally in stock at all times, are not listed here. So, if you don't see something on the web site, be sure to contact us.
We don't offer an online shopping cart, for the simple reason that a lot of products shown on the web site (especially consignment items) we have only one in stock, and so are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Also, a number of entries are reservations. All of our products shown on this web site do have an e-mail link, which when you click it, will start an e-mail message to us with all the available details of the product. This makes it easy for you to communicate in which product you are interested, and for us to quickly find if we still have it in stock. Please come by the store, or contact us via e-mail or by phone to make arrangements for finalizing the payment. We ship world-wide!