Delaware County shop inspires fond memories for generations of train enthusiasts

BROOMALL, Pa. (WPVI) -- This time of year can be very nostalgic. The sights, the smells, the traditions - and in one Broomall mom-and-pop shop, it's the sounds that bring about fond memories.

For more than a century, the name Nicholas Smith has been synonymous with trains of every shape and size - the kinds of sets that put a twinkle in the eyes of both the young and grown.

And not just any trains.

"We have been buying trains from Lionel since 1909. We are their oldest account on record," said owner, Christopher Gans.

And that's where the story starts, with a train enthusiast.

"He was an electrician and his name was Nicholas Smith and he started selling Lionel trains in 1909," said Gans.

And it was born in the heart of Center City.

"It's homegrown, that's where it started at 11th and Arch on the corner," said Gans.

They've been in Broomall now for more than 50 years, but little else has changed to build the train sets dreams are made of.

They have collector's items, like an old Wannamaker car and they get old cars back on track.

And if you're up for an upgrade, they can help with that, too.

Downstairs there's a whole toy shop where the shelves stacked with everything from dolls to dinosaurs and legos. It's nostalgic and in many ways, the last of its kind.

"There are no more train shops. They are all gone, there were a lot of mom-and-pop train shops but they all went out of business," said Gans.

But here, it's still very much - all aboard!

"111 years of trains and still running," said Gans.

Nicholas Smith also does internet and mail order, shipping to hundreds of customers a day all around the globe from right here in Broomall.