Clinging to each other like the carriages of a sleeper train, the six letters of the sign clearly announce things. Here, it's about "Trains" and nothing else. More precisely: miniature electric trains, a childish hobby that smacks of nostalgia.
“The golden age was the 1970s,” recognizes Maurice Citerne. “At the time, all the kids played there. At Christmas, we sold the equivalent of an entire truckload. Today, children only swear by video games,” observes the merchant without passing any moral judgment on this development. Times change, that's all.
“My parents arrived on Boulevard du Temple in 1962, coming from Charenton,” he says. Initially, the store was a hardware bazaar. Quite quickly, they only kept the toy business. Then the store focused exclusively on model trains. » For four decades, Maurice Citerne has been in charge of the store.
We suspect: business is no longer what it used to be. But “Trains” is resisting, thanks to enthusiasts, who are generally over fifty and some of whom are SNCF employees.
“We are one of five stores of this type still existing in Paris,” explains the owner of the premises, from whom customers obtain their supplies of wagons, locomotives, scenery for landscapes (houses, level crossings, trees) as well as specialized magazines (Loco revue, Ferrovissime, etc.).
On Saturdays, the small community of miniature enthusiasts meets in or in front of “Trains” to talk about such a set of three long-line sleeper cars “Simplon Orient express” from the German brand Märklin (around €300), such a dining car at 70 € from the Italian manufacturer Acme or even such diesel locomotive BB67349 from the French Jouef – a model which will fetch around 250 €.
What do these toys have in common? All are “made in China”. Other than that, and aside from a few technological improvements – like locomotives that simulate the sound of real engines and internally lit carriages – things haven't changed much in the model train business. And one thing remains perfectly intact: the passion of the grown-up children who attend “Trains”.
Trains
21, Bd du Temple, 75003 Paris
Closed Monday and Sunday
Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. then from 14:15 p.m. to 19 p.m.
Tel: 01 42 78 00 16
Text and photos: Axel G.
29.09.21
