Model railway manufacturer Bachmann Europe has presented Scottish retailer Harburn Hobbies with its prestigious Retailer of the Year Award for 2023.

The owners of Harburn Hobbies Bob and Gillian Baird and members of their team were presented with their award by Bachmann’s Regional Account Manager, Ron Jones and Head of Sales, Pauline Hinkley.

Harburn Hobbies had already become well-established in Edinburgh before Word War II, originally as a partnership between a Mr Hargreaves and a Mr Burns.

Their shop was named Harburns until 15 July 1959 when the partnership became a limited company and the name was changed to Harburn Hobbies Limited.

In 1966, the Baird family took over the business, where the new owner Bob had started work as a Saturday boy in 1961 in the original shop near the Foot of Leith Walk.

Bob’s wife, Gill, later joined the business before it moved to its current larger premises nearer the city centre in 1978. Although years of construction followed for the tram route from the Airport down Leith Walk to Newhaven, owners Bob and Gill say that the upheaval was worth it, as the McDonald Road Tram Stop is conveniently outside the shop’s front door.

Harburn Hobbies is looking forward to its 90th anniversary as one of Scotland‘s leading model shops. Whilst catering for a variety of hobbies, the shop maintains its strong emphasis on model railways.

The previous winner of Bachmann’s Retailer of the Year award was Great Eastern Models of Norwich.

Earlier this year, Bachmann released new OO scale models of the Brush Type 2 Class 30 and Class 31 diesel locomotives in its Branchline range.

I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit the store and present this award to Harburn Hobbies who have been supporters of all things Bachmann for many years. T

heir professionalism, vast product knowledge and dedication to the hobby are all so evident from every member of their team, and I’m sure this is the key to their longevity and success.

I wish them many more years of providing excellent service to the people of Britain and beyond.

Pauline Hinkley, Bachmann Head of Sales

Gill, Grahame, Ann and I, and all the team at Harburn Hobbies were very proud and delighted to be awarded the Bachmann Retailer of the Year 2023. Harburns dates back to the 1930s and was incorporated as a Private Limited Company in 1959, with the Baird family acquiring the business in 1966.

We have dealt with Bachmann UK since they started and have endeavoured to give the best service to our customers, be it in the shop, over the phone or through our internet site. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers both local, national, or indeed international who have bought Bachmann products from us, and we thank them for their support and encouragement over the many years

With Edinburgh being such a famous tourist destination, we’re always very happy to welcome customers from around the UK and the world. Now it couldn’t be more convenient to visit the shop since the extended tram service from the Airport takes you straight to the shop door – just alight at “McDonald Road” (Harburn Halt)! Once again, very many thanks Bachmann for this award!

Bob Baird, owner of Harburn Hobbies