Hobby shop serves model railroaders, and more

East Kildonan

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/08/2023 (781 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was strange to see the long lines of a railway track growing across the stucco walls of a building that had been a white-walled corner store since I was little. Then the outline of a train appeared, growing more complete each day. Suddenly, cheerful frogs inhabited the scene.

The mural is as charming as anything you will find inside the store. Frog and Diamond Hobbyworks features everything for the model-train enthusiast and diorama builders, and more.

Model trains of many sizes and from many railroad eras can be found here, along with a section for model airplanes.

Owner Tony Prud’homme also repairs model trains. With many people coming in to sell, he has many parts in stock, even for uncommonly scaled or rare models. Hobbyists build train sets with highly creative and sophisticated landscapes that sometimes take up almost their entire basements, and Prud’homme serves their unique needs. Need a period electric light or a floating water barge for your project? A grain elevator? Variously scaled train tracks? A community water tank?

You will also find books on the subject, all types of paint, weathering powders, a “clear parts cement and window maker” that looks like a glue gun, all sorts of foliage, and much more. Filmmakers who use miniatures for backdrops and war games enthusiasts who make their own dioramas also shop here.

The phrase ‘Frog and Diamond’ refers to the shapes some train tracks make when they are switched. Prud’homme demonstrated by holding up model train tracks that looked exactly like a diamond, then some shaped like frogs’ feet.

Many remember the shop at 301 Bowman Ave. as the long-time Kildonan Pets store.

“The proprietor left a really good legacy,” Prud’homme said. “People still come in here looking for tropical fish”.

It is a delight just to browse the store, and you will be treated to free coffee or soda.

When artist Stephen Dueck stopped in one day, a conversation with Prud’homme turned into a commission to create a mural on the store’s exterior. Both were enthused by Prud’homme’s concept of a frog taking a picture of train, but Dueck suggested the photo be depicted as a selfie, with the rolling train in the background.

On the Brazier Street wall, a silver grain car is tagged with the words ‘Frog and Diamond’ in swirling, sparkling graffiti amid shining diamonds. The selfie-taking frog faces onto Bowman Avenue as a conductor frog happily waves to him.

The cheerful creatures adorning both walls welcome you to come in.