“ Even before ( the shutdown ), the bulk of our business was online ,” he says , adding that they regularly ship to countries like New Zealand , Australia and Italy . “ We just sent something to Sweden yesterday .”
The store ’ s biggest seller was an H . K . Porter steam locomotive made by K-Line that sold for $ 100 and features real steam and an engineer likeness in the cab ( the store is out of stock and no more are being made ). “ We ’ ve sold thousands of them ,” McBratney says . The most expensive items include some Lionel steam engines , which can go for $ 2,500 , McBratney says . Many trains have advanced electronics and realistic sound effects , are operated via app , and are replica-perfect down to the graffiti on the cars .
Staff members still work in the 7,000-square-foot retail store and warehouse , answering phones , shipping products and providing curbside deliveries for local customers . Closing to walk-in traffic early in the pandemic made sense , McBratney says , because of the way train hobbyists interact . “ The average client that comes into the store is an older person , and our customers like to hang around and talk at length about trains ,” he says . “ It ’ s a real folksy thing . People are very romantic about it .”
The Western Depot operates out of Sierra Plaza , two buildings totaling 40,000 square feet shared with 15 other tenants that McBratney and his father built in 1991 . McBratney , an only child , learned his father ’ s business but went off on his own , operating telephone companies in Yuba City and Hawaii and a music store in Hawaii . When his father was diagnosed with cancer , McBratney moved back to Yuba City in 2006 to help care for him , taking over the store after he died in 2012 .
“ I had my thing , my dad had his thing ,” McBratney says . “ We worked together , but we were our own boys at the same time . When he fell ill , my deal wasn ’ t that important anymore .”
McBratney is joined in the business by his wife of 40 years , Holly McBratney ; shipping manager Kevin Shelton , with the store for 33 years ; and manager Robert Forren , who has been there 22 years .
McBratney says while retail stores like The Western Depot are becoming fewer in number , he doesn ’ t fear the hobby is in danger of disappearing , with more women interested and model train enthusiasts as passionate as ever . “ It ’ s a lifelong hobby ,” he says of his customers . “ Once they get started , they never stop .”
Steve Martarano was at the Sacramento Union for 10 years before working in public affairs for both state and federal agencies in Sacramento . He is currently a freelance writer and photographer for Comstock ’ s and other publications . On Twitter @ MartArchives .
“ The average client that comes into the store is an older person , and our customers like to hang around and talk at length about trains . It ’ s a real folksy thing . People are very romantic about it .”
Robert McBratney Jr ., owner , The Western Depot
Robert Forren , manager of The Western Depot in Yuba City , fills an order in February . Forren has worked for the store for 22 years .
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