About us

Hi - I'm Ben. I founded Tri-State Trains in 2023 after 15 years in finance.

I like to tell a story about Christmas 1991. I was almost 6 years old, and one present was my first R/C car. I was so excited. But, by the early afternoon, I had the car disassembled because I wanted to see how it worked. My parents were less than thrilled, especially when I couldn't get it back together! From this story, it's clear that I've always been interested in mechanical and electronic things, and model trains certainly fits!

Tri-State Trains was formed as a digital-first hobbyshop focused on modern Lionel, MTH and other model train brands. We source new and pre-owned items from around the country, and then we fully test, clean and repair as needed, and then sold to hobbyists and collectors for a fair price.

We started as an eBay store, but now we've quickly grown into a multi-channel retailer. We launched our own eCommerce site in 2024 and now attend some of the country's largest train shows. We also have near-term aspirations of opening a brick-and-mortar retail experience in either Pennsylvania or New Jersey.

We are proud TCA members (22-76396) and TTOS members.

We can be contacted at the information below

Tri-State Trains & Games LLC
ben@trainsandgames.com
(201) 383-5833