Can someone identify this structure?

I'm gonna guess its homemade. The saw marks on the roof and the sanding or filing of the underside edges of the roof would lead me to believe someone cut and deburred a sheet of something to make it.

@Just Havin' Fun posted:

Hello to everyone on the forum,

At a train show last weekend, I bought this building. See the attached photos. It was cheap and I was quite intrigued by it. I'd never seen one before. The seller knew nothing about it except to say his Dad had it since he was a kid in the early 1950s.

It measures 4.5" wide, 3" deep, and 2.75" tall at its tallest point. It looks to have the original paint on it and it's decorated with vintage advertisements for Chicklets gum on the back and RKO Theaters and Philip Morris on each side. It says "Local Trains Stop On Signal" above the opening. Inside, it looks like something on the left side near the front has broken off.

The more I look at, the more I like it. Does anybody know what this is? Was it made commercially or is it homemade? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

Tom

It's postwar American flyer. Not sure of the number.

Thanks, Richard. I knew a lot of you guys would know. It looks good on my layout, but it is a bit small.

Tom

They were made by Minicraft for American Flyer. I believe the one you have is the station stop shelter. Looks like the bench is missing. Early 1950's. Part of a 3 structure set #271.

I have one on my O gauge layout. It's American Flyer and a bit undersized but I think it works OK next to my station. I printed the name sign from a news stand I remember from my younger days in Williamsport, PA.

Bob

I have two of these building that were in very sad shape.

With some care, glue, paint and home made signage they now occupy places on my layout.

Thanks again to all who replied. The way Bob and Dan have rehabbed their structures, they really do look better than mine does now. It looks like a transformation to a newsstand is fairly straightforward. Great ideas, guys.

Looks like great minds follow the same pattern!

I had a similar orphan, a nicely detailed but plain brown (and broken) plastic newsstand I acquired as a leftover part of a set I bought for one specific item. At first I was unsure what to do with it, but I ended up repairing, repainting and adding some further detail to it, and it now has a place of honor in the elevated trolley station: