Plasticville & Nostalgia

I never had any Plasticville as a kid. I had hand-me-down Lionel from an older cousin. This was assembled and wired by a neighbor high school kid onto a 4x6 train board. There never was any scenery. I might have had Lionel accessories, I think I had the gateman and the station you could announce out of. But I loved running that train round and around.

I think that's why I have zero interest in modeling. Like Arnold, I love the Plasticville I now own because it looks toy-like. I just love running toy trains, on temporary banquet tables, and I want them to look like toys.

Don't get me wrong, I really love seeing pictures of the marvelous modelers here with Legacy engines and detailed, detailed worlds. It's just fantastic and I do so appreciate it.

But what makes my heart sing is a toy train. Perhaps that's why I'd rather have a Scooby Doo LionChief starter set than a Premier engine. I still buy starter sets--it makes me feel like a kid again.

Tom, the red summer stock theater is an HO structure  but I did not save the box and do not remember the manufacturer.

Leroof, the house with the blue roof and plastic green plants on the front of it is an O scale structure and, again, I have no box and do not remember the manufacturer.

Arnold

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Tom, the red summer stock theater is an HO structure  but I did not save the box and do not remember the manufacturer.

Leroof, the house with the blue roof and plastic green plants on the front of it is an O scale structure and, again, I have no box and do not remember the manufacturer.

Arnold

Revell made few HO structures.  That was one and I also had a newspaper plant and a bakery (same buildings with different fronts and details), a beautiful little train station with a water tank and stand-alone spout, a bank with a vault, and others.

I had forgotten them until I saw your picture, now I have to go hunting.  Curse you, Arnold Cribari, for making me want to go pend more money.  

That particular summer stock playhouse is special to me because my wife loves the theater and acting, and now participates in a virtual acting class. Arnold

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

That particular summer stock playhouse is special to me because my wife loves the theater and acting, and now participates in a virtual acting class. Arnold

In my past life and career, I played several summer stock theatres and indeed ran one for two seasons. I saw that building and was instantly transported back to the 60s'-70s. I need to improvise something for my layout.

Summer stock as we knew it no longer exists. There are only a handful of strawhat theatres still operating. An era gone.

Rollin' through Plasticville at night:

Operating everything in the “evening “ always adds a special touch of magic. Arnold, are you going to add lights to the houses or was everyone asleep already? Thank you for posting.

Arnold,

Looks great. Your outdoor lighting is nicely balanced throughout the layout.

@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:

Operating everything in the “evening “ always adds a special touch of magic. Arnold, are you going to add lights to the houses or was everyone asleep already? Thank you for posting.

Sound asleep. LOL

Arnold - I'd move to your town anytime! I love the little split level in the last scene - think it has room for a layout?

Plasticville is my go to for just about every structure I have. I have a few Marx and K-Line buildings along with a few Lionel but the majority are Plasticville. I like their simpleness , just enough detail to not be totally toy like but not a rivet counters delight by any stretch! Most of mine has been repainted and glued together along with frosted window glazing and insides painted black so I can light them up.

Jerry

This split level house:

Is one of my favorite Plasticville pieces. One reason for that is this, my front to back split level house built in the mid-1950s:

Currently I do not have any Plasticville on my layouts. However, my layout from the 70”s used these beloved structures. Here are a few pics of my cul-de-sac, Freedom Hall park, farm with pasture and my coal yard.

I am working on my "retro" layout, sort of a pandemic project.  It is designed to run all postwar trains since my main layout takes command trains only.  So, of course I needed a farm scene with Plasticville buildings.  Here is the result.  Since we have horses, I had to have them also.  Turns out[, Plasticville didn't have but one horse in their "animal" set.  Then  it dawned on me that Lionel's General horse car used Plasticville horses, so they should be available with parts dealers.  They were an our local Desert Division parts guy furnished me with four.  The other two are watching for a train to go by.

I know Plasticville buildings are scaled somewhere between O and S scale, but didn't realize that if you put a 1:43 car in front of the house, it overwhelms it.  So, a 1:64 turned out to look better.

I only have 2 Plasticville buildings on my layout,  the police and fire stations.  Both  will become some sort of lineside storage facility.  Only the fire  station has a primer coat on it waiting for an appropriate color to mask the stucco. The police station is perfect,  has burglar bars on the windows, I will remove them from the 2nd story. I will frost over all the windows in both buildings so you can't see in. Still deciding on placement of them.

I guess in your opinion I must be some kind of infidel for not keeping them original. LOL.

Most of the building in my “town” are Plasticville, with frosted windows and lighting, but a few need to be done. I also use Lionel and Atlas, and Walthers, too.

Peter - that farm scene is just charming! And the F150 (?) parked out front looks great!

Bill - the term "Infidel" may be a little strong - Plasticville responds very well to kitbashing and upgrades. But still, there's something charming about the pure original.

I'm excited about Plasticville, even off the layout. With 2 granddaughters ages 9 and almost 4, Plasticville structures can be like doll houses for them. This particularly true of the Plasticville Hospital (with the beds, chairs, desk, emergency equipment, gurney, etc.) and the Plasticville Barn with animals.

My master plan is to get my granddaughters hooked on the trains by first getting them hooked on Plasticville.

The Hospital is awesome. Will post photos of it later.

Here we go, the Hospital:

I have most, but not all the hospital furniture. Will add to it when I go on the hunt for it at train shows.

Arnold

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Here we go, the Hospital:

I have most, but not all the hospital furniture. Will add to it when I go on the hunt for it at train shows.

Arnold

Arnold,

Your hospital is amazing! It even comes with a floor plan! Obviously it was built in the 50's since it's just one big ward and not individual rooms. Did it come with room dividers for the restroom or was that up to the modeler?

Everything in white for cleanliness!

Interesting Bachman Plasticville box labeling. Contents is the typical O/S scale Plasticville apartment house.

Note that it says "For use with all HO scale layouts" and then and "O SCALE".

Here is my only piece of Plasticville I currently have on the table.

Bruce, that’s an important piece of Plasticville!

@Rich Wiemann posted:

Currently I do not have any Plasticville on my layouts. However, my layout from the 70”s used these beloved structures. Here are a few pics of my cul-de-sac, Freedom Hall park, farm with pasture and my coal yard.

I don't know what it is but that shade of red on the wall looks great as a backdrop for the layout. Almost like it better than trying to have a blue sky, mountains, clouds, etc... Never in a million years would I pick that color but I love it.

@Don Winslow posted:

Bill - the term "Infidel" may be a little strong - Plasticville responds very well to kitbashing and upgrades. But still, there's something charming about the pure original.

Okay  I  understand,  maybe "sacrilegious " is more appropriate.

Seeing the hospital made me wonder if it also came as a "stripped-down" version without the interior pieces? I remember getting a hospital, manufacturing plant and farm to expand the town when my 1953 4x8  layout was redesigned to encompass an 8x12 L-shaped table in 1959. However, the hospital was just a shell ike most of the other Plasticville buildings on the layout and I don't think Santa would have discarded the interior.

My LHS had the hospital with and without the furniture. I assumed, possibly incorrectly, that the furniture was lost if it wasn't included.

I wish it also came with figures that were sick or injured, and doctors and nurses to treat them.. LOL

Here's what I did with the toll booth and LEDs from Evans Designs

The Plasticville hospital had a number of version with different color lettering. Not all contained the second floor with the furniture. In fact the first version did not have the 2nd floor.

I always wished they had done an O gauge version of their Contemporary house...

It always reminded me of the Brady Bunch house.

Jerry

Plasticville is great! Here is a grocery store that I've made a few exterior modifications to and added an interior and lighting. Currently working on a plasticville post office.

This has always been one of my favorites.

@EastonO posted:

Plasticville is great! Here is a grocery store that I've made a few exterior modifications to and added an interior and lighting. Currently working on a plasticville post office.

IMO, the lights greatly improve the supermarket. Well done.

@howardih posted:

Here's what I did with the toll booth and LEDs from Evans Designs

Awesome!  Now we need a picture of it on your tollway.  LOL.

Another great thread, Arnold.  Just had some time to go through the whole thread properly.  Plasticville is a little before my time but we have a few pieces from shows and generous friends.  There are a lot of interesting and unique pieces as showcased here.  Thank you for sharing everyone!

Some new additions.  Now, where to put them…

Here is my kitbashed plasticville motel.

Plasticville is the best.  Thanks for starting this great thread, Arnold.  My Plasticville became special to me because it was given to me by a friend, who at the age of 15 or so, decided he was too old for trains.  What a treasure trove for a boy like me with his 50-cent a week allowance!

The larger gas station is a little special because it looks so much like the Texaco station where we used to gas up our '46 Plymouth.  On my layout it had to be squeezed onto cheap real estate between RR tracks and a trolley track, necessitating the pumps to be at the right end of the building.

The 5 & 10 was special also, because of the times spent in Woolworth's with their variety of reasonable goods.  Notice the red Plasticville sedan in front, too.

I like details, and the fire station has several added to it - a lot of red cars, including one wreck that the trainees are practicing on.  The Chief's car parked at the side is a Grossman repro of a Marx auto.  That black grillwork seen inside the station is a speaker for a sound module.

Then there is the Colonial House, I think it was called.  Two shots of it- a yard sale out front and gardening in the back.

Keep those shots coming, folks.  This is fun.

From a previous layout:

I have found only few Lionel trains at garage sales but in 2005 I hit a mother load of Plasticville for $2.  It  included an Airport Building, Hanger, Union Station, Hall, Cathedral, 2 story house, Filling Station, Turnpike building, Frosty Drive in stand, and a un-built black Signal Bridge.  I had several Plactiville kits before and now have way too many to fit on my medium size layout but I change them out once in awhile.

Many are on my new train board shown below with a Plastiville town main street, farm and airport.

I have used two coaling tower Plasticville kits to make a modified coaling station tower and a coal mine.

Homemade Operating Coal Mine and Coal Loading Station

Main Train Board with more Plasticville

We love Plastiville around here for my 50's period O27 layout.

To see how I made the layout check the OGR link belowhttps://ogrforum.com/...ra-027-layout?page=1

Post 1 on page one has a Table of Contents to find out where to see how I built a $10 Turntable, Round House, Actionable Touch Track Diagram Control Panels and many homemade cars.

Charlie