Large Scale Central

Houses for your train on the cheap?

General Discussion
#1

If you’re not too fussy about what a miniature house should look like, maybe one of these Christmas decoration homes will work. The local CVS drug store has had ‘em in stock and marked down to $9.99. But I’m thinkin’ that maybe on December 26, they’ll be even cheaper, as the few the store has on display haven’t exactly been flying off the shelf. BTW, they appear to be made of tin, so they’ll survive the outdoors. Ya need to “glaze” the windows, though.

Not for me. Just tryin’ to be helpful (I don’t own stock in the company).

#2

Also get bird feeders from Lowes, Home depot, and even pet stores.

I have 10 of these and none were over $20, some less than $10.

Made for outdoors and these last better than the pola and piko buildings I have.

#3

Dan Pierce said:

Also get bird feeders … made for outdoors and these last better than the pola and piko buildings I have.

Very interesting, especially when you consider the hefty price tag on Pola and Piko Buildings. I make most of my structures from recycled, pre-weathered wood and rusty tin, and I leave them unpainted. Let 'em weather au naturel, I say…

There is a problem with this: bugs get into them and start eating 'em, but I find it easy enough to bang together more buildings… Concentrating on operations, I don’t fuss much over scenery, as I guess you can tell, and any structures I do have are industrial buildings directly connected to the railroad operations…

#4

I have 2 plastic bird feeders, one is a station, one a school house. They have clear windows to hold the bird seed in. I’ve had them for a few years so my remembery of the price is vague, but in the Spring they are usually marked down. I even got cheap solar lights and put them in the chimney, which is where one would add the bird seed.

Putting in solar lights, I learned to take them apart and paint the inside white.

#5

It may be my settings but there is no photo in the original post - just a blank square.

#6

Hmm, Al. My screen shows the image I posted, but then it’s my computer that orginated it. I don’t know if others can see it. As for blank squares, I feel yer pain. Where are those computer geeks when ya need 'em. I wuz gonna make a joke about where they are, but then certain people would get mad, I might get set down, etc, etc. Long story short, I can’t help ya Al, or AL, as it says here.

#7

I see the photo just fine.
Ralph

#8

I didn’t see the picture either until I paused Ghostery. It was blocking it.

#9

Those are nice Joe.

I’m going into town tomorrow, so will swing by CVS and check them out.

Good timing too, haven’t bought my Xmas present for myself yet.

Dave

#10

Look good may have to check out our CVS. I have a few from Lowes that have worked great. Later RJD

#11

Ralph, Dave: Checked 'em out this morning, Still the same price, but only three more days 'til after Christmas! BTW, the houses are lighted and have a pretty hefty feel, so they shouldn’t collapse too quickly. They’re about one-foot-plus tall. As I said, I like to build my own so I have no interest in them. Still, for a Christmas tree layout, maybe even outdoors, they’d look pretty cool. Plus ya can’t build 'em that cheap. This not a commercial, just my thoughts. That store (see, I didn’t even name it) gets plenty of our money on pharma, which is where the real dollars are. All that junk for sale in the aisles is just fro$ting on the cake. You can check it.