# 1950's Plasticville relevant in a layout anymore?



## Togatown

When I bought my core post-war collection, the seller threw in a lot of mid-1950's Plasticville buildings. Most are in great shape complete and in the original boxes, but I can't ever see using them in a layout myself, and wonder does anyone use this stuff anymore?


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## gunrunnerjohn

I still see Plasticville used, there's nothing at all wrong with it. Remember, it's your RR, and you get to build and operate in any way that pleases you.


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## Togatown

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I still see Plasticville used, there's nothing at all wrong with it. Remember, it's your RR, and you get to build and operate in any way that pleases you.


Thanks John, It's just that I see all these incredibly detailed layouts with much more realistic structures that I really like, and wonder if I should just try to sell this stuff.

I did use some of it under the Christmas tree in my office this year and it looked nice there,


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## gunrunnerjohn

Gosh, we use ceramic buildings for our Christmas layout, I think they look great. I do this for fun, when it stops being fun, I'll stop doing it!


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## Big Ed

Togatown said:


> When I bought my core post-war collection, the seller threw in a lot of mid-1950's Plasticville buildings. Most are in great shape complete and in the original boxes, but I can't ever see using them in a layout myself, and wonder does anyone use this stuff anymore?


Sure there are, some build a whole layout using Plasticville. Some are worth more than others, with a box all the more better.
plasticvillemayor built one,





There are more posted in the site, I don't have the time to search right now.

Nuttin But Flyer, was looking for some a while back, he might be interested as would others.
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=17672&highlight=plasticville

I think they are more size suited for an S scale layout, but there are O people who build the whole layout with them.

Why don't you put them up for sale in our for sale forum?
(rules state you must post a starting price, you can add or best offer)


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## Togatown

Good sentiments and advice. I'm going to go through and catalog it all and then decide what to do with it. If I decide to sell it, I'd prefer it go to a train person that might use it in a layout.


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## PennsyFan

I like a lot of the Plasticville stuff. I'm working on a small hill behind my downtown and I'll have a short street with the Cathedral, colonel house, and split level house. With the Plasticville house being a little smaller than O, I think it will give a more visual depth.









This is probably my favorite Plasticville building, I'll eventually have interior and lighting installed without harming the original condition.


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## eljefe

Convenient timing. I was just looking at Plasticville building within the past week for use in a Christmas display for kids. What is appealing is it seems they can be had at pretty reasonable prices compared to other structures.

I also found a couple sites you may find useful in researching what you have.

http://www.tandem-associates.com/plasticville/plasticville_parts.htm

http://plasticvillekitsforsale.webs.com/

There are some rare items that can be worth a lot. There are also serious collectors who specialize in Plasticville just like there are those who collect Lionel trains.


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## ErnestHouse

Thanks for the links. Never realized the plastic pink Motel I have always hated actually has some pedigree. :laugh:


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## Dave Sams

PennsyFan said:


> This is probably my favorite Plasticville building, I'll eventually have interior and lighting installed without harming the original condition.


My favorite too! I have 2. One has an interior fitted out and lit with yellow LEDs. The other will be modified. I saw a nice Highway Patrol post made out of one. A flashing light on the antenna is also on my very long To Do list.

One thing I like about the radio station is it takes the viewer to the outskirts of town. And, it takes me back to the days when I had a short radio program.

The end of:http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=26120&page=2 shows my radio station with lights and interior.


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## PennsyFan

The lights look good, Dave. I haven't worked on this area yet, but I'm planning doing more scenery along with interior and LEDs. I'd like to find a model of a blue Citroen to park outside of the station to mock American Graffiti when Curt when to see Wolfman Jack.


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## Tucgary

I'm still looking for a deal on one to do a WKRP building. From the late 70's but everyone would identify. I was going to use ceramic buildings but Plasticville buildings just started following me home. I enjoy them takes me back to that first layout. Tucgary


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## Dave Sams

PennsyFan said:


> The lights look good, Dave. I haven't worked on this area yet, but I'm planning doing more scenery along with interior and LEDs. I'd like to find a model of a blue Citroen to park outside of the station to mock American Graffiti when Curt when to see Wolfman Jack.


Yellow LEDs make a warm interior light. White ones make it look like a surgery suite.


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## Dave Sams

Tucgary said:


> I'm still looking for a deal on one to do a WKRP building. From the late 70's but everyone would identify. I was going to use ceramic buildings but Plasticville buildings just started following me home. I enjoy them takes me back to that first layout. Tucgary


Being in Cincinnati, I like the WKRP idea. I had a weekly broadcast on a station in Minnesota for about 2 years and would like to change the Plasticville letters to WELY.


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## josef

Here's my Plasticville Service Station I made changes to to make it similar to Joe Oake's station in my home town. It sits next to a Woodland Building with no problem as to size. I have several other Plasticville buildings that fit in.


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## Tucgary

The Plasticville Fire Department building can be worked into many variations for your layout.

They can be bought for cheap and just grind off the lettering. The cars in front and inside are 1/43. The cars on the side are 1/64. 

This one I made into a paint shop named for my car painting grandson Jordan. Tucgary


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## Caen Hill Locks

Forgive my ignorant eyes (I'm new to all this), but those buildings look great to me. What is the criticism?

I can see they look a little flat. If I were using them I would wash some shadowed brown or bluish paint over them to bring out details and paint some more subtle highlights. But overall they look nice.


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## Big Ed

Caen Hill Locks said:


> Forgive my ignorant eyes (I'm new to all this), but those buildings look great to me. What is the criticism?
> 
> I can see they look a little flat. If I were using them I would wash some shadowed brown or bluish paint over them to bring out details and paint some more subtle highlights. But overall they look nice.


Criticism?
Looks more like a discussion to me?
I don't see anyone bashing them?

Plasticville has a huge following. Some have whole layouts with them.

I have a bunch, but not on the layout, as I mentioned the Plasticville are a tad too small for O scale modelers. I think they are better suited on a S scale layout. But the S scale people might not agree?

You are right about the coloring, but that is what attracts some collectors to them in the first place. 

Discussion not criticism? 
But then again, any discussion is open to criticism or there might not be any discussion.

By the way welcome to the site, feel free to criticize my discussion in this post if you want.


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## Caen Hill Locks

I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything harsh by it. I'm afraid I came across too strongly.

I work in the arts, where the word "criticism" isn't entirely negative. It means more of a detailed investigation of the art itself.

Mostly I was trying to work out why anyone _wouldn't_ want to use these in a layout, since my untutored eyes don't see anything off about them.

The first poster said something like that, and I was trying to figure out why.

I apologize for my ignorance, and for coming across more strongly than I intended. This is all rather new to me.


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## Big Ed

Caen Hill Locks said:


> I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything harsh by it. I'm afraid I came across too strongly.
> 
> I work in the arts, where the word "criticism" isn't entirely negative. It means more of a detailed investigation of the art itself.
> 
> Mostly I was trying to work out why anyone _wouldn't_ want to use these in a layout, since my untutored eyes don't see anything off about them.
> 
> The first poster said something like that, and I was trying to figure out why.
> 
> I apologize for my ignorance, and for coming across more strongly than I intended. This is all rather new to me.


That is OK, you will never know if you don't ask. 

That is his opinion. Maybe it is the size of them? But I think maybe it is the realism?
Some would never even think about adding them to a layout if they were going to try to make everything look real.

For those doing a true toy train layout from the 50's or 60's Plasticville was the norm. Plus they were sold fairly cheap.

I guess it comes down to, to each his own?
And this is just my opinion. I am sure others have different opinions.

Some, depending on how many were produced and the condition and if you have the box are worth a good buck.

Like I said I have a bunch, still in the boxes. I might add them somewhere one day if I figure out where.


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## dsertdog56

I didn't know they were so collectible or I wouldn't have hacked mine....well yes I would have. 

The buildings almost scream to be kit bashed. or at least re lettered and painted.


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## Caen Hill Locks

I would probably be tempted to modify them too.

So (still new to all this), are there a lot of different approaches to buildings? It seems like some people like theirs to look indistinguishable from photographs of real buildings, but others are okay with things that look a little like toys when you examine them.


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## Tucgary

For anyone wanting to learn more about Plasticville kits here's a great new resource site to help you out.
I have personally bought lots of items from these people and they have been a pleasure to deal with.
Tucgary

http://www.plasticvillefornewbies.com/


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## Joe Hohmann

Plasticville as-is: nostalgia
Plasticville carefully detailed/painted: you'd be pleasantly surprised.
Plasticville kit-bashed: I turned the hospital into a corporate HQ, Frosty Bar into a donut stand, motel section into a used car lot office. 

Plus, it's often used on a "S" layout, since it's on the small side. BTW, I've also found some of the Woodland Scenics "Built & Ready" HO size buildings suitable for "S" layouts.


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## gun.slick

I have just jumped backward to the fifties Marx O27 (dumped all my HO stuff) and am finding a lot of Plasticville, Lemax, Pegasus Hobbies, tin cookie and candy boxes, scratch and bashed stuff to be very useful..... but then again, I'm trying to retain the "toy train" look, so pure scale matters very little in my case.


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## thedoc

The only problem with Plasticville is that the buildings are usually too small for the scale they are supposed to be, but there are exceptions. In traditional Lionel this is not a problem since the Lionel trains are not O scale. In a layout that is to be built to scale this can be a problem, unless you are careful with the placement of the buildings.


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## callmeIshmael2

Togatown said:


> When I bought my core post-war collection, the seller threw in a lot of mid-1950's Plasticville buildings. Most are in great shape complete and in the original boxes, but I can't ever see using them in a layout myself, and wonder does anyone use this stuff anymore?


Are there still towns out there with guys who wear togas? R U kidding?


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## Big Ed

callmeIshmael2 said:


> Are there still towns out there with guys who wear togas? R U kidding?


Hello #2 howdy doody.

Sure, some where there are whole towns with togas wearing guys.. 

You see the date of the thread and posts?
A blast from the past.


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## Gramps

I realize this is a 5 year old thread that has been revived but if you are still interested, as an FYI there is a current Plasticville thread in the General Train Forum.


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## AmFlyer

Nothing wrong with Plasticville in the right setting. I do not paint or customize mine in any way. This is an American Flyer S gauge layout.


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