URCHIN EXPRESS: Have a school on your O gauge layout? Then you need a school bus barn! The latest industrial structure from Menards is the no. 279-4033 school bus garage. It includes a three-bay work center complete with two buses, maintenance equipment, workers, tools, and background detailing. Outside the shop you’ll find a third bus and a crew prepping it for its next run. The illuminated structure costs $99.99 plus shipping. Order online at www.Menards.com and opt for free shipping to your local Menards store.
GRUB AT HARVEY’S: The Desert Division of the Train Collectors Association offers a boxcar saluting the Harvey House restaurants that once served passengers along the Santa Fe’s lines. The O gauge boxcar has different graphics on both sides as well as die-cast trucks and couplers. The model, made in America by Lionel, supports the 2019 TCA national convention to be held in Albuquerque. The cars cost $79.95 (postpaid) and can be ordered by TCA members online at www.tcadd.org or via mail at Desert Division, 25375 N. Feather Mountain Rd., Paulden, AZ 86334.
FOR TESTING LOCOS NEEDING LEGROOM: GooddealsDCC’s compact test track for O and S gauge locomotives has a second 36-inch-long component. Made with a non-warping PVC platform and quick connect latches, it creates a 72-inch span that permits test runs or runs for larger locomotives. Shown is a scale-length Williams brass O gauge New York Central 4-8-4. O gauge modelers will want the no. TT-4XL extended-length track for $99.95 plus shipping. S gaugers needing some extra track length will prefer the no. TT-6AFXL extended-length track for $99.95. For more information visit the website or email gary@gooddealsdcc.com. Order online at www.gooddealsdcc.com or call 224-703-0111.
STAY IN YORK IN STYLE: The latest mega-structure from Menards is the no. 279-3973 hotel. The York Hotel Royale is approximately 221Ž2 inches tall (about nine stories if you count the room windows), features interior and exterior illumination, pedestrians, a doorman, and Jack the German shepherd. The O gauge structure has a removable section in the rear to let you run trains (think trolley cars!) through the hotel. The model requires the no. 279-4050 power adapter (sold separately). The structure costs $119.99 plus shipping. Order online at www.menards.com and select free shipping to your local Menards store.
HAUL EVEN MORE ORE: Williams by Bachmann has added an ore car to its lineup of rolling stock. The O gauge car comes with metal trucks and couplers and a removable ore load, and it navigates O-27 curves. The cars come in four road names: the nos. 48501 Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range; 48502 Bessemer & Lake Erie (shown); 48503 CP Rail; and 48504 Milwaukee Road. The cars cost $76.95 each. See your Williams by Bachmann retailer or go to www.bachmanntrains.com for more information.
A special thanks to Menards as they continue to release quality products for the O/S gauge market at affordable prices. Keep’em coming!