The Menards Cripple Creek County Jail is a place where your O scale folks can do the time if they’ve committed a crime.
It has a sort of dark demeanor of a place you can take your 10-year-old who filched a candy bar to and scare them straight! This building has what the movies call “atmosphere.” In the model railroad world that means it will stand out from the crowd on Main Street.
Menards Cripple Creek County Jail
When I popped the structure out of the packaging, I was pretty impressed. Most modern O gauge structures look, well, new. That’s because they are.
The Cripple Creek County Jail departs from that. This looks like the sort of municipal building that might have been constructed when Woodrow Wilson was president and never upgraded!
Perhaps the most important thing about the Cripple Creek jail is the modest 10 x 5 3/4-inch footprint. It should be easy to swap out an existing structure or design a downtown around it.
Walking around
The base is the standard Menards foundation of simulated concrete. The jail’s walls are an interesting mix of standard brick, as well as uneven stone. There are two vehicle bays with gray stone arches helping them stand out.
There are two prisoner transport vans parked beneath them. There is a tint of ominous red lighting. They are nose out, which reminded me of scenes in old movies where Public Enemy No. 1 was spotted – and prowl cars, motorcycles, and vans carrying the riot squad erupt from police headquarters!
The left side has a crenellated tower above the entrance. A patrolman keeps his eye on the street. Jack the German shepherd is his handy backup. A looky-Lou (or perhaps a bail bondsman) observes another officer leading a prisoner out of a van.
Details set it off
Exterior lighting is provided by two carriage lights at the entrance, with a third on the right corner.
The overall weathering of the structure is great, with some areas of brick or stone lighter than other segments – very lifelike.
I really liked the medieval look of the tower. It’s a nice gothic design element reminding folks that crime doesn’t pay!
The accessory lighting requires power through Menard’s 4.5 volt power supply (No. 279-4061/4361, 4060/4362, or 4050). There’s a pigtail for power under the structure, or a plug-in on the wall.
The Cripple Creek County Jail fits right in with the rural vibe of previous associated structures, and it exudes the feel of a time not all that long ago!
The Cripple Creek County Jail from Menards
Price: $79.99
Stock no. 279-8490
Features: Illuminated upper floors, die-cast police cars with flashing lights, police and criminal figures plus Jack the German Shepherd.
