Post by lvrr325 on Nov 2, 2024 21:11:44 GMT -8
Bachmann has for years made an N scale Shell gas station in a 1960s-70s style with peaked roof and three garage bays. A lot of them have been sold assembled, but I presume some kits too. This is a different building from the rectangular one that shares some walls with other 50s era Plasticville stores.
Around 1978 they made it in HO, as a kit. For a Plasticville piece the building is very well detailed and accurate, although the gas pumps were crude and no sign seems to have been included. It has N-scale sized interlocking tabs, so they're less obvious.
But apparently it was only made once. They're unobtanium. One was on eBay in April and that's the only thing I can find even in Worthpoint. The one Plasticville info site just has it's stock number and a grainy picture of the box.
Walthers' "Vintage" gas station kit, which comes in versions as a tire shop, a 70s era with older pumps and a modernized with electronic pumps and a canopy, is a similar station but has two garage bays and what looks like an open wash bay rather than three garage bays. www.walthers.com/vintage-gas-station-kit
I'm just wondering if anyone knows why the Bachmann one apparently was never remade. Some of those plasticville kits have been made enough times to stretch to the moon and back. I don't think it's a licensing issue as the older 50s era kit was sold with Shell branding and I think the N one continues to be sold that way. I would have thought they could have sold lots of them, there were plenty in this area, at least three I can think of still being used although one was heavily altered. While Shell pulled out of this market like 40 years back, they used the design all over. In googling I even saw a picture of a midwestern one that was part of a travel stop with a restaurant built to match the architecture.
I literally Saturday bought the Walthers one only to walk 100 feet down the aisle and find the Bachmann one on a guy's table. Had begun to think I'd never actually see one in person. So now I have to figure out what I'll actually build, do I rob the Walthers of the pumps or use some I already have.
Around 1978 they made it in HO, as a kit. For a Plasticville piece the building is very well detailed and accurate, although the gas pumps were crude and no sign seems to have been included. It has N-scale sized interlocking tabs, so they're less obvious.
But apparently it was only made once. They're unobtanium. One was on eBay in April and that's the only thing I can find even in Worthpoint. The one Plasticville info site just has it's stock number and a grainy picture of the box.
Walthers' "Vintage" gas station kit, which comes in versions as a tire shop, a 70s era with older pumps and a modernized with electronic pumps and a canopy, is a similar station but has two garage bays and what looks like an open wash bay rather than three garage bays. www.walthers.com/vintage-gas-station-kit
I'm just wondering if anyone knows why the Bachmann one apparently was never remade. Some of those plasticville kits have been made enough times to stretch to the moon and back. I don't think it's a licensing issue as the older 50s era kit was sold with Shell branding and I think the N one continues to be sold that way. I would have thought they could have sold lots of them, there were plenty in this area, at least three I can think of still being used although one was heavily altered. While Shell pulled out of this market like 40 years back, they used the design all over. In googling I even saw a picture of a midwestern one that was part of a travel stop with a restaurant built to match the architecture.
I literally Saturday bought the Walthers one only to walk 100 feet down the aisle and find the Bachmann one on a guy's table. Had begun to think I'd never actually see one in person. So now I have to figure out what I'll actually build, do I rob the Walthers of the pumps or use some I already have.
