Tom's Trains in Ardsley, NY just received old style IRT type subway entrances in O gauge from Lemax. I believe New York City Transit still has one on the #6 line station at Astor Place in Manhattan near Cooper Union. Also from Lemax are bus stop shelters that resemble the type used in Europe but some are in use in the U.S.

Ed,

Those Lemax subway kiosks are very nice ...and they look to be pretty close to scale for our needs. However, I'm holding off my purchase until Michaels rolls out their Lemax holiday offerings in about a month or so. Then I'll be able to use those 40% and 50% OFF coupons we see in Sunday's newspaper!





Elliot

These Lemax products sell for under $10.00 each. I would suggest you save those Michaels coupons for something else.

Micheal's? whats that?

thats a craft store,there is 1 by ur house.its right off woodhavenblvd.right behind wendys on metropolitain and woodhaven blvd.

Hmmm. And they have O scale stuff. I'll be raiding it shortly.....

HI Pelham


Michaels is an arts and crafts store. The store is similar to an A.C. Moore.

quote:

Originally posted by Pelham Express:
Hmmm. And they have O scale stuff. I'll be raiding it shortly.....

let me know if you see any of these kiosks there.

You think I can find these out hea in the desert? lol Nobody out hea , knows what a subway is...

Hey Zach,

In my desert, we've got more folks here from New York and Chicago than anywhere else! My local Michaels says they'll have them on the shelves the first week in October.

Elliot

Pelham,

When you go, check out the Lemax "Spooky Town" collection. They've got a lot of Halloween themed stuff like tombstones, pumpkins, and structures all in something close to O scale that would look cool on a layout.

Elliot

quote:

Originally posted by railfare:
Hey Zach,

In my desert, we've got more folks here from New York and Chicago than anywhere else! My local Michaels says they'll have them on the shelves the first week in October.

Elliot

I hear ya man. Weve get plenty of New Yorkers out here in AZ too. Sweet, Ill start looking for the entrances soon.. Thanks for the info.

Zach I lived in Mesa for a little bit and it seamed like everyone out there was originally from somewhere else. I would have loved to meet someone like you out there. Imagine the suprise when seeing a subway in your house.

Too bad the Lemax website doesn't have a "Where to buy" page, I don't think that Michaels is here.

quote:

Originally posted by stevin:
Zach I lived in Mesa for a little bit and it seamed like everyone out there was originally from somewhere else. I would have loved to meet someone like you out there. Imagine the suprise when seeing a subway in your house.

Im in Surprise Man, right near Sun City, so the only New Yorkers here are the retired folks. However, you are correct, that many people out here are from different places. When people enter my house, and view a NYC Subway layout, they're jaws drop! lol.

Just a fun note...the kiosk at the Aster Place station is not original, the original was taken out many years ago (during the 50's I believe) when geniuses decided they were a public nuisance, etc.....the kiosk was built from old plans by a firm in Georgia I believe back in the late 70's-early 80's....

I recall the nicest thing about those kiosks was that you had time to open your umbrella before going out into the rain when you came up out of the subway. It also kept the stairs freer of snow and ice.

The kiosks were lighted on the inside with a single big lamp that had a round shade and a bunch of bulbs inside it, and the window panes had frosted glass all around (the Lemax model seems to omit the glass but as I recall all the kiosks had glass). I seem to recall the round metal awning over the entrance of the kiosk also had lightbulbs in its edges, but I'm not sure.

I can see how they must have been a big maintenance headache, needing regular painting and glass replacement, but with modern low maintenance materials I don't see any reason (other than money) they couldn't bring them back.

quote:

Originally posted by West Side Joe:
I recall the nicest thing about those kiosks was that you had time to open your umbrella before going out into the rain when you came up out of the subway. It also kept the stairs freer of snow and ice.

The kiosks were lighted on the inside with a single big lamp that had a round shade and a bunch of bulbs inside it, and the window panes had frosted glass all around (the Lemax model seems to omit the glass but as I recall all the kiosks had glass). I seem to recall the round metal awning over the entrance of the kiosk also had lightbulbs in its edges, but I'm not sure.

I can see how they must have been a big maintenance headache, needing regular painting and glass replacement, but with modern low maintenance materials I don't see any reason (other than money) they couldn't bring them back.

It also helped keep rain out of the subway platforms, since the covered entrace "shed" the water away.

They were removed for a number of reasons, including I have been told blocking the vision of drivers, back when the city was being remade to benefit vehicle traffic. I also suspect it was a maintenance issue, and I kind of wonder what would have happened in the 60's and 70's when subway equipment, along with much of the city, became fair game to those for whatever reasons couldn't stand to see stuff left alone......I suspect if they hadn't been removed by then, they would have been turned into a wreck outright. Elevated stations, and the building at 72nd street tended to look more like something in a Baghdad war zone then an in use structure back then, something more intricate like this, well....

They could be rebuilt, the plans exist, there are things like lexan plastic and such that make them more durable, but given the financial climate of the trains,not likely to happen anytime soon, other then some special cases.

Here's an original kiosk plan from the NYC Transit Museum archives. I'm sure those of us with a craving for authenticity can kitbash the Lemax version by adding fiber optic lights, (plexi)glass, etc.



Elliot

Different tops to the entrance and exit kiosks...that's a detail I never noticed...but then, I was a little kid. The kiosks looked like the entrance to a magical underground world.

Just an FYI, Lowes "Carolltowne"- which is Lemax- is now being placed on the shelves. these subway & Buss entrances are retailing at $9.99



I wonder if Lowes will have their xmas Stuff on Sale earlier this year! I did well with the LEd Streetlights!

Lowes is that "home Depot" type place, right? jus makin sure, theres one over by Ikea in Red Hook

Yep.

quote:

Originally posted by Pelham Express:
Lowes is that "home Depot" type place, right? jus makin sure, theres one over by Ikea in Red Hook

great if ur going, can you pick me up a kiosk and a bench also, if feesible,i will pay you the money.am like 5 minutes from you.if you can.. thanx.

I'll snag a few extras for u CC

I wish that Home Depot carried these; there is one across the street from where I work.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: J. S. Bach,

I was at Micheal's yesterday and They had the Christmas stuff up but they did not have the Subway entrances.

Are you sure Lowes has them?

quote:

Originally posted by Silver Lake:
I was at Micheal's yesterday and They had the Christmas stuff up but they did not have the Subway entrances.

Are you sure Lowes has them?

Same here. Just got back from Michael's, and nothing. Il try Lowes now. Im headed back out to meet my lady friend anyway.

Tom's Trains in Ardsley, NY 914-478-9365 still has some of these subway entrances by Lemax but Lemax may be sold out so get them where you find them now.

I have not found thee at Lowes or Micheals so Sears/Kmart?

Any luck anyone else?

quote:

Originally posted by Silver Lake:
I have not found thee at Lowes or Micheals so Sears/Kmart?

Any luck anyone else?

Same here. Tried Lowes and Michaels. Nothing.

Yes, I got them at the Lowe's in Hazlet NJ. I had to look closeley a couple of times in their Seasonal section, but they can be found among the Christmas village type accessories. The package for each is rather small, and several come in a cut-for-display type box. So, if you look again, you just might spot them. Happy hunting.

Lowes has em. i snagged two, but couldnt get anymore due to the money laid out at Ikea. Lots of interesting stuff. the Kiosks are nice, but might be a bit small

quote:

Originally posted by Zach:

quote:

Originally posted by Silver Lake:
I have not found thee at Lowes or Micheals so Sears/Kmart?

Any luck anyone else?

Same here. Tried Lowes and Michaels. Nothing.

Does our southwest subways rep need a hand with getting some of these things? Just let the east coast office know and I'm pretty sure we can make that happen.

Got mine today at Loews. Bought 4. Been looking at Michaels for a while like other folks.

Mike
Tampa, FL

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Van Pelt:

Does our southwest subways rep need a hand with getting some of these things? Just let the east coast office know and I'm pretty sure we can make that happen.

Thanks for the offer. I will not take it up yet...

I will give Lowes one more try with the confirmation that they are there. They were just starting to set up the aisle at the one I went to last week here in San Diego.

quote:

Originally posted by Silver Lake:

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Van Pelt:

Does our southwest subways rep need a hand with getting some of these things? Just let the east coast office know and I'm pretty sure we can make that happen.

Thanks for the offer. I will not take it up yet...

I will give Lowes one more try with the confirmation that they are there. They were just starting to set up the aisle at the one I went to last week here in San Diego.

Same here. Im going to try again.

Lowes in Marlboro, N.J. has some left...Route 9 south, just past the Old Bridge town line.

found some in the Lowes in Red Hook. was only able to get 2 because the budget was tight that week, plan to go back

I was able to get a tray of 4 at Lowes in San Diego so it is national distribution. Very nice I am quite happy with them for that price. You can bet that if old K-line was still around they would be rebranded for them like they did with other Lemax things.

Great price for the entry. It would be funny to put a half person in there to look like they were going downstairs.

Also there is a great old Buster Keaton (I think) short that he takes the subway to the north pole and comes out of one of these in the snow drifts.

I just got back from the Lowe's on Staten Island and they had a bonanza: 8 subway entrances and 8 bus stops. I got all 8 of the subway entrances and 4 bus stops as well as a couple of street clocks, lights, benches, etc. They have a big selection of the "carnival-themed" items: carousel, dunk booth, etc.

For those of you who can't get these at Lowe's, you can order them from eHobbyTools.com - they have the entire Lemax collection: Halloween, Christmas, Carnival, figures, etc. - at better prices than Lowe's and Michael's - who charge MSRP.

These kiosks look good with people added decending the stairs. I had some plastic figures and cut the legs at different levels so when they were in the kiosk they looked as though they were descending the stairs since this is an entrance structure.Cut the legs or bodies so the altered figure is fairly level.I then put a dab of Ailenes Tacky White glue on the floor and gave it about 20 minutes to set up a little.Toughest part is getting them in so vertical but a little leaning is not noticeable.The illusion helps define what the structure is.I judge it is very close to O Scale.

I found the old style subway entrances at Kmart as part of their Coventry Cove Christmas Line. $10.99 each in South Jersey, but last week was 30% off.

Sean