TRAIN TIME: Putting Together Another Fire Scene On My Train Layout - Pt 2

The saga continues. So with this latest train layout, it was apparent from the get-go that I would make a fire scene a permanent part of the toy train landscape, just not as big and fancy as the set-up I did a few years back. The city scape was to be made up of mostly tall buildings and the tallest "on-fire" building I had was the cardboard apartment from Multiple Toymakers Fire and Police Emergency Playset #49-59899. While the vehicles and figures from the set are over-large the building was just what the doctor ordered! It has some height and has a small footprint making it easier to fit in with the other buildings. 

When I designed my old Marxville and Plateau layout, everything was drawn out and planned on paper. Yes, there were changes along the way but by-and-large it was built as planned. This layout on the other hand is has pretty much been designed on the fly. I wanted a big city feel but had little idea what buildings were available, how big they were, and whether they would fit in the allotted space. As such it has been a challenge to find what I need or what I like and so I tell people this layout is evolutionary, not revolutionary. The very last photo was taken a couple of days ago - it will change again! Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Nowww, just where to put the thing?

Nov 2021: Here's the earliest placement on the layout - barely visible behind the K-Line building

Aug 2022: As building placement is still a WIP, the burning building is more of a focal point

Sep 2022: Here we see the building take on more importance. In this set-up it's closer to the center of the layout and is facing the viewer head-on. I used the vehicles and figures that came with the playset - just for the fun of it

Nov 2022: After tearing the layout apart and decorating for Halloween, the planning process starts all over again afterwards

Nov 2022 - a couple of weeks later: Yeah, it changed again. 

Feb 2023: ...and back again! After all of these moves, I'm favoring this spot. No matter where the rest of the building's end up, this might be the final location

Apr 2023: The other buildings have moved but the burning building stays put

Processed Plastic Rescue Team Playset No. 14320

When I set up the train layout to stage a fire scene replete with several burning buildings (see our mini series: TRAIN TIME: A Bad Day In Marxville beginning on 31 May 2018) I tried to find as many 'burning' buildings as I could that would all look okay together in a cohesive scene. I already had the burning apartment building from Hasbro's "Fearless Fireman" game, the Keystone burning building and a terrific set from MPC with a hi-rise building on fire, but to make a nice square-ish city block all on fire I needed one more piece. Processed Plastic Co came through with their 'Rescue Team Playset which included a two-piece building with 'fire' peel-&-stick appliques, 2 large crates, two stop lights, two over-size fire hydrants, four piles of rubble, and 32 figures. The 70mm figures come in two colors (red and white) in six poses. The building measures 6 5/8" (16.82cm) H and the base measures 5 1/2" (13.97cm) W x 2 5/8" (6.66cm) D. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

The playset comes in a clear plastic tub

Normally I like to do single shots of any figures but I have to admit folks - I'm just plain pooped! I simply didn't want to pose them individually. Perhaps one day I'll do an update. 

Here, Auburn pieces are posed next to the Processed Plastic pieces for comparison

Left-to-right: Auburn, PP, Auburn, PP, Auburn, PP

The PP fire hydrants, while the same height as the Auburn, is way heftier and looks awkward

The Auburn figures are ~80mm vs. PP at 70mm

Here we see the PP building set-up with the others for a dramatic scene in Marxville