Hail to the chief: RR Headquarters building from Menards

Behold the new O World Headquarters from Menards. This is the ultimate command center for any O gauge transportation outfit!

Hail to the Chief, baby

 Is it wrong to feel, well, giddy when you open a product box?  If it is, then, I plead guilty. At a time when you wonder what could Menards do that would top the York Hotel Royale, well, they top it.

Other than a cryptic “O World Headquarters” on the shipping notification I received, I had no idea what the building might be. But the size of the box and the photo on the side got the heart racing.

The Headquarters and hotel are similar in size.

Side-by-side the Headquarters and the York Hotel make a great vision in the dark. Note: The Headquarters is powered using a new power adapter while the hotel at right, is using an older power plug.

“Holy cow,” was my first exclamation, when it became obvious that it was a structure with modern line, I was even more thrilled. And the little packed of railroad heralds rubber-banded together clearly suggested you had freedom to select the railroad of your choice.

What is the O World Headquarters? It can be whatever you’d like it to be, but it comes with a pack of stickers intended for your making it the corporate headquarters for the railroad of your choice. But really, the only limit is your imagination (and the space for the sticker to be applied!).

The Headquarters has a modern appearance. The red tab in the upper left is for placement of a railroad logo of your choice (included).

Here are a sampling of the road name tags included with the structure. Who the heck put Penn Central in there???

Huh, that Miller Engineering sign and base look pretty sharp up there. I'm just saying' ...

The ground floor features a Starbucks store. There are plenty of details that you can see inside the shop. I feel like popping in there right now for a 6-shot venti Americano. I tried 8 shots once, but ended up talking too fast ...

 This is a magnificent structure on the one hand, for size and on the other, creativity. While the footprint and width of the structure are not that different from the previously released York Hotel, the York has a more vertical look and the Headquarters appears wider.

Just the place for hip, young railroad employees to meet up!

A drone's eye view of the coffee shop.

I suspect this is because the styling of the Headquarters’ windows: They are very modern and appear short and wide. The York’s windows are similar to the windows on a house, narrow and tall. And as any stout person knows, horizontal stripes will make anything look wider!

The Headquarters also has a high-visibility tenant on the first floor: A Starbucks. This adds an interesting commercial aspect to the building, generating another point of interest for Train Town. Layout visitors will probably smile when they see the sign, but look closer: You can see inside the shop from the sides and even the ceiling. Looking down you will see counters, tales, chairs, and customers.

Oh, keep a swifter handy – in the few weeks we’ve had this around the office, the smoked windows of the store seem to be a magnet for dust!

The side has an entrance for office employees. The Parking Lot section just to the left, is removable.

The roof features safety lighting to avoid aircraft collisions and rows of HVAC equipment.

The LED illumination is great, and Menards recommends using the new no.

279-4050 Power adapter. It is a 4.5V/5A device suitable for the largest requirements of Menards buildings. The adapter costs $19.99 plus shipping.  Order online at www.Menards.com/trains.

 The rooftop has alternative aircraft safety lights and four groups of HVAC equipment.

 The Headquarters also has the unique “run through” tunnel in the rear.  We saw this with the York Hotel. Leave it in place and it has signage for a parking garage. Remove it and you have a run through. It looks pretty good posed with a Williams by Bachmann trolley delivering employees to work!

 A note about the run-through: If you plan on using this with the York Hotel and want to use the tunnel on both structures, the hotel will need to be placed a bit further back for the right alignment.

At this point, I simply refuse to ask “What will they do next?” because I’m pretty certain that whatever it is, it will be spectacular.

The no. 279-3972 O World Headquarters building costs $119.95 and can be online at www.menards.com/trains. Be sure to opt for free shipment to your local Menards store.

Help your employees get to work rapidly and avoid traffic by including a light rail access to the building!