Cow palace

2017 BARN: New colors, windows, lights, and a rotating weather vane.

2017 BARN: New window frames, new lights with housings, light on the silo, and a rotating rooster weather vane!

2017 BARN: Add-on details includes cows, a farmer, seed bags, tools, and of course, Jack!

Meet the new barn, not the same as the old barn! The dairy barn has been tweaked and improved to ensure to cows on your layout have the perfect home. The no. 279-4430 barn has the same footprint as the Menard's barn of 2014, and costs $89.99 plus shipping.

Back in 2014 Menards offered up its first dairy barn – a solid-looking agricultural building, complete with advertising on the sides and roof. The firm has re-vsited the concept and, except for the general outline, as as different a structure as you can find.

The new barn from Menards isn’t a re-run of the dairy barn released in 2014, but a significant re-design.  The original barn was traditional red with signage on the outside and even on the corrugated roof.

The color of this model is a darker, almost a maroon color with a redesigned corrugated roof that appears sectional. The new barn has three larger, framed windows on each side. The door side has a re-designed door (non-functional) and the door for hayloft is peaked and there are two very large windows to improve interior visibility. There is also a simulated brick foundation, where the original barn had lumber going down to the ground.

 If memory serves, the original barn just had two lights on the silo end. This has three on the door end, and two on the silo end.

 There were four cows on the old barn base and four on the new barn base.

 But the two most interesting features of the revised structure are the rotating rooster weather vane up top, and a flashing light on the silo!

 There are also some farm tools and seed sacks strategically placed. You owe it to your 1:48 scale cows to add this to your layouts farm country.

 To order, or for more information, go to www.Menards.com/trains

2014 BARN: A bit more rustic, weathered advertising on the roof, more on the reverse side.

2014 BARN: The earlier shelter had a single door for the hay loft and a smaller door and two windows at the ground level. The new version has larger doors and windows on the second floor.