Tampa Towers high-rise under construction from Menards

Traintown's housing market is tight and the Tampa Towers complex will help fix that problem. Here, workers are erecting the fifth floor.

Businesses are booming, new industries have revitalized Traintown, new folks are moving in and the housing market is tight. What is a town to do?

 Build a high-rise apartment building.

 The latest addition to the Menards line of O gauge structures is the no. 279-4432 Tampa Towers.

 The pre-assembled structure simulates the incomplete concrete shell of a modern apartment building. Construction, however, is hot and heavy with no less than 19 O scale worker figures glued throughout the building. This includes a number of “free range” figures that you can place wherever they look good.

 Construction details like cinder blocks, crates, and even a palletized toilet ready for installation. But this building isn’t complete, and there is plenty of construction still to be done. But wait, a team from Ray’s Ready Mix Concrete has arrived!

 Two die-cast metal vehicles are included with the structure: A concrete mixer and a concrete pumping truck. The latter has extending legs for stability and the arm is folded for transport, but can rotate 360 degrees and may be articulated more than two feet in length to get the concrete placed in just the right spot.

 Oh yes, the hardest working dog in 1:48 scale, Jack the German Shepherd is the official sidewalk supervisor. Jack can be selectively placed on the work site.

 This is an impressively heavy structure with an overall footprint of 18 x 14 ½ inches. The building also has a built-in light rail stop (track run-through tunnel) in the rear. There is no plug to remove.

 Tampa Towers costs $129.99 plus shipping. Order online at www.Menards.com/Trains and opt for free shipment to your local Menards store.

A high-rise needs plenty of concrete and the structure comes with a mixer and pumper.  The mixer has a movable pour chute, and the pumper has a concrete bin with a lifting hatch and a movable and articulating arm for pouring.

There is a hinged section in the front that folds up for shipping. Fold it down to position service vehicles. There is also a run-through tunnel, or light-rail station stop. Unlike earlier structures, there is no plug to remove.

Construction workers are focused on finishing the 5th floor and look forward to getting on the the 6th!

There is plenty of room in the structure to place additional workers and pieces of industrial equipment.

The concrete pumper has support legs to keep the rig stable.

The telescoping arm is handy for placing the business end of the hose where the workers need it.

The arm of the pumper can be folded for transport or extended to great heights.