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Skyline Building Kits?

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  • Member since
    December 2013
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Skyline Building Kits?
Posted by tyed09 on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 10:24 AM
Hi all! I'm new here, but I was wondering... Has anybody here heard of Skyline Buildings? They were very popular before plastic vile came out in the 1940s. They were cardboard and wood building kits. If anybody heard of these please respond to this post! I am making an all-original layout from the 1940s and are in desperate need of skyline kits or buildings! Thanks !!
-Tyler
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Posted by LL675 on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 4:03 PM

I've heard of them, but only seen pictures of them. Love to see your layout! 

Dave

It's a TOY, A child's PLAYTHING!!! (Woody  from Toy Story)

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Posted by rrswede on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 5:45 PM

As a young boy, my original layout included several sturdy card stock buildings that I believe were produced by Skyline. Unfortunately they did not survive. Take a look at the following link. I suspect that the fellows that contributed to this posting could provide you with additional information.

 http://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/tin-litho-buildings-by-skyline?reply=6920524189304971#6920524189304971

 

Swede

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Posted by teledoc on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 5:49 PM

Don't really know about the 1940 era, but I did a "Google" search or Skyline Buildings, and what pops up is that they were made by Elgo Plastics, which was also Elgo/Halsam.  The listings I found showed that they were from the 1950's & 60's.  The sets varied in the number of pieces in each set.  The sets listed were:

Set 91-229 pieces; Set 92-476 pieces; Set 93-723 pieces; Set 94-970 pieces; Set 95-1217 pieces; & Set 96- 1904 pieces.  The company was later absorbed by "Playskool" and is no longer available for present purchase.  The only way to get what you are looking for is either Ebay or Craigslist, or finding a private seller.  There are a few sets listed on Ebay, or you can do a search using Elgo; Halsam; Skyline Buildings, etc. and see what you can find that way. 

Hope this helps in your search

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Posted by rlplionel on Thursday, December 5, 2013 5:40 PM

Here's  a photo of an assembled Skyline Westchester plastic house kit:

Robert

http://www.robertstrains.com/

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Posted by SPMan on Thursday, December 5, 2013 7:29 PM

Yes I know what they are.  I have a station building all complete in the box as far as I know.  I paid $30 for it at a train meet many years ago. The number on the box is #620 passenger station.  It has instructions and all the materials needed in the box.  I never got around to building it because I don't have the space on my layout for another station.

Ray

SPMan

              

 

              

 

              

 

              

 

              

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Posted by Demay on Friday, December 6, 2013 3:14 AM

As I understand it, they were made in the 50s and 60s and were tin-style buildings.  I've seen the houses for sale on eBay and I picked up this platform on there as well.  I think this platform might be a bit too big for O, but I still use it.

Joe

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Posted by SPMan on Friday, December 6, 2013 11:10 AM

Skyline may have made some tin buildings in later years.  I have a couple like a signal tower and a station but I think Tyler is looking for the paper and cardboard models.  I have the number 620 cardboard passenger station kit and he can contact me about that if interested at councilray@aol.com

Ray

SPMan

              

 

              

 

              

 

              

 

              

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Posted by tyed09 on Thursday, December 12, 2013 9:02 AM
Thanks for all the replies everybody, but I already know all about the skyline kits. I am just looking for the cardboard kits from the 1940s. If anybody has any, please feel free to email me at tyed12@aim.com
Thanks!
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Posted by samplingman on Thursday, December 19, 2013 9:00 PM

There is a dealer at York over in the white hall that had them for sale. He had stacks of the blue boxes with the kits.  I purchased a kit that was a Model Builder magazine mail-in premium, but I haven't opened it yet.  It's the engine shed in a plain brown box.  Here's a picture of it from the back of the Lionel catalog, 1941 I think.

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Posted by toytrainsal on Monday, October 9, 2017 4:59 PM

Tyler, Several years after your post.  Some years ago a fellow TCA member & I created "An Ideal Lionel Layout," for a national TCA convention in the San Francisto Bay Area. It is a somewhat vague plan issued as a poster in 1947. I can't lay my hands on my personal poster at the moment, but it was designed by a fellow from Lionel who had some renown as a Lionel layout designer. It included some cardboard Skyline house kits.  I have a number of unbuilt kits as well as several already built.  I believe I also have a Skyline catalog of kits somewhat at hand.  I am including the buildings in my progressing tinplate layout. If you or anybody wants any photos or info, am glad to provide.  Cheers, Al

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