All the lumber you need! The Cripple Creek Lumber Yard by Menards

As you can see from the weathering, Cripple Creek is an old, established lumber company. With all the construction and home renovation going on in your train city, this building will be just what your 1:48 scale fixer uppers will need.

Even if you aren’t thinking about building a train layout, what train fan can’t walk through the lumber section of a local home improvement store, gaze upon the 2x4s and handy panels and wonder “What if?” Well, the Cripple Creek Lumber Yard has a dual purpose: It serves as a freight delivery and distribution point ­– and it gives your 1:48 scale modelers a chance buy supplies to make their layouts!

This is a fully assembled and decorated lumberyard with a familiar design: elevated center with windows, central drive-through, and an open front for storage and shipment of lumber and plastic piping. 

The model measures 12 1/2inches by 11 ½ inches deep, and just over six inches tall. There are movable warehouse doors on both ends. There is also an office at the rear (entry on the left side), and there is a blocked out section in the building presumably housing the interior office space. 

The lumber firm has interior and exterior lighting and you can clearly see the variety of lumber products available. There is also illumination for the company signage. 

The interior has a two level design with products clearly visible from the open side. The second floor has a safety railing to protect workers from harm. There are not just worker figures, of course Jack is checking out the scene. I liked the fact there was plenty of space for adding little detail pieces like O gauge drums, pallets, a soda machine, or positioning a forklift or two.

I placed a couple of Menards trucks at the doorways and you could make a nice scene loading or unloading cargo. Although there isn’t an obvious rail freight transfer dock, there are plenty of wood and lumber carrying O gauge cars on the market that you could park on a siding for future offloading.

Cripple Cree's lighting needs the Menards Plug & Play 4.5 volt power supply, sold separately. Check Menards SKUs 279-4061, 279-4062, or 279-4050. You may wish to consider the 8- or 9-piece Plug & Play accessory kits (SKU 279-4035, 4681) and to serve several structures or vehicles.

I thought this was a pretty neat building. While I think there are have been a lumberyard or two on the market, I believe some assembly was required. For Cripple Creek installation is pretty much open the package and place it on the layout. This works for me, and I’d guess, 95% of the O gauge community!

Order online at WWW.Menards.com/Trains and select free shipment to your local Menards store.

The front has a wide-open side for loading and unloading of lumber. It paks a lot of detail, but leaves you room to add your own!

A close up showing lumber and dunnage. Note the flatbed I positioned in the right rear door.

More detail. Note the safety railing.

The office entry is on the rear left side. The truck (not included) must belong to the boss.

There are many O gauge vehicles that vehicles you can use to enhance the scene. The Menards flatbeds are a perfect fit.

There is an elevated center running the width of the building. There are four windows on front and four on rear, which helps illuminate the scene in dim lighting.

The Cripple Creek Lumber signage is a quality addition to the building. As mentioned, the warehouse door slides open on either end.