Wintertime Placeholders - I use North States bird feeders to keep my railroad from looking "naked" when I take my model buildings in for the winter.
As examples, the photo below, taken in February, shows several North States feeders that are "holding down the fort" for my model buildings that will return in Spring. Confession - the red barn stays year-round.
Brands Worth Considering
As of this writing, one company - North States - makes most of the buildings worth considering for this use. Here are a few of the others.
- Forty years ago, Artline made several buildings that were useful when painted up or sometimes "trashbashed." I've used the gazebo and the Western Town. Sadly, these haven't been made for decades, and they don't hold up as well to years of use as the North States feeders, but they still turn up at flea markets, etc.
Heritage Farms makes a nice metal 2-story house that could be useful with a little "doctoring." It's not cheap (~$80), but my guess is that it would hold up to bad weather better than model houses.
They also distribute a plastic gazebo that is available under a wide range of brand names, running from ~$30 to ~$70 depending on where you shop. (Google "bird feeder gazebo" to see choices.) Like the old Artline gazebo, it will do its best service if you cut down the post height by about a third (maybe removing the gingerbread portion).
- North States makes the largest variety of these. Most of them are under the "Village" name. They make them in batches, and seldom reissue them until the last batch in that style is pretty much off the shelves. You may also see prices creepig up on last years' stock, so a feeder you could have got for $14 last year is only available from people charging $30.
Menards carries most of these on and off, and often has them for lower prices than most businesses. No, I don't get anything for posting links to Menard, (like I may if you buy it through Amazon), but sometimes Menard's has the best prices and availability. Other places that stock these include pet stores like Chewy.
North States' Recently Available "Village" Birdfeeders
I'm going to list these and some possible sources, with the caveat that these are made in batches, and the most desirable ones may become unavailable except at a premium (like $40 for a piece that was $25 just a year earlier).
What About Scale? My favorite pieces are the Long Barn, the Long Church, the British Pub and the Bay Window Cottage. The first two work great with scale buildings because church and barn doors can be any height. The last two work (especially with a UK-flavored RR) because the doors are closer to "Large Scale" in size.
Most of the other buildings have doorways and other details that are noticeably too large for Large Scale (unless you're modeling in 17:1 or some such.) As a rule, I don't use these when I have my model buildings out. But in the winter, they help keep my railroad looking like something other than a green and brown bump in the back yard.
What About Length? Many of these feeders are available in a "long" and "short" version.
To me the longer versions of the barn and church are worth using on my railroad year-round, and most of the "shorty" versions look toylike. But in the winter, when the choice is between toylike buildings and no buildings . . .
What About the Feed Trays? - Some piece that I use in the summer have had their feed trays removed so they would fit in with my expensive model buildings. Of course, I usually add vegetation or something to camouflage the indentation along the long sides.
In the winter, though, we get strong windstorms. So the feeders I use in the winter keep their trays, which I fill with gravel to help them stay in place. A reader who uses these, but doesn't battle high winds, puts greenery from garlands in the trays instead.
Here's another option - the first year I used these, before I had set out paving stones to hold my model buildings, I simply buried the feed trays in gravel. The photo below from our "Garden Railroading on a ShoeString" article shows three North States feeders set in gravel this way, with an inexpensive battery-powered train circling them.
What About Lighting? - I use 12v garden lighting circuits (the kind included in Malibu sets). To light my "winter" feeders, I simply run wires between the "wedge" socket and the power supply, drill a hole in the bottom and push a wire up inside It's not elaborate, and doesn't invite a close look, but it looks great during Christmas-themed runs when I have other lighting as well.
For details, please visit our blog article on the subject here.
What About Painting? Here is one possible weak spot in using these as model buildings - the vinyl they are made of doesn't hold paint as well as injection-molded model buildings, especially when they're brand new. I think in part it's because some of the chemicals in the vinyl are still working their way to the surface. Or at least "mold release" compounds that you can't see or even feel, but which tend to repel paint.
As they age and become less glossy, they become more amenable to paint. That said, if you want to paint them at any age, use a toothbrush and a cleaning solution like Fantastic to thoroughly clean any stray chemicals or fingerprints from the surface, dry thoroughly with a clean cloth, allow to "air dry" to be sure, prime with a high-quality gray or red primer, and add a good topcoat. Based on my experience, this will give you a few years' worth of good appearance before you start having to consider doing touchup or repaint.
What About Pricing? This is another question that is worth considering. Prices vary wildly among vendors and sometimes for similar items within the same vendor. Comparison shopping is a must.
In the following sections, I list availability at Menards, because that's where I have seen the largest collection and best prices, especially when Menards puts them on sale.
I also list Amazon availability because they sometimes carry a few that are hard to find anywhere else, and they have free shipping if you get over a certain amount. (Also, I get a few cents "commission" if you buy things at Amazon, but I'm not greedy enough to insist you pay $25 on a feeder at Amazon that you could get for $15 elsewhere.)
Other stores which may have the feeders you're looking for include online pet supply stores like Chewy and Petsmart, farm supply stores like TSC and Rural King, and big chains like Meier and WalMart.
Sometimes googling the product name, like "North States Church Feeder" is the best way to see other sources of hard-to-find items.
That said, if - after everything is said and done - you find that Amazon has the best price on something you want, please come back through this page to order so we get credit for the sale. Hope that makes sense.
North States Churches - The long church is one of my favorite North States bird feeders. Church doors can be any height, so my little pastor and nuns look just fine standing out front. Sadly, it has gotten hard to find. If you google "North State Large Church Feeder" you may find a store that still has them. The shorty version, on the other hand, is available many places, including Amazon.
North States Red Barns - Since barn doors can be any height, the barns don't seem out of scale. They're not actually proportioned like the barns I grew up around in Ohio, but neither are the barns from PIKO or POLA. I use the full-length red barn all year long on my RR and it looks fine with my PIKO buildings. Lately it has been hard to find, but I recently saw it on Amazon.
The shorty version is easier to find. I recently saw it at Menard, and it's sometimes listed at Amazon
Both versions have been made in a white version, but I haven't seen either for sale in stores or online.
Green versions and a red, white, and blue version are discussed further down.
North States UK-Inspired Buildings - Two of my favorites are the Bay Window Cottage and the British Pub. Though they are based on the "shorty" frame, they have smaller entry doors and nice enough detail to look good with Large Scale trains. Frankly, any garden railroader who models UK should be buying these.
I recently saw the Bay Window Cottage at a good price at Menard.
I've seen the British Pub at Amazon and Menards.
Lighthouse and Windmill - A few years ago, North States introduced a lighthouse in various colors, followed by a windmill built on the same base. They both sit on the "shorty" base.
No, the vanes don't turn on the windmill - that's a safety feature for the birds. But if you run a Thomas the Tank for youngsters, it's sort of expected to have a windmill. (I once had a fancy resin one that looked great but gave up the ghost in about three years.)
When I last checked, the red lighthouse was available at Amazon. Versions with blue and black are available from other vendors, so feel free to google "North States Lighthouse Feeder" if you want those colors.
The windmill was also available at Amazon.
North States Green Barns - There are also versions of the barn painted in John Deere colors. TBH, I've never seen a barn painted in this color in real life, but this version seems to be is a favorite of suburbanites who think owning a John Deere lawn tractor makes them "country gentlemen."
I've recently seen the long version at Menard.
I've seen the shorty version at Amazon
In addition, Amazon has recently added a red, white, and blue shorty barn here.
North States Log Cabins - This favorite of bird lovers has been available in long and short versions. Yes, the doors are too big for my figures, but by the time this comes out, my little people have all gone in for the winter anyway.
As of this writing, the long version is available at Menards.
You'll see that the "Shorty" version seems toylike. But they're often a lot easier to find. And they can squeeze into tight spots better than the long version. Currently available at Amazon
A relatively new, teal version, labeled a "Lakeside Cabin," is also available at Amazon.
North States Cottages - Another popular feeder is the house with a broom leaning near the door. So far I've only seen the long version in blue. The shorty version has come in several colors, including
blue, red, and yellow (below)
I use the shorty blue version of this to replace a similarly-sized blue PIKO farmhouse in the winter. Yes, the doorways are too big for my little people, but I take those in over the winter anyway.
These come and go quickly.
As of this writing the blue shorty cottage is listed at Amazon.
The yellow shorty cottage is listed at Menards.
To find the long version, your best bet may be to google "North States Large Cottage Bird Feeder"
North States Schoolhouse - So far I've only seen this in a shorty version. I used it on my previous railroad where it was somewhat hidden from visitors by the greenery, but you could see the roof and spire, so it gave the impression of a schoolhouse in a "distant town."
As of this writing, it is available at Amazon.
