Lionel 115 station

The Prewar 112, 113, 114, & 114, along with the Postwar 115 versions all have the screen material in the transoms.  All the aforementioned stations are basically the same, with differences with color, or the addition of the lights.  It could be replaced with clear acrylic, or a stained glass insert of acrylic, if you wanted to do that yourself.  I don't think Lionel ever intended to use anything other than the inserted screen material.

I can see where Jennifer is coming from. The punch outs above the far left and right doors have a tab included, not unlike the tabs that hold the marbled celluloid used in tin passenger cars of the era. Never know, maybe in the initial planning of the station they had plans for 'stained glass'.  

That's a good catch, Jennifer.  Very thoughtful observation.  By the way, I envy your station collection!

Jennifer,

          If Lionel had planned to fill in those window spaces they made a mistake by not doing so.  The 115 Station and its derivatives are great looking stations but acrylic stained glass windows would have added considerably to their already impressive looks.  A very keen observation on your part. 

Those two small square windows are the only windows in the stations with no inserts.  The tabs on the sides of those windows are rounded tabs.  Identical rounded tabs hold the clock in the center opening.  

 

For the clear or colored plastic window material in the passenger cars, Lionel provided sharp V pointed tabs, to pierce the plastic sheet and then bend over.  

 

Since the station windows have rounded tabs, it might seem that Lionel did not have clear or colored window material in mind.   But it sure does look like something is missing, and the rounded tabs provide a way for holding it in.  Either small square window inserts like in the other windows in the station, or the wire screen like in the arch windows above; either is a possibility?

 

 

 

 

Looking inside the station, the mullion grill window inserts (green in Jennifer's photo) are held in by tabs on the window inserts themselves, there are no tabs on the window openings in the wall.  However, the wire screen in the arched opening is held in by rounded tabs on the edge of the window openings in the wall.  From this, it would indicate that the tabs are on the lower square windows to accomodate more wire screen.

 

I took Jennifer's photo and photoshopped the green mullion windows, the wire screen, and the colored window material from passenger car transoms, just to see what it looks like.

 

Does anyone have an older Lionel station in which the wire screen material extends down behind the clock and the two square windows on each side of the clock?  It seems that this is the most likely scenario?

 

 

 

 

I think the mesh in all the openings looks better.

 

Steve

Hojack, great work on the photo-shop.  

I am wondering if a simple frame painted maroon to match the doors would look good ?

I did a Google search for all prewar stations of this type, single and double and all images 

show up with empty openings front and back

 

The windows look the best to me.

 

 

 

 

I have to say I like the wire screen best also, although the red or green tinplate window frames work too.  The green celluloid doesn't pass.  As I say the screen seems the most plausible given the tab arrangement.

 

 

The red windows look even better.  How about gold to match the centerpiece with the clock.

Good grief, I stand corrected because those green acrylic stained windows look pretty bad.  The red framed windows look much better.

 

okay, i'm photoshopped out. I still vote for the screen.

 

 

I like the Gold the best.

I will vote for the frame to match the door. I think even the frame behind the clock should be red with the clock just the gold circle.

 Gold provides a better color break around the doors, it"connects" the lamps better too, draping/framing the entrance.

 I cant tell if one is used in the images, but I think a beveled panel (printed?) to fill the space within the gold frame should work best, whatever the color.  

Hojack, awesome work with the photo-shop.

i think I like the gold frames best, however I don't even know how I would begin to make them. I agree the gold screen would be easiest and something anyone could do with available parts.  

I can't believe this was an oversight on Lionel's part considering how many years these stations were being manufactured. With the tabs present there obviously was some thought put into those openings and to perpetuate a mistake for so long seems implausible.  

We will never know the thought process behind the design of this station because the people involved have moved on to the big roundhouse in the sky.

Thanks to everyone who commented and special thanks to hojack for all the photo-shop work.

Looking at the 1931 catalog, it appears there were green frames painted in. Oddly, in latter catalogs it looks like they omitted the window frames. But then again, this is the catalog and we know how accurate they were! Note the clock frame is also green.

 

Hojack, how about a paisley hologram insert?

 

ARNO

 

 

Painting a section of screen gold might do the same thing easier, sure. I think I'd leave the top silver. Handmade from toothpicks to plasti-strut, any "homemade-ness" will disappear under good paint. Or if the clock frames can be had, cutting out the clock carefully, the two left over halves could give you a frame. Done carefully enough, the "gap line" shouldn't be very noticeable at all. Even that could be putty filled & sanded for perfection.

That catalog picture is proof they had plans on placing frames in those openings.  

I never thought about looking through early literature, good detective work.

It is interesting how the decisions on what colors and where to place those colors changed so much from the original catalog image.

The catalog also plays tricks with the eye.  By shrinking the torch style lamps and a bit of dramatic perspective the 115 looks way bigger.

 

Even MTH's 116 is without the frames yet have tabs for such.  You'd have thought they could add the frames at the expense of accuracy.

 

Bruce

Jennifer,

What if you did a gold trim matching that center clock trim?

 

 

I did a little test...Lionel 384 cab windows are an exact fit for the opening on my original 115... tabs and all.  Hmmm.....

Oh, well sure, of course, that's obvious?  What the heck made you think of that?  That's what's called thinking outside the box.  

 

..."i think I like the gold frames best, however I don't even know how I would begin to make them...."

Well Jennifer, even if this isn't the answer to what Lionel intended, it's the answer to what to do with your station.  They're even brass!  Any of the parts people should have them - Tebolt, Hennings, Olsens...

 

384 loco windows, good grief!

 

 

Hey Rob, that's amazing!

I wonder how many people from our forum will be putting new windows in their stations or  

am I the only one that let this omission bother them.

By the way, I haven't seen you at any of the shows lately, Hope all is good.

 

I will be after them.  It's funny this post came up as I was cleaning my MTH station last weekend and noticed the tabs but no windows. I thought my station was missing parts. Awesome solutions and I think these stations will look more complete.  

Hojack try using the brass window inserts from a caboose. Maybe they are the size.

MTH does sell them.

 

 I had a moment of clarity... and a spare window is all. Sometimes you get lucky.

 

I bet we see a run on 384 Brass windows!  Jennifer, I don't go to local shows much, no time.  Usually just Boeing and TCA December show.  Its been a long time since we chatted... love to catch up some time.

 

No sir, they do not fit.  They are too small and rectangular, not squarish like the loco window inserts.

 

What about using frosted window inserts for those openings as well as for the door window panels?

Quite a lot of interest in your question/observation, Jennifer.  And what a bounty of solutions - This is great!

Go with the 384 window brass inserts.  That will look awesome.  IMHO

So this thread got me thinking about my 115 station and I decided to try my idea of frosted window glass. I did all the door windows, the right and left skylight windows in front and the roof skylight. Next I plan on doing all the glass this way. For me I like the look plus it helps keep dust out of the inside as well as hide my wiring inside the station. I did not use the tabs inside to hold the glass, but glued them in instead.

 

The frosted glass in the roof skylight looks especially nice. I think I'll try that with my 115.