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 I have a complete kit minus the little ball on the top of the antenna. 

The story is I gave it to a buddy of mine and after 13 years he never placed it on the layout so he gave it back to me.

all except  the little white ball. So I set out to soak, rinse and dry  the 13 years of dust. While sitting out on my front steps

i was swarmed by at least a dozen yellow jackets.  Stung a couple of times but I went back to pick up the transmitting station which cleaned up well. 

now that it looks so nice and clean, I wondered who where how I might get this little part or suggestions on replacement of some kind. I am not a purist or collector any substitute recommendations also gladly welcomed. Has anyone any ideas?

going to get more ice for the stings now...

ticks, mosquitos, hornets, yellow jackets.....Maine's insect population keep me in the cool cellar rebuilding the former layout for which I am grateful. Spiders (allowed) visit the layout space to guard it. Lol.

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MIKATT1 posted:

I replaced the ball  with a red led. Ran thin wires down the tower and put a flasher circut inside the building. The building housed a battery wich would  keep the light blinking 24 hours a day for almost a year!

Although Dave has a great suggestion there are Plasticville parts dealers.  I'm not at home but just Google "Plasticville parts " and you should get a couple of hits.

Bill

It was using a small 8-pin IC from Radio Shack, I don't remember the number and I think it was discontinued (and , of course Radio Shack is now discontinued.) , but I'm sure one of the experts on this board can come up with a very simple circuit to do it. If you can't find any info, let me know and I will try to find my old paper work and give you some part numbers.

Train Nut posted:

At one point or another you can find almost any plasticville part you're looking for on eBay.

I generally agree.  The only ones that can be  tough are "rare color" parts, particularly marbled ones that were either produced in small quantities or were production "errors."  That stated, there is an active cottage industry on ebay that often has replacements available for those.  As expected, the pricing on Plasticville parts up on Ebay is sometimes wacky; last year I was looking for a chimney for one of my Plasticville houses and was amazed at the variation in what sellers were asking for that tiny little item ($2 to almost $15).  

Last edited by Dan Fender

A U33F package from Evans Design contains (5) 3mm flashing red LED's that operate at 7-19v AC.  The rectifier circuit is built into each prewired LED assembly.  Pretty convenient solution for about $3.00 per light.  Probably a few more tall locations around the layout where the other 4 could alert the low-flying planes....and houseflies!.

FWIW, of couse….

KD

Dave,

Your solution was a clever one, however i  you ever intend to return your piece to original here's a possible solution for you!  There is a club called "Plasticvfille Collectors Association" that is a wonderful club. For members they have a free parts bin, and for non members there are listings of many parts at very nominal prices. They have a news letter 4 times a year filled with information about Plasticville and its history. I encourage every one to pay a visit to their site!

Paul

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