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Post by Adam on Oct 22, 2023 16:33:18 GMT
Nice find Healey!
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Post by healey36 on Oct 23, 2023 13:02:27 GMT
I rarely wander around much in Walmart, but that day I decided to check it out. I need to get a few strings of LEDs for outdoors, and their pricing seems a bit more competitive as compared to Target and Lowes/Home Depot. I have a station I bought in Walmart many years ago which appears to be a near exact knock-off of D-56's "Grand Central Railway Station". I can't imagine that D-56 licensed Sam to produce these, so then was it an unlicensed duplicate made by some unscrupulous Chinese manufacturer? If and when I ever drag that stuff out of the attic, I'll post a few pics. It's pretty brazen in its replication of the original.
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Post by ptc on Oct 27, 2023 19:02:27 GMT
David, D-56 makes a nice special interest here, just like Classic 143 model cars. As we do our best to build this hobby, the last thing we need do it is so throw stones at at a like a great that can & will help us grow.
I have been at both hobbies for 40 years for D56 and 77 years so I should know. You are spot on, Dave.
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Post by keithb on Oct 31, 2023 20:44:33 GMT
Dept 56 as in ceramic buildings?
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Post by david1 on Nov 1, 2023 1:03:25 GMT
Dept 56 as in ceramic buildings? Yes. Dave
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Post by ptc on Nov 1, 2023 20:54:40 GMT
"Dept 56 as in ceramic buildings?"
Partially correct. The bulk are now made out of porcelain. Only Snow Village is made out of ceramic.
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Post by keithb on Nov 2, 2023 9:19:50 GMT
"Dept 56 as in ceramic buildings?"Partially correct. The bulk are now made out of porcelain. Only Snow Village is made out of ceramic. I am blessed to have 10 of these. Four were given to me by a friend and the other 6, I bought at auction for $10 for the lot. 
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Post by healey36 on Nov 4, 2023 12:04:18 GMT
"Dept 56 as in ceramic buildings?"Partially correct. The bulk are now made out of porcelain. Only Snow Village is made out of ceramic. That's interesting, ptc...what's the difference? I love what some people can do with clay, but I am blissfully ignorant of the overall process.
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Post by highvoltage on Nov 5, 2023 15:47:37 GMT
"Dept 56 as in ceramic buildings?"Partially correct. The bulk are now made out of porcelain. Only Snow Village is made out of ceramic. That's interesting, ptc...what's the difference? I love what some people can do with clay, but I am blissfully ignorant of the overall process. The quote below is from a tile website, but I'm sure the process is the same for all forms of ceramic vs. porcelain:
"The major difference between porcelain tile and ceramic tile is how it's made. Both tiles are made from a clay mixture that's fired in a kiln, but porcelain tile is made from more refined clay and it's fired at higher temperatures. This makes it denser and more durable than ceramic tile."
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Post by healey36 on Nov 5, 2023 16:00:08 GMT
Thanks...that's very interesting. Most "porcelain" stuff I've seen have a highly glossed glazed finish, while stuff listed as "ceramic" not so much. That would not seem to be dependent upon the density of the material, rather attributes of the glaze. Good to know that it is not a fair way of determining composition or categorization. Thanks again for the info.
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sorenk
Junior Member
"Come to Enon where the lights of Christmas will always glow."
Posts: 63
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Post by sorenk on Nov 9, 2023 15:16:13 GMT
YOUR OPINION PLEASE:
At the moment getting treay complete last area of layout - a city or village
I am thinking of using - Dept 56 Hertiage Vo;;age Collection - "Christmas in the City" Vantage late 1990's
What is you thinking -
Think you - Soren K
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Post by healey36 on Nov 10, 2023 9:38:00 GMT
A few years back, we dispositioned most of the ceramic village stuff we’d accumulated over the years. It was rarely seeing use and it was taking up a lot of storage space. We did, however, hang onto a dozen or so pieces from various manufacturers, and some of the D56 “Christmas In The City” stuff was retained. They work especially well with a small toy train display, and to be honest, they are buildings I can relate to.
I picked up a book (Village Display Tips by Leigh Gieringer) a few years ago that offered suggestions on how best to display stuff. It is useful, to a degree. Hiding wiring is always my biggest challenge, and the book offers a few techniques on how to do this efficiently.
Might crack that stuff out this year. It’s been at least ten or twelve years since we’ve used any of it. It would be fun.
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Post by kstrains on Dec 4, 2023 4:41:00 GMT
I found this nice video of Department 56 Dickens village along with Polar Express. A large layout that they created 2021. It is cute that they include their kids in video. ![]()  |
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Post by Country Joe on Dec 5, 2023 14:55:42 GMT
Ken, that is an excellent video of a neat Christmas layout. Thanks for posting it.
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Post by Bill on Dec 7, 2023 5:32:23 GMT
YOUR OPINION PLEASE: At the moment getting treay complete last area of layout - a city or village I am thinking of using - Dept 56 Hertiage Vo;;age Collection - "Christmas in the City" Vantage late 1990's What is you thinking - Think you - Soren K Christmas in the City is a good choice, if you choose buildings that look like your time period. All Heritage Villages are a LITTLE smaller than Snow Village buildings and a lot more detailed. Also, Heritage buildings are not glossy and Snow Village buildings are. I'm using more of the Dickens Village buildings, but I also have a few others that would be a plausible time period fit for my collection. (1888) Hope that helps a little. Bill
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