I’m working on the street front displays for some of my layout buildings. One is an RCA television and RCA-Whirpool appliance store. So I needed some TVs and appliances for the display windows.
The appliances were built from scrap styrene pieces I have. There’s a refrigerator/freezer, and a washer and dryer.
The TVs were made from scrap wood. I drilled holes in them for small LEDs to light the TVs. The screens are just printed out images on regular computer paper.
Matt: If that’s Dinah Shore on the left set in the window, I’m afraid she was but a beautiful vision in BLACK & WHITE until 1965, when NBC began regular color broadcasting. You might also consider a console set, with a center TV, and two cabinet doors on either side of a longer piece of furniture, where one side was a record player/ radio receiver and the other was storage for record albums. As she used to say: See the USA in a Chevrolet ( but not the Volt!). Cedarwoodron
The face on the left is Marilyn Monroe. The center set is a black and white cowboy on a horse, and the right TV has some dancers in color. I figured two brand new RCA color TVs would make an impressive display for customers to see [;)]
I also tried to make that TV on the left look like the large console type sets. I should probably paint the cabinet doors and such a slightly lighter color so they show up.
In 1958 , it is more likely all the TV’s would be showing black & white programs, even in the unlikely event that on of them was a color set.
From Wikipedia:
"Although introduced in the U.S. in 1953,[2] only a few years after black-and-white televisions had been standardized there, high prices and lack of broadcast material greatly slowed its acceptance in the marketplace. Although the first national colorcast (the 1954 Tournament of Roses Parade) occurred on January 1, 1954, it was not until the late 1960s that color sets started selling in large numbers, due in some part to the color transition of 1965 in which over half of all network prime-time programming would be broadcast in color that fall, and the introduction of GE’s Porta-Color set in the Spring of 1966 which would bring the first all-color primetime season beginning that fall. By the late 1960s and early 1970s though, color sets had become standard, and the completion of total colorcasting was achieved when the last of the daytime programs converted to color and joined with primetime in the first all-color season in 1972. "
Is your location near a large city (say 50 miles or less)? While a large city might of had three stations (one affiliated with each network) that was unlikely in more rural areas. In the early 50’s, I lived in Seattle and later San Franciso, but although I did watch some TV, I was very young and unaware of different stations.
From about '57 through '65, I lived about 35 miles from a city of 30,000 located half way between two major metropolition areas (300 miles from each) . It had one station which, which we could get. The station was affilated with all three networks. One nights prime time would be NBC, another ABC, and another CBS. The rest of the time was local programing which consisted mostly of old movies.
Neat idea.If it was my layout, well, I’m set in roughly the late 60s, so color wouldn’t be an issue.
I wonder if there’s a circuit that (almost) gives you flicker, so it would look like the picture is in motion? That would especially help the effect of a B&W TV.
Well as we Aussies some times say “Somebody has far too much time on his hands” [swg]
This is obviously for a foreground scene and the shop has very large windows. So you might want to think about grabbing a few extra bits of plastic the right size and just slapping some black, white and yellow paint on them, and sticking them on the shop floor along with a counter sized bit toward the back.
This will fool the viewing eye into thinking the whole shop has a far far higher level of detail than it has.
How am I supposed to direct people to that well know appliance store when its not got the sign writers in yet[:D]
I have just purchased a bunch of his pictures. Some are a little large for HO but if you are only getting a glimpse through a window they should work fine.
Ignore the rivet counters! Your Idea is GREAT!!! [wow] [yeah]
{ DIsclaimer: I would have to agree, though, that the TVs would be showing B&W}
The rivet counters are just jealous {me too} that they didn’t take the time to creat those appliances too!!
Anyone can glue in a PICTURE of a shop full of goods, but only a ‘good modeler’ would take the time to build/create SCALE models!
As Walt Disney would say: “how can we 'plus’ it?”: how about that store name’s sign? And maybe a “SALE” sign in the window. How about “rabbit Ears” antenneas on the tops of the TVs?
I am sure you are not done with your creativity here yet!
Appreciate all the responses. Great info and tips. To answer some specific questions:
Yep, Los Angeles. There were seven stations on the air back then; KNXT, KRCA, KTLA, KABC, KHJ, KTTV, and KCOP. I know for sure that KTLA, KTTV, and KCOP still use the same call letters to this day.
I wondered about a flickering circuit. I seem to recall reading years ago to hook up a radio to a light for a flicker effect. Not sure if this would work with LEDs though. But a flicker is somehting I’m looking into.
Been working on some paper test signs. When I’m happy with the designs I’ll make decals. I might even light the sign. One side will be RCA Whirlpool, the other will be RCA televisions.
Here’s a pic of my first test sign:
The other side looks like this:
I just found another sign and will use it in place of the “Big Color” sign, as I like this version better:
As is, the viewing angle on the layout where this store is you may no
Southwest Chief, I think you have a great start (and the signs outside look good, too)! Did you have a leftover Walthers plastic sign shape that you used for the “Patterson’s” sign? I’ll have to go back and look at my Walthers kits (which I have yet to get built)…
I made the sign from scratch. The building is a SmallTown USA kit.
The sign may be a little thick in HO scale, but it matches the thickness of some other signs I made for Miller Engineering animated signs.
The sign was used in the movie “That Thing You Do”. I know the movie is set in the 60s, but I like the look of the sign and it was filmed in the city of Orange. Our layout kind of has a city of Orange feel to it.
