Does anyone have any experience in using any particular HO scale structures with ON30 rolling stock…particularly the smaller ON30 pieces ?
Not sure I understand your question…
You do realize that these are different scales, “HO” being 1:87, and “O” being 1:48. Any HO scale structures would look roughly half the size of an O scale structure. Could possibly be used as a distant background structure, I suppose.
Tom
The On30 scale implies that you need O scale buildings for “up close” viewing. HO would be too small except for use as far background structures to give the scene the appearance of depth.
Do you think about a forced perspective to make it appear a bit larger than it is? Like John Allen did with his town of Akin? He build the structures smaller than H0 scale.
I think if you build the structures only half as big as the should be ie will look too toy like. I think perhaps S scale would be better. But it’s hard to do this convincing.
Wolfgang
HO scale buildings can be used with On762 (metric measurement) the same way that N scale buildings can be used with HO - as `back toward the backdrop and elevated’ forced perspective pieces to make the layout scene look deeper than it is.
If the structure is going to be close to the rolling stock (station, loading platform, rail-served industry) it will, of necessity, be 1:48 (aka O) scale, or it just won’t look right. Using smaller scale where a model person can put one hand on the building and one on a freight car will make it look as though the trackside structures are actually kiddie playhouses.
The real trick is to use 1:48 scale models of small PROTOTYPE buildings. I have seen stations that weren’t much bigger than Superman’s telephone booth, and freight houses (with high loading platforms) that wouldn’t hold enough to stuff a 60 foot standard gauge box car. You may have to scratch build or do some radical kitbashing, but the results will look much more realistic.
One station where I waited for a 762mm prototype train was similar in size and design to a city bus stop shelter - about the size of a 4x8 sheet of plywood.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - including two 762mm gauge feeders)
The problem with trying to adopt HO building models is that all of your door and window openings will be way too small. There are many O-scale manufacturers who make structures specifically for narrow-guage lines. They tend to be small, compact structures that won’t overwhelm the trains. Many of the structure footsprints are not substantially larger than a medium-size HO building.
Try this site: http://www.bantamodelworks.com/