Im just starting to get into the hobby now i finally have a place of my own. im in the brainstorming/ Ideas phase at the moment. My plan is to build a HO scale model of my local Norfolk and Sounthern yard, here in Gang mills, upstate NY. Im really trying to get it as accreate as possible taking into consideration the space I have have avalible. So this leads me to my question, I`m looking to build the main mantinance hanger and side buildings. When building them to HO scale what is the general rule for Meters to CM? Or if anyone has a link for a scratch building tips/ tutorials that would be great also.
With scratchbuilding structures I calculate only 1 : 87. That means 1 meter = 100 cm = 1000 mm. And then divide by 87 and you have the H0 measurements. This I did with my prototype station “Naumburg”.
Um, if it’s local then why don’t you use standard feet/inches. As far as I know America hasn’t gone completely metric yet (don’t worry, we will be the last free-standing nation to fully convert, yes, we’re stubborn).
Rather than convert, get a scale rule. It is already “converted” for you. For example if a measurement on the prototype is 87’ then you just mark at the 87’ mark on the scale rule. Much, much, much easier than trying to convert measurements to scale and then read them from a normal ruler.
Welcome to the Trains.com/Forums, I use the rough scale of 87:1 or 87ft.(real) : 1ft(HO Scale) This is roughly 1ft.(real):1/8 inch(HO Scale) Thus, a 6ft man is 6/8in tall. Before you get into the difficulties of “scratch building” a structure, why don’t you go to your local Model Railroad Hobby Shop, and get a styrene plastic model (that is close to what you desire). Get the proper glue for styrene, and build the kit ,(as per instructions). Then, If you wish to alter the design, you can always “kitbash” the model, to fit your desires. We would like to see a drawing of your proposed layout, drawn to scale. Show the room placement of the entrance, windows, obstructions, etc. For most of my scratch-built buildings, I make use of my box of scale windows and doors, left over from hundreds of kits that I built according to the detailed plans, or kitbashed, so that I had plenty of parts left over. Trying to scratch build HO scale framing of windows and doors, is nearly impossible, especially for a beginner.! Wolfgang’s magnificent station model, is the work of a master model craftsman. Even with all of his crafting skill, he must have spent hours and hours replicating the detailed structure, and surrounding details. Bob Hahn
Well actually i`m English, So still stuck in my old ways. I do live in Upstate Ny now though. But ty for all the tips guys. i’ll put it into practice and post some pics. of my “Shed” [;)]
The general rule is 1:87, HO scale is 1:87 of full size. Just divide full sized dimensions by 87 to get the HO dimension.
That said, I always use an HO scale ruler, marked in HO feet and inches. This avoids all arithmetic, which is always a source of mistakes. I often work from photographs of real structures. I make full scale HO sized drawings from the photographs. Take a 100 foot tape measure and record some of the prototype dimensions in a note book. Or, find something in the photograph with a known size (people are 6 foot tall, many doorways are 8 or 9 foot high). Use a pair of dividers to find other dimensions in the photo by stepping off the known dimension. One of these days I will find a pair of proportional dividers to convert photograph dimensions to HO scale.
Hey Simon, welcome to the forum. So now there are two US based Brits called Simon on the forum!!
Wolfgang already gave you the calculation 1meter = 1.15 cm
Since the structures that you want to build are still standing take as many photos as you can. If you can’t get access to exact dimensions, then it is a question of estimating dimensions from a known measurement. For example, if you know the height of a door, you can use that to estimate from photos the other main dimensions.
Your most likely problem will be that a large industrial structure may scale out to be quite big in HO, so you may have to be clever with some compression to allow it to fit your space. In my case I had a very large structure that I ended up modelling as a shallow flat against my backdrop, just modelling the front facade.
Start with Pikestuff buildings (kitbash) or Evergreen plastic sheet. Probably some form of corrugated metal. You can estimate the size from the boxcar next to it or from the gauge of the track. That should be a very easy scratchbuild, all rectangular shapes, easy openings and windows.
Ty guys for all the help. Yeah I think the Pikestuff is exactly what im looking for. Im excited to get started but also a lil daunted. Im still undecided wether to go HO, or N. The amount of land i really wanna squeeze in my brains say N. But my heart`s saying HO >.> I plan on building atleast an 16’x4’ layout. But i just really need to set it out on paper and see whats gonna all fit in.
I dont have my Walthers Reference handy but if you go to your local hobby shop and ask the clerk for a “Cornerstone Modulars” kit he can show you some that would match this bldg. your wanting to build pretty close… They come in a kit you can build 1 of three buildings…Rather than buy plastic and tools to build with ,this one would be more your fit…All you need would be some glue !
