Is it ok to use a tall HO building on a N scale layout? I am doing a downtown setting with tall buildings for my N scale, however I am Having a hard time finding tall N scale buildings.
Back when I was planning an urban canyone layout in N, I pretty much figured that to get the size buildings I wanted, I had to go with either Walther’s or DPM modular buildings and build my own.
Third alternative - scratchbuild.
Modern glass boxes and curtain wall designs are easy, and can be made to appear to duplicate specific structures fairly easily. Older buildings with deep relief and complex architectural elements are more difficult, but still do-able.
I said, “Appear to duplicate,” because a full-width, full-height skyscraper is huge, even in N scale. The Empire State Building would be close to 8 real feet tall, and at least a yard wide at the base. Methinks some selective compression would be in order.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - where the skyscrapers were mountains)
Here is are three steel mill articles describing exactly what you are asking about from The Model Train Magazine Index from http://index.mrmag.com/tm.exe
The author kitbashed Walthers HO Scale mill kits, took one inch off the height of the rolling mills, and used N Scale ladders, doorways, fixtures, etc. The ratio of scale to prototype height was really “close to actual scale” in the pictures due to the HO Scale kits!
Super-compact steel mill
Model Railroad Planning, 1999 page 34
Adopting HO kits to N scale packs a lot of railroading into a small area
( “KEMPINSKI, BERNARD”, TRACKPLAN, TRACKPLANNING, N, MRP )
Alkem Steel
In Celebration of 10 years of N-Scale 1989-1999
Article also published in N Scale, March/April 1998, page 28
Article also published in N Scale, May/June 1998, page 34
( “KEMPINSKI, BERNARD”, STEELMILL, STRUCTURE, WALTHERS )
Here i