Are there HO Buildings that can pass for O?

Athearn water towers are huge and would work well for O.  They're larger than any O gauge towers that I've seen.  You might want to change the ladder though. 

John

I was hoping to use the less gaudy Hot Wheels and Matchbook 1/64 or S scale cars but their just too small.

HO buildings can be used further back in the layout sometimes, it gives a forced perspective if done properly.  I'm no expert so it's trial and error all the way for me with this. 

See John Brennan's book by Kalmbach...Realistic Modeling for Toy Trains...

http://www.kalmbachstore.com/10-8390.html

His is one of several published articles/books on using smaller-gauge structures (cars, peoples, details, foliage/trees, etc., etc.,) set back to create the illusion of distance.  It works...VERY well, BTW.

FWIW, always...

KD

I use a row of "HO" city buildings along the back of my layout. I can't imagine any "HO" buildings being the correct size to use up-front on a "O" layout without modification (which I did on some carnival side-show structures). There are a few "HO" Woodland Scenics buildings that look fine on my "S" layout.

Walthers 933-3126 HO ELECTRICAL TRANSFORMER, Heljan 322-2018 POWER STATION, Plastruct 570-1030 STEEL MILL FAKE FRONT KIT & 570-1031 SINTERING PLANT, plus a bunch of detail parts like dust collectors, convayers, and roof top vents.

There are quite a few HO buildings that can be used in the background, as others have said. I have several industrial buildings that work well (power plant). The biggest problem I see is the windows and doors can seem too small if you have properly scaled figures or vehicles right next to the buildings. Part of the fun is developing that "forced" perspective!

Don't know about O, but the Athearn HO water tower works darn well for S!

Rusty

The ivy-covered building in the first photo and all of the buildings (modified) in the second:

Jim

Some HO buildings can be used for O gauge if re-purposed.  I use an HO factory as a horse barn and Bill Bramlage used an HO diesel Service House as a very convincing O Scale factory in OGR Oct/Nov 2011.

Joe

Korber HO scale power building works well in O.

So, Jim...What is the genesis of the ivy-covered building??  The windows are excellent!

KD

KD,

Unfortunately, just a junk box of HO parts found under a table at a train show for dollar or two - so I don't have any info on the original kit name or manufacturer. I agree, the windows are the best part.

Jim

jim, those buildings look great. I was always under the impression that forced perspective didn't work well if you have you regular scale trains too close or it ruins the effect. how did you deal with that particularly in the second photo? also, you have figures close by the doors. are those HO figures or did you change the doors?

jerrman

Jerrman,

Building new doors was about the only change I made in the HO buildings. The figures are O scale in these scenes, but I have used HO figures in places where the scene is well behind the train tracks.

Jim

This Ertl farm set is listed as 1/64. Most of the Red farm equipment is 1/43 the John Deere tractor(Green) is 1/50  one pick-up truck is 1/48, and one is 1/43.  So it depends some on your expectation of how large a barn or building should be.

How did you make your fence & Plowed field?  Looks real nice.

Thank You

Ken

Seems to me that I recall the Heljan Brewery Malt House (Walthers 322-807; about 25.5 x 7.25 x 21.6 give or take) being advertised as "acceptable" in S gauge and O gauge...but as mentioned above, the doors needed "resized". 

Is that the kind of thing you were looking for?

Great idea what did you use for fence wire?

Ken

The Heljan Brewery actually comes with an extra set of larger front entrance doors for that purpose.  However, the loading dock doors are too small so those would still have to be replaced

I would like to make a comment.I certainly hope this does not offend anyone.OR violate any copyright laws.O scale store-bought structures do not even come close to real O scale size.It is nuts to think you can use HO.

Jim...

I think I stumbled onto the answer to my own question re the genesis of those neat arch-topped windows in your scene...

http://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/show/page/searchResults?cx=007918959149067016884%3Aqoqceszsb7y&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=UTF-8&q=powerhouse&sa=

The complete structure, the powerhouse is DPM (Woodland Scenics) kit #356.   But the windows are part of their modular wall system, and these are p/n 30118, shown on the same page in the above site.

I may have to get some of these and 'play' around with them for a background flat as you did.

Thanks, again, for the inspiration!

KD

Yes, HO buildings are about half the scale of O. However, they certainly can be used on an O scale layout. I have used them extensively as background  buildings and you can see what Jim Policastro did. I have also used a Walthers HO diesel service building alongside the tracks. It's all a matter of perspective. Remember. we're creating an illusion not recreating reality.  

agree. if you have a reasonable amount of real estate not too close to the viewer or want to create background buildings that look even further away (as long as your o scale trains don't run right in front if them), forced perspective can be very effective. look at a real city scene outside and it is obvious that the buildings in the distance, although they might be much larger than the closer buildings if side by side, look much snaller. and the further back you go, the smaller they look. that is why HO buildings can work on an O scale layout if done correctly. To see it in modeling, just check out Dennis's book "Realistic Modeling For Toy Trains" and you can easily see how well it works. 

jerrman

Go play with your mole hills...Let us professionals take care of the mountans

I can't tell if you're being serious or joking. I'd like to think you're joking.

At any rate, this is my concrete, brick and stone mountain.

Of course I'm joking...Your work is nice.

Every layout needs a HO house 

You mean...?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/230921859494?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I believe this is a 'HO ho house'!

Don't know much about buildings but I can say a lot of HO scale details work out great for O scale buildings

Some examples are:

Rix Elevated Tank that works great as a roof top tank on an O scale building

Rix Cyclones and Vents

IMEX single and double tanks work fine on service platforms

Walthers surge bins are big enough for an O scale grain elevator on the ground or on top of an auxiliary building.

Joe

A Plasticville "HO" greenhouse works better. In "O" it's "Commercial size", in "HO" it's more appropriate for the back yard.