Building HO scale structures

After setting up my train table and finalizing the track layout, my next step was to start adding buildings and structures. For a while I wished I went with N-scale since I could fit so much more on the 5’x8′ table that I built, but after building HO-scale structures, I am so glad I didn’t. I have enough trouble getting details on the HO buildings correct that I can’t imagine how much harder it would be in N-scale. Having shaky, sweaty hands doesn’t help at all either!

I could have just bought pre-made buildings, but I wanted to actually put the models together myself. When I was younger I used to build models and paint miniatures, both of which I enjoyed. So buying pre-built wasn’t an option when there were so many structures I could make myself. I’ve come to realize that although I do still enjoy building models, I don’t really enjoy painting them. I’m also not that good at weathering so my structures don’t look as good as they could.

The first thing I got was a water tower – this was something that I had to have on my layout. It was also something that looked pretty easy to assemble, and since this was my first build, I wanted something simple. It didn’t take long to build and it even came with a little pump house which was my first ‘building’ that I put together.

I still haven’t painted the water tower but someday I will get around to it. Or I will try to make my wife do it since she used to paint miniatures as well.

After that I built two houses from DPM’s Emery Lane kit. They were pretty straightforward and didn’t give me any real problems. I built both houses before doing any painting. After they were assembled, my wife and I each grabbed a house and painted them while watching a movie. After these houses, I decided that I would start painting parts before assembling them as I didn’t really like painting all the nooks and crannies while being careful not to get paint on another bit. I had to do a lot of touch-ups.

Next I did an Atlas train station. It was a plastic kit that was cheap and since I was still trying to find what types of buildings I like best, I was trying different materials. This kit reminded me of the plastic models that I put together as a kid. I also made the mistake of not pre-painting the parts except for some of the smaller details. I still want to go back and paint the walls and roof, or at least do some kind of weathering to make it look not so plasticy.

I was more or less happy with the structure, and moved on to my next build – a train shed by Piko. The material was plastic, but it wasn’t the same as the Atlas kit, it felt less cheap. This was another build that was pretty simple and one where I neglected to paint the parts first. I did like the color of the plastic on this kit which was one reason I didn’t paint it, but I did try to weather the walls a little. I still want to weather the roof, but who knows when that will happen.

I still haven’t tried any hydrocal kits, but I realized that I liked building wood kits…my to-build pile are mostly all wood kits. I’ve bought a few from RailroadKits.com – they are pretty cheap and look cool. So far I’ve built the 1 car garage and G Marshall’s Shipping. Both were easy and fun, and I learned some techniques and ideas for how to alter kits to make them more unique.

I’m currently building Banta Modelworks’ Silver Plume Bakery, but I’m turning it into a bookstore. Since this model has large front windows on two sides, I’m actually adding interior details to the front room. So far I’ve scratch built a counter and some bookcases, and I want to put some pictures on the walls and put a cash register on the counter. So far it’s been fun and I’ll most likely put that build in its own post.