N scale buildings are missing.....?
- Thread starter djstrains
- Start date
elsner203
Member
I agree. I'm still in the process of planning my first layout and it's difficult to do when everything is crappy old houses, funky buildings with irrelevant names or industries I don't need. Does anyone make stadiums? How about a legit train station that doesn't look like it belongs in Tokyo? Seems like so many buildings are the same, just with different labels on them. Sorry, the post office and pharmacy are not going to look alike on my layout.
That would be great, but since the markets are different sizes and the sales potential is different, that may not be likely.
While it can be frustrating at first when looking at N scale structures, there is much more to choose from than 20 or so years ago. So I guess I see the glass half-full.
As an N scaler myself, more buildings would be welcome, but there needs to be a market. Even a compressed full sports stadium would cover something like 16 square feet in N scale, without parking lots. How large is the layout you are planning?
How about this one, Walthers Part # 933-3257
Or this one, Branchline #859
Or this one, Walthers Part # 933-3805
There are dozens more stations offered in N scale that can be found in the Walthers catalog or website.
You might want to look a little deeper. There are at least dozens, and probably hundreds, of different storefront-style buildings in N scale now. No need to have any two the same, unless you are modeling a huge city with hundreds of structures. And even then, a modest amount of kit-bashing could yield many variations of the same kit.
Good luck.
As an N scaler myself, more buildings would be welcome, but there needs to be a market. Even a compressed full sports stadium would cover something like 16 square feet in N scale, without parking lots. How large is the layout you are planning?
How about this one, Walthers Part # 933-3257
Or this one, Branchline #859
Or this one, Walthers Part # 933-3805
There are dozens more stations offered in N scale that can be found in the Walthers catalog or website.
You might want to look a little deeper. There are at least dozens, and probably hundreds, of different storefront-style buildings in N scale now. No need to have any two the same, unless you are modeling a huge city with hundreds of structures. And even then, a modest amount of kit-bashing could yield many variations of the same kit.
Good luck.
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arealgijoe
Member
Where I live we have the second oldest continuous-use train station in the US. I took a similar structure type, a Faller Karlsberg station. I built it w/o the center 2nd story and painted it to match our local station. I used photos I took of our local station to match the color scheme. One would have to look close at the box photo to tell it was the same structure kit.
The lack of structure selection has always been a weak point for Nice Scale modeling for me as well.
JD.
The lack of structure selection has always been a weak point for Nice Scale modeling for me as well.
JD.
elsner203
Member
Good stuff Byron. I was joking about the stadium, way too much space and that's why I'm limited to a 5' x 4' mini.
Those train stations were pretty nice. Bet they're expensive! I'll check out the Walthers catalog and maybe save up for some of those good stations. Also, I had an idea of what I was looking for, so maybe what I had in mind just doesn't exist. Thanks for the pointers!
Those train stations were pretty nice. Bet they're expensive! I'll check out the Walthers catalog and maybe save up for some of those good stations. Also, I had an idea of what I was looking for, so maybe what I had in mind just doesn't exist. Thanks for the pointers!
I think modern industries such as a gypsum plant, auto plants, modern gas stations are missing, plus they discontinued the whole steel mill industry kits. I think it was lousy of them to reissue an old kit, but with a new name and sign, and pass it off like a new release. ((jealousy of HO mood))
arealgijoe
Member
elsner203
Member
That's funny cause I remember a Pharmacy back in Ohio that was also a payment center for local utilities. As I was typing it, I was thinking there may be one out there that is a PO combo too!
I think you should spend some time looking around. I've got a list of bookmarks for various N manufacturers. Many are not carried by Walthers. Sometimes you need to go to different on-line retailers to find things or dirrectly to the manufacturers. For instance, a look at AMB (American Model Builders) website lists 7 station kits, SP AT&SF, NP, IC and ?? prototypes. Now theses are laser kits and not plastic but fine kits indeed.
On another forum someone was lamenting the lack of "old" gas station availability. In the responses there were 9 or 10 different ones listed. I researched them for current availability and found them in various places on the web as well as a few more.
As for the power plant, I drive past several on I25 in Colorado and the kit that screams at me is the Superior Paper Company from Walthers. Kitbash time. Kitbashing will get you a lot of what's not out there.
My personal gripe is for Produce warehouses. The Central Valley of California has tons of them, rarely two alike, made of concrete, stucco, wood, metal, concrete block, stone, and anything else. Few are available. but I've got some kits I'm goin to use to kitbash some.
On another forum someone was lamenting the lack of "old" gas station availability. In the responses there were 9 or 10 different ones listed. I researched them for current availability and found them in various places on the web as well as a few more.
As for the power plant, I drive past several on I25 in Colorado and the kit that screams at me is the Superior Paper Company from Walthers. Kitbash time. Kitbashing will get you a lot of what's not out there.
My personal gripe is for Produce warehouses. The Central Valley of California has tons of them, rarely two alike, made of concrete, stucco, wood, metal, concrete block, stone, and anything else. Few are available. but I've got some kits I'm goin to use to kitbash some.
Since nothing like that is available in HO scale either, not sure what you expect. Learn to kitbash.
NScaler
Engineer in Training
I have no problem building that power plant from scratch. I just happened to be searching for a decent model of a coal power plant and didn't see one that would work for the one I plan to use on my layout. I thought that was kind of odd since a lot of layouts feature trains with hoppers full of coal.
There are a lot of fine laser cut N scale structures out there. But a lot of people I would imagine can't spend that kind of money. Heck, the track alone for my small layout is going to cost over $500. I myself plan to scratch build most of my foreground structures. Because that is the main reason I am building my layout. For the scenery and structure building. Anyway, I think the reason for this thread is to ask what buildings people would like to see available in N scale. Not what buildings we would like to kitbash.
There are a lot of fine laser cut N scale structures out there. But a lot of people I would imagine can't spend that kind of money. Heck, the track alone for my small layout is going to cost over $500. I myself plan to scratch build most of my foreground structures. Because that is the main reason I am building my layout. For the scenery and structure building. Anyway, I think the reason for this thread is to ask what buildings people would like to see available in N scale. Not what buildings we would like to kitbash.
NScaler
Engineer in Training
Here is a page I found with N Scale ships... http://www.sylvanscalemodels.com/N scale ships new page.htm
arealgijoe
Member
There have been many times I have seen a structure in HO scale and WISHED it was also available in N scale. There are so many styles in real life, no scale, not even HO can replicate much of what exists even today, let alone the past.
Here in Jackson (or JOKEson as I call it) we have the second oldest continuous use RR station in the US. I wanted to model it, but I am not much of a scratch builder or kit-basher. What I did for my layout was take a European kit of similar construction and Americanize it. All I did was pre-paint it to match our local station and leave off the center second story.
The above photo shows my custom model version of the RR station based on and built suing the Faller kit (top right) and below is an actual photo I took of our real station. It ahs a very long veranda and I had to shot this with a 9mm lens from across the tracks, across the road, and beyond the parking lot across the street and from the bank of the Grand River, in order to get it ALL in a single take.
The reason I still have the kit box is I bought TWO thinking I wanted to more accurately depict the LONG veranda. I decided not to make it longer (well yet anyway). I still might in the future, but if I do the end sections can be assembled as 2 stand-alone building and still expand my model RR station.
JD
Here in Jackson (or JOKEson as I call it) we have the second oldest continuous use RR station in the US. I wanted to model it, but I am not much of a scratch builder or kit-basher. What I did for my layout was take a European kit of similar construction and Americanize it. All I did was pre-paint it to match our local station and leave off the center second story.
The above photo shows my custom model version of the RR station based on and built suing the Faller kit (top right) and below is an actual photo I took of our real station. It ahs a very long veranda and I had to shot this with a 9mm lens from across the tracks, across the road, and beyond the parking lot across the street and from the bank of the Grand River, in order to get it ALL in a single take.
The reason I still have the kit box is I bought TWO thinking I wanted to more accurately depict the LONG veranda. I decided not to make it longer (well yet anyway). I still might in the future, but if I do the end sections can be assembled as 2 stand-alone building and still expand my model RR station.
JD
arealgijoe
Member
COMMAND DECISION:
This whole thread has been causing gray matter sparks. I have been working on reworking my layout following the move late last spring, to a more accessible location in my house. I took a few inches off in one area and added a few in another to make an isle wider, more suitable for chair access (if needed, I use a chair part-time).
I just finished a long dead end track, switchable for use as a programming track or test run track a couple days ago. Just before that I installed a boarder around the table edges so trains don't run away and fly, landing you know where. That allowed me to put trackage closer to the table edges. That in turn allowed me to make my passenger station tracks longer as well.
SO! I have decided to go ahead and build the center extension, soon. I built my original kitbash (loose use of the term here IMO) with only one of the ends cemented to the existing center section. That was done to allow easy expansion, when & IF I decided to expand it. A few of my old downtown buildings got lost (or stolen) so I can make good use of the 2 extra buildings I can make from the 2 left over ends. One nice feature of construction grade Styrofoam is the ability to re-route trackage when needed or desired. My tables are over 25 years old and still serve me well.
Thanx NScaler, I did not do much, just painted it to match as close as practical using off-the-shelf colors and leaving off the center upstairs. The basic building style & windows of the European station already were a close-enough match out of the box.
The point I wanted to make is one does not have to necessarily do very much to Americanize or modify some kits to make it look different or fit into our part of the globe. Many N scale kits can easily be made into something other than the box picture or building title. Even just a little paint can go a long way.
JD
This whole thread has been causing gray matter sparks. I have been working on reworking my layout following the move late last spring, to a more accessible location in my house. I took a few inches off in one area and added a few in another to make an isle wider, more suitable for chair access (if needed, I use a chair part-time).
I just finished a long dead end track, switchable for use as a programming track or test run track a couple days ago. Just before that I installed a boarder around the table edges so trains don't run away and fly, landing you know where. That allowed me to put trackage closer to the table edges. That in turn allowed me to make my passenger station tracks longer as well.
SO! I have decided to go ahead and build the center extension, soon. I built my original kitbash (loose use of the term here IMO) with only one of the ends cemented to the existing center section. That was done to allow easy expansion, when & IF I decided to expand it. A few of my old downtown buildings got lost (or stolen) so I can make good use of the 2 extra buildings I can make from the 2 left over ends. One nice feature of construction grade Styrofoam is the ability to re-route trackage when needed or desired. My tables are over 25 years old and still serve me well.
Thanx NScaler, I did not do much, just painted it to match as close as practical using off-the-shelf colors and leaving off the center upstairs. The basic building style & windows of the European station already were a close-enough match out of the box.
The point I wanted to make is one does not have to necessarily do very much to Americanize or modify some kits to make it look different or fit into our part of the globe. Many N scale kits can easily be made into something other than the box picture or building title. Even just a little paint can go a long way.
JD
