So what are my choices for a realistic building against a wall?

Jonny,

You can scratch-build any type of building front that you like, or you can buy any of the various kits and use the walls flat. With a 3/4-inch depth, you will have room to add lights without a problem.

Alan Graziano

Thanks for your reply and suggestion Alan. Any particular companies or stores come to mind for some ready made fronts that look like apartments. The only thing I saw on Ebay were card stock type flats that I feel would not give the impression of depth that I want. Also to give the impression of distance should I be looking at HO scale sized building fronts instead of O scale?

Jonny,

Ameritown buildings and Korber buidlings will be ideal for this/

Alan Graziano

Thanks again Alan, I'll take a look at them.

Ameritown buidings have side wall pieces that can be cut, this is a half cut brick wall.

I took a look at the Ameritown items also. Nice idea Mike, Thanks for posting that.

Johnny:

Attached are some sample fronts I have built. All use Ameritown walls with some kit bashing. If you use a 1/2 inch sidewall adding lights is easy. I usually glue in painted hardboard 'floors' so I can mount lights underneath them for the story below.

I am not sure if the Elfin Models web site is still up (they closed shop) but if it is you can get some great ideas. With OGR walls you imagination is pretty much the only limiting factor.

Joe

Looks really nice Joe. Some really good ideas here, I'll have to do more deciding on which way to go.

Some examples of Model Structure's work on fronts in the corner and along the wall:

Excellent setup Dewey!

Well I have made a decision on what to buy. I ended up buying two Ameri-town brick walls with windows from the ORG website. I will probably paint them brick red and add just a little weathering to them. I have not decided on how to light the windows yet, but will look on the search for ideas on that.

Thanks so much for your help Guys!!

Has anyone built tenement building flats? One sees these from many trains going and leaving cities, but unless I missed seeing, haven't seen these modeled. Colorfull with laundry hanging from the fire escapes, and people on them.

Hmm, interesting idea with the fire escapes and hanging laundry. I don't want to make things too shabby, but a little detail can go along way. I will give that idea some thought. Thanks josef.

As I see it, your choices are:

1) Printed paper of images/photos of buildings, perhaps on foamboard or wooden blocks to add a bit of depth.  Note the photo below, the railroad station in the foreground is bashed Ameritowne, but the buioldings behind it are printed paper rubber cemented to a 1/4 inch board that cover the entire wall, which had mountains and sky/clouds painted on it first.  I did this for about fifteen feet of my backdrops and it looks very real.

2) Ameri-towne panels completed as only panels or very shallow buildings mounted to the wall.  You could use the front panels other kits or scratch built building fronts, too. 

I have about three feet of this on my layout. 

3) Commercially built readi-built buildings you cut shallow.  I have never considered this but it is a possibility.  

Yes, your scene looks great Lee. I did see some of those flat printed buildings listed on Ebay and while they looked good in the photos, I did not know if they would look good in person. I see that on your setup it looks fantastic. The other problem in my situation with the printed flats would be that if I had wanted to light up any windows I would not easily be able to do so without cutting out the windows in the printed building. For that reason I ended up purchasing the Ameri-towne flat pieces. I will see how they work out for me.

Check out Building Flats and Hybrid Flats at Trackside Scenery.  Forum member Joey Ricard sells high resolution photos of buildings to use as flats, and Hybrid kits for tenements that include a photo building flat on top of which you construct a laser cut wood porch/balcony.  I've seen the tenements in person and you really can't tell that the walls are photos.  They are very reasonably priced.

Bob

The back row in the picture are essentially flats......

Well my project is almost finished and here is what I did. Any ideas for improvements? (start over?)

Purchased two window flats from the ORG web store and added fire escapes. Added an office building flat from Ebay. Added a stone wall to hide the wall baseboard. Put up blue sky color paper board and added some clouds using some white acrylic paint.

That looks great.   I especially like your idea of the stonework over the baseboard.

ModelTech Studios has an apartment/tenement flat as well as several industrial flats with nice detail. Link below:

http://modeltechstudios.com/os...esandstructures.aspx

These are some flats made from Ameritowne. Although not lit here, I used strip led's for lighting.