(ADDED PICS) Your Thoughts on Railking Buildings

Mike:

I have around 8-10 MTH buildings on my layout and would agree with you insofar as the height of the sidewalks.  This is easily addressed by raising the level of your streets.  Insofar as doors and windows, I've always believed that Woodland Scenics has the best O scale size people and they seem to match up about right to the doors and windows on my MTH buildings.

An O scale kit will definitely be more scale like in it's appearance than an MTH building.  With the MTH buildings, you are trading fidelity to scale for the convenience of simply plopping it onto your layout and hooking the lights up to a transformer.

Curt

I agree entirely about the Woodland Scenics people.  Also their built-up buildings are outstanding - the best readi-made available I think.

I have a number of MTH buildings. Not sure why, but I prefer them slightly to Lionel buildings - interesting because with everything else it's the other way around.  for everyone put on my layout (both MTH and Lionel). Out of the box the MTh and Lionel aren't bad but they look a bit "toy" (compare them to the Woodland Scenics buildings for contrast).  So,  I have added detailed interiors and otherwise bashed them heavily with added exterior details, etc., and weathered them.  I often add a lot of detial to the roofs (so they look like real roofing material) and with roof type details like vents, TV antenna, etc.  They work out very wel like thatl. 

Nothing will be as good as a kit that you spend time completeing with high detail and good weathering, although Wonndland Scenics come close.

Actually, tall sidewalks aside, many (most?) RK buildings are -smaller- that O-scale;

closer to S. The operating stuff, like gas stations, are pretty much O-scale. It's

a bit of a crap shoot; the larger the prototype, the smaller the scale.

They still look great, are well-made and reasonably priced, can be painted and so forth.

One of my favorite things about RK structures is that they actually offer reasonable

models of large prototypes; I need another "country store" like I need another whatever.

My tastes are urban, and RK offers some options.

Now, Mr. Wolf, how about:

1 - that plastic $200 Grand Central Terminal? I'll buy right now

2 - some industrial/factory structures? Compressed (modular?), of course, but still impressive.

Most of my buildings on my small "city scene" layout are kitbashed with Ameritowne building fronts. My 5x8 layout cannot handle the depth of MTH building, or most other scale buildings. Space is VERY valuable on a small (but interesting) layout. If I had the room, I would part with the $$$ for Woodland Scenics buildings. I have a few "HO" ones on my "S" layout, and I love them.

I have always liked the MTH buildings. I always thought they looked great on our layout. I also liked, the Lionel Ralston Purina building and their coal mine.

RailKing multi-story retail buildings are pretty close to real dimensions.  It's actually hard to compare to prototype because real buildings do vary in size.  Some have 10' spacing between floors; still others might have as much as 20'.  But there is a lot you can do to customize any of these buildings to fit a particular requirement or even just give some architectual variety between nearby buildings.  I have purchased duplicate stores or buildings that started as three story buildings, removed the top floors from one building and added them to another to make a new five story building where I needed the height.  Then I used the roof and first floor to make a new one-story store for a more rural area.

RailKing bank buildings invite creativity, as well, and I have made (as others have, as well) a nice, large downtown "Union Station" from four regular bank buildings.

You can do a lot of things with these buildings with only a little effort.

Paul Fischer

This is one of my favorites...

We miss ya, Jim!!!

Gilly

Interesting post...

I grabbed the country store version of Gilly's building...it was sitting on the layout awaiting final placement...and put a scale ruler to it.  'Standard' doors are 6'-8" in height.  The rear door of that structure scales to a perfect 6'-8". 

I have never questioned the 'scale-ness' of RK buildings...until this thread.  Now I've put that to bed again.

But, overall I find that in this hobby, this O3R 'scale' is really a mish-mash of 'scale-ness' anyway.  People, cars, trucks, buildings, engines, railroad cars, passenger cars...and especially scenery (think:TREES) are typically way out of whack for true 1:48, 1:43,...whatever you consider 'O-Scale' to be in your corner of the world. 

Here, go for a short drive or walk...or just look out of the window.  Wouldn't you say that most trees in general TOWER over their surroundings...houses, cars, trains, etc.??

Yet, most of us populate the layout with trees as if the whole world were an arbor nursery.  I do it, too.

Except one time, when I built the HO display layout for the store (LHS).  I focused on ensuring that there were LOTS of trees, and they were most typically of a common scale height.  Guess what?....That's the first comment about the layout when people see it...the trees.  So the undersize/oversize this and that elsewhere just doesn't matter.

The whole thing is a compromise when it comes to scale and fidelity.  Techniques like 'force perspective' help to soften the differences.  It's what we have to work with,...and how we chose to accept it.

But, that's just one man's humble opinion...

KD

My O scale plastic buildings run the gamut in price, detailing and manufacturer ranging from simplistic Plasticville to older Revell and more recent Lionel, MTH, AmeriTowne, Atlas, Bachmann and Woodland Scenics. Different and varying is the best way to compare and describe them rather than better or worse. For some MTH buildings additional stories are available. Some have added details such as fire escape stairs along outside walls while others have lighted window signs. Detail varies and seems tied in with price as is definitely the case with Woodland Scenics. WS buildings come with considerably more detailing and weathering but then you pay for that in higher prices for WS. Other manufacturers's buildings have lower prices but generally considerably less detailing and almost always lack weathering and figures. When you consider though the cost of paint and detail parts to add on to those less expensive buildings and the time required to do it, IMHO, Woodland Scxenics buildings are an all around bargain that are hard to beat.

For a toy train layout, the aspect and detail of MTH buildings are excellent. For a person who insists on scale accuracy, then the scale kits are the way to go. But then the scale guys compromise on that extra rail down the middle of the track, so why not use MTH buildings? The value of the MTH buildings is very high in my opinion.

PS. I use Plasticville and Department 56 buildings too. Now you know where I'm coming from!

Now that MTH has added variety I like them even better.  Flashing signs and multi color makes things more non uniform. The early buildings were red and gray with white windows and were just different sizes. 

First, thanks to everyone who responded!

Before I sound like I am bashing MTH, let me say I really like the look of the MTH buildings and the fact they are pre-assemble and painted. I would do some weathering to get rid of the plastic shine, but over all they are pretty nice.

I have no problem with the overall actual size of the buildings. Most of them in real life may be bigger. It is just some details of some of my industries that the RR services, that I thought looked off when next to other building and scale cars.

I took some pics and did some measuring of one of the items I thought had features that looked too big. I placed it next to a walthers building from kit, a scale atlas boxcar, and scale track(no roadbed as I don't use roadbed on my siding where these industries will go). Note:Walthers is not yet painted.

The Walthers doors on the left are 1 1/2" wide and 1 3/4" tall (6'x7' scale)

The MTH doors are 1 7/8" wide and 2" Tall (7'x8' scale)

Walthers loading dock stands 1" high(4 scale feet high)

MTH loading dock stands 1  3/4" high(7 scale feet hight)

Rear Door on MTH building is huge!

1 7/8" wide  by 2  1/2" high.  I know it is supposed to look like a tall door, but isn't that a 12 scale foot door!

I think this is what bothered me the most, the platform is way tall compared to bottom of the door to boxcar. About 3 scale feet too high.

I do have some other building(townhouses) that to me look spot on, but the freight cars don't pull up right next to the to unload.