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ho-s-o INTRO

rev. 04/07/00

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Dear S Modeler,

   Our friends in HO have a problem; some HO items are TOO BIG.
       Our friends in O have a problem; some O items are TOO SMALL.

    We in S can help them with their problems;
        some of these items are JUST RIGHT for S.
            The purpose of this page is to help YOU take advantage of these
                 JUST RIGHT items.
                    I hope you find this page useful.

    If you have information about any other non-S items that are usable in S,
        or more information about items on this page,
              please send me details for addition to this page.

Thanks,   Ted Larson

 

Description

Scale

Manufacturer Reference Comments

Sn3 Equipment
 

Rogers 4-6-0  HO Mantua  June 1997 NASG Dispatch  "...not an exact model of any particular locomotive, but is close to several."
         
         

Industrial Locomotives  -  Narrow Gauge or Standard Gauge 

Whitcomb HO Unknown  2nd Diesel Spotter's Guide, 
June 1998 NASG Dispatch		 Very similar to 30 tonner shown on the left side of theWhitcomb page.
Plymouth HO Unknown 1970 Loco and Car Cyclopedia Looks same as Model W shown in Plymouth ad on page 1049.
Plymouth HO Unknown 1970 Loco and Car Cyclopedia Is a longer version of the Model D shown in Plymouth ad on page 1049.
Plymouth HO Unknown 1970 Loco and Car Cyclopedia CR-4 Series,  looks undersize in comparison to the above models.  Perhaps is closer to HO than to S.
         

Railroad Structures and Supplies
 

Interlocking Tower O Atlas October 1997 NASG Dispatch  
Plasticville,             several items O Bachmann April & October 1997 NASG Dispatch Farmhouse, station, switch tower, signal bridge, pedestrian overpass.  Plasticville is usually undersize for O.
Signal Bridge O Bachmann Plasticville Roy Hoffman "Reduce length of legs."
Code 83 Fish Plates HO Details West Keith B. Thompson These are the plates that span the joints between rails.
Code 83 Rail Braces HO Details West Keith B. Thompson  
Mainline Bridge Mat'l HO 3 Bros. Mfg.   "Originally designed as an S scale kit."  Ed. Loizeaux
Girder Bridge HO Central Valley   "Girders are always in scale.  Their length-to-height ratio remains relatively constant."
80' Turntable HO Heljan / Concor Roy Hoffman "makes reasonable S turntable."
Bridge Components HO  Atlas    "Girders are always in scale.  Their length-to-height ratio remains relatively constant."
Manual Switch Throws N Caboose Hobbies Bob Jackson "...entirely adequate throw, and visually less obtrusive than HO throws."
Switch Stands HO NJ Accessories, #1914 Bob Jackson "In the yard, I employ Lo Ramapo Switch Stands.   ... about 32 S inches above the ties.  ...much better presence than any others that I have seen."
Trolley Barn O Korber Don DeWitt  
Yard Lights HO NJ International Ted Larson Large HO lights will make small S lights.
         

Industrial Structures
 

Railtown Structures O MTH October & December 1997 NASG Dispatch "These are approximately 85% of 1/4", O scale."
Gantry Crane #1333 HO Life-Like April 1997 NASG Dispatch "...install a Grandt Line S door in place of the HO, and use an S scale ladder."
Roof Vents & Blowers HO Walther's S-Scale ONELIST e-mail list Detail Kit #933-3158
Oil Depot HO Walther's? Bill McClung #50100 Williams Bros Storage Tank Kit
Oil Depot O Walther's October 1997 NASG Dispatch "Looks a bit small" for O. 
Fuel Tanks and Towers HO various Don DeWitt Kitbash the fueling towers for S.
Feed Mill O Walther's October 1997 NASG Dispatch "By playing with the platform and the door sizes, this should work for S."
Water tower O Korber Roy Hoffman "Water towers come in all sizes."
Telephone Poles O27 Plasticville Roy Hoffman "Nice size."
Engine House B842 HO Heljan / Concor Ted Larson The HO railroad size doors will fit an S scale truck.   I'll use this for a factory after changing the pedestrian doors to S scale.
Campbell Soup Co. HO Korber Roy Hoffman "Large structure.  Good for S."
Brewery HO Heljan/Concor   "HO kit most used in S because it is perfect for S."
Brewery O Heljan / Concor Don DeWitt Kitbashed into office building.
various HO Pikestuff Roy Hoffman "Needs S-scale doors."
         
         

Commercial Structures
 

Marketville USA O Grand Line Products December 1997 NASG Dispatch "Betty's Bake-a-Teria, Firehouse, and Tillie's Teapot would be suitable for S.... replace doors and windows with... S parts." 
Plasticville Silver Series, several items HO Bachmann December 1997 
NASG Dispatch		 Emil's Dry Goods, Main Street Apothecary, and Pink Lady Boutique are actually 3/16" scale, according to Bachmann.
Bakery and Print Shop HO Heljan   Used so frequently by S modelers, that a layout without one of these looks "wrong"!  "Perfect for S."
various HO City Classics Roy Hoffman City row buildings.  "Very nice size for S."
various HO Korber Roy Hoffman "Look very good in S."
Hospital O27 Plasticville Roy Hoffman Changed this to an office building.
School O27 Plasticville Roy Hoffman Changed this to a Court House.
various HO Design Preservation Roy Hoffman "Great kit-bashing possibilities."
Post Office O27 Plasticville Roy Hoffman "Good as is."
         
         
         

Other Structures
 

Plasticville Homes 027 Bachmann Roy Hoffman Ranch or two story good for S
Street Lights HO NJ International Ted Larson Large HO lights will make small S lights
         
         
         

Standard Gauge Rolling Stock
 

Caboose 027 Industrial Rail   Several sources have reported this to be of correct size for S scale.
Dbl Door 40' Box 027 Lionel   Detail is coarse (50's vintage), no specific prototype known, but size is right on.  Fun for adding variety. 
Auto Rack 027 Lionel   Very close to exact S.
         
         

Open Car (flat & gondola) Loads
 

various HO Rocky Mountain Rails RMC, Jan. 2000, P. 118 Shipping crates, water pipes, cable reels, steel coils, 14 ft HO propeller, lumber stacks - HO 2x4 and 2x10, 10 ft gear with pinion (per G. Elems)