Source for cheap buildings

[ndbprr]

For those of you on strict budgets or looking for older buildings the State of Illinois has some on a website for downloading and printing. Here is the URL: http://www.buildyourownmainstreet.com/

[tstage]

How 'bout a working link:

http://www.buildyourownmainstreet.com

Tom

[Rotorranch]

I'd seen that site before. One of the buildings in Alton is where some of the family used to buy tires from when we lived there, Alton Tires.

Print them, build and color them, they should make ok background buildings.

Rotor

[loathar]

Yep! That's a good one. Here's another.
http://www.cgtextures.com/

There's a buildings category that has some nice background images. Good source for storefront windows too.

 

[Javern]

I badly needed some store front images, great links

[UP Chayne]

those store fronts are really going to come in handy.  thanks for that link

 

[dadurling]

I scaled these up for O-scale and used a few of them on my main street:

Hall's:

and the wholesale grocers, which I converted into a corner building:

 

 

In fact, all the buildings in these pictures are computer-generated!

[Courage8]

Dadurling:

 You have a great looking city!  I agree with computer images as great buildings - limited only by imagination (and the quality of your color printer!)  I have made many buildings, brick, stone, wood, etc., in PowerPoint (which offers convenient ruler scaling and ready-made brick and wood patterns).  I print them on white cardstock and laminate them to masonite.  I have some of these that are more than five years old, and are still in great shape.  It is easy to make odd-shaped buildings, high-rises; whatever you want.  A model builder can save hundreds or thousands of dollars on large buildings like skyscrapers, and can easily scratchbuild models that aren't available commercially.  I'm currently designing a large pulp mill that will be created this way.

 Nice work!!

[Courage8]

Dadurling:

The longer I look at your city, the better it looks!  I originally didn't notice the detail inside the windows, but that really ads to the depth illusion.  Nice work! 

 

[Courage8]

Loathar:

 The CGI texture website is amazing - a great resource for computer-generated scale buildings.  Some of those photos could be scaled, printed, and laminated directly to masonite or plywood - instant building!  Thanks for posting this link!

[loathar]

Loathar:

 The CGI texture website is amazing - a great resource for computer-generated scale buildings.  Some of those photos could be scaled, printed, and laminated directly to masonite or plywood - instant building!  Thanks for posting this link!

I was using some of the store front pictures for window dressings in my buildings.

 

[corsair7]

How 'bout a working link:

http://www.buildyourownmainstreet.com

Tom

To bad there isn't something similar in N-Scale.

Irv

[dadurling]

I scaled them up for O-gauge: I'm sure the math works in the other direction!

[corsair7]

I scaled them up for O-gauge: I'm sure the math works in the other direction!

It most likely does but I wouldn't know where to begin. can you explain how it would work?

Irv

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I scaled them up for O-gauge: I'm sure the math works in the other direction!

It most likely does but I wouldn't know where to begin. can you explain how it would work?

Irv

When I brought them up in MS Paintthey looked fine but would print out too big. I set the scale on my printer at 73% and it did fine for HO Scale.

[dadurling]

Here's a link to a scale reference chart:
http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/buildings/misc/modelrr/modelrr.htm

According to the chart (assuming that the original buildings are HO scale), print them out at 54% of original size and that should work for N scale.

[corsair7]

Here's a link to a scale reference chart:
http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/buildings/misc/modelrr/modelrr.htm

According to the chart (assuming that the original buildings are HO scale), print them out at 54% of original size and that should work for N scale.

I tried just that. It works. So I'll make a note of it for future reference.

Thanks.

Irv

[maxman]

I scaled them up for O-gauge: I'm sure the math works in the other direction!

A curiosity question......was there anywhere on the site that defined what the original drawing scale was, did you assume that the drawings were HO scale, or did you make any confirming measurements to determine what the original scale was?

Thanks

 

[dadurling]

From that main page, it reads:

"Welcome to a fun new website for kids of all ages who want to build models of actual historic buildings found in Illinois Main Street towns. The first entries of this exciting new series can now be downloaded here.

Come back often, as we will continue to add more HO-scale models of historic buildings from Illinois Main Street towns. Please check out our coloring book pages while you’re here too."

 

Since I needed to print these out pretty big for O-scale, I emailed the pdfs to a friend of mine who has a large-scale plotter. Once they were printed, I glued them to foamcore for strength.

[maxman]

From that main page, it reads:

"Come back often, as we will continue to add more HO-scale models of historic buildings from Illinois Main Street towns. Please check out our coloring book pages while you’re here too."

Eh-yup, it certainly does.  Sorry.  I missed that the first three times I looked at the site.  Must have distracted myself with the new box of crayons.

Regards!