Best HO-Scale passenger train stations

Going through the cataloges, I'm trying to find out which is the best looking passenger station since I'm modeling a town like Dover. If I can find one good for a medium sized town that would be great. something along the line of what Dover or Morristown has.

Wether it's resembling a stone or wooden structure, I don't care. So does Walthers or Atlas have good station structures?

Or would I have to go throug has smaller company for a good looking station? If anyone can post a link showing the product then I'll be thankful.

The Atlas station is underrated in my opinion. Stations take a fair amount of space on smaller layouts, and the Atlas has a small footprint. By getting the platform extensions and adding them to each side of the station, you expand the apparent size without using up a whole lot of space. If you paint the station a different color, it helps disguise the common appearance.

I don't think it's made any more, but the Magnuson "Colfax St. Station" is somewhat larger, but takes a lot of work, since it's a resin kit with partially finished parts.

If you're a beginner with limited space, I'd think hard about doing the Atlas, since it's inexpensive, but it has mostly good details.

The Atlas station is still hands down my favorite kit ever. It's not really accurate for a town like Dover, but it certainly is a small town commuter station. Add extra platforms to lengthen the canopy.




-otto-

Other platforms and stations I like:


This is a great platform: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/272-120201


Nice two-story station: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/322-153


Another great platform: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/322-1753


And another good platform: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/933-3175


This is a good looking brick station: http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/490-542


Paint the stucco red and the windows black, leave the platform overhanh off, and this is a great Eastern station: http://www.reynaulds.com/Pola/temp.asp?item=310551

Good Luck!

The second station from the bottom in Otto's post above is by Heljan to a UK (Great Western) prototype. However, the Italianate roof is typical of DL&W stations. I have a feeling that even smaller DL&W stations like the one at Chatham, NJ, would be pretty large in HO. So the Heljan would actually do a good job as a fill-in.

This is the sort of thing, by the way, Otto, that it seems like Terry Thompson ought to have done in talking about modeling NYC. That Heljan station would get you a good leg up on DL&W/EL/NJT on limited time and budget -- I would imagine someone who made some effort could come up with items that would be as useful for an NYC modeler.

This is the kind of thing the RPI club had been doing, for that matter. Too bad they seem to have lost direction.

Thnaks for the pics and the replies

Otto, I see why the Atlas Station is your favorite. The phone booth is a great touch along with the canopy extensions. The benches if painted in a different color would look great. The brick station looks great but it looks to me that there is no good canopy extension that fits with that time period. Call me crazy but the butterfly platforms from Walthers doesn't look like a suitable match.

So I hope the one from Atlas is still in production because I very much would love to have that station along with the canopy extension on my set.

You are crazy. Just kidding. 1) Canopies were not always intergrated into station designs, and were often placed in front of a station building (see below) 2) You dont always need a canopy on your station (I just prefer them) 3) Atlas is very much in business, all of the items above are available from Walthers. I take it you're relatively new to the hobby?


This is my hometown of Katonah, NY (photo by Art Deeks). This photo clearly shows the canopy as a separate structure from the station building. Canopy was removed by Metro-North in 1983 as part of a widening project to accomodate a new high-level island platform.

-otto-

Town like Dover, don't forget the High-level platform.

Thanks for the info. I model th hobby on and off before but now I'm getting into it. all I have right now is a 4x8 one track ROW. If I had a larger set with a 2 track ROW I would definantly go for the Walthers high level platforms kit.

Yes, the Atlas station is an excellent model, always a favorite of mine ever since it came out way back in the 60s. You can make lots of variations on this:

1. Flatten out the ends that are designed to attach the canopy sections to, for a "canopi-less" model.

2. Remove the dormers (and of course scribe the roof so that the dormer-less areas match the rest of the roof.)

3. Kitbash two kits to make a larger station. I have not tried this but it's on my list of future projects.

Any of these will change the appearance of the model quite a bit.

I wish there were more kits on the market to make brick or stone stations. Mr. Harlem Fan Otto, that thought should get you salivating. Wouldn't Brewster, Mt. Kisco, Chappaqua make terrific models?

tom: to add to your list of Atlas kitbashes:

I added the Atlas Tower to the Atlas Station... it turned out pretty well! The concept is similar to other stations/yard offices.



I have also considered taking two Atlas stations and making a larger/longer structure. I think that may be next on the list!

-otto-

Oregon Rail Supply makes a nice northern Pennsylvania/ New England brick depot called Menomonee Falls. You can see it on their website www.oregonrail.com. R.P.Yager

Thanks for the tip guys. I've decided on the Atlas Station but also to buy two of the 4 posted canopies so that the station will look like a larger structure. Eventually I might make the structure long enough by adding more canopies to handle a 10 car train. I pretty much like it as is and I don't think I'll have a Tower go on top unless if someone can post a pic to show me the end result. I think I'll let someone else have a go before I give it a try.

I've already placed an order and I should start working on it by the end of this week.

I also ordered a small diner that has an art deco look to it. It's called "White Tower Diner" Very small compared the the resteraunts Walthers has released over the years but the art deco look modeled for the particular structures blows the other stuff out of the water. Plus the diner and the station is perfect for my 4x8 set. not to big or small but just right for the medium sized town I'm putting together.

Very good choices for a 4 x 8. Pretty much any of the other models would be overwhelming for this size. I've always admired how Atlas was able to reduce the essentials of a station so well.