The primary goal of the buildings and structures that line the tracks of a HO-scale model railroad is realism. Just as HO-scale trains are 1/87th the size of the real thing, HO-scale country stores, sawmills, office buildings, and train depots are supposed to be proportional, from their faux bricks to their shingles. While a lot of model railroaders choose to build their own structures from scratch, many more use a kit to get themselves started, a process known as kitbashing.

One of the most respected scratch builders was John Allen, who began work on his Gorre & Daphetid (G&D) model railroad in Monterey, California, shortly after World War II. Known as the Wizard of Monterey, Allen literally used mirrors to make his layouts look bigger, cast rocks from rubber molds, and pioneered the use of “scenicked” access covers.

Those who lack the skill or time that Allen lavished on his railroad can buy a kit from George Sellios, whose Fine Scale Miniatures has been producing high quality models of breweries, butcher shops, and mercantiles since 1967. Like Allen, Sellios is an avid model railroader. His HO-scale Franklin & South Manchester Railroad, circa 1935, is located in Peabody, Massachusetts, at the headquarters of Fine Scale Miniatures. Other kit makers include Bar Mills, Walther, and Campbell.