Town layout suggestions

[Glen Haasdyk]

In my previous post I showed some of my new buildings that I added to my 'small town main street. Now when looking at it I have a few questions on the layout of the buildings.
Here's two pictures: (the tan shell of a building is a Woodland scenics machine shop)

Now After seeing the two pictures I have two questions.
Are the hardware store and saloon out of place? I was thinking that the hardware store looked a little big compared to the others.
My second question is which layout looks better? the first or second? I'm leaning towards the second but I'm looking for opinions.

 

[eightyeightfan1]

If you're looking for something protypical. I don't think it really mattered.
It was whoever bought the plot of land for whatever he was going to build on it. So a saloon next to a hardware store is plausible, but a small machine shop on main street, unless it was at the end of the street, or could even be located behind the hardware store.
As far as on your layout..... I like the second pic.

 

[60103]

Glen: I think the hardware store and the saloon are a match, but the other 3 buildings look smaller. Can you measure the vital details (door height, height of first storey) to see how they compare?

 

[3155944]

second pic looks best

 

[ed acosta]

Glen, I also prefer the second pic with a slightly different arrangement. Take the machine shop out and put the REA building in its place. That way the two smallest buildings are on the outside of the grouping and it has a more pleasing tone to it.

I love the inside details that came with the machine shop and maybe you could find another place for it on the layout such that it is close to the edge of the table and visitors can peer inside and enjoy the detail.
-Ed

 

[Nomad]

Either that, or sell some more real estate and put in another 2 story building to balance things.

Loren

 

[Glen Haasdyk]

I think the two type of buildings compare okay, maybe the Woodland scenics buildings are a little smaller for the scene. Funny thing is that I just got rid of a two story building where the machine shop is because I didn't like it.

Here's a different arrangment:

 

[ed acosta]

Yesssss!!!

 

[HoosierDaddy]

That third arrangement definitely looks the best to me so far. What does it look like if you slide down the two buildings next to the Hardware store and leave the machine shop where it is? It would give a little more separation between the merchant type shops and the industrial type area. You might then have space for another industrial type building, like a garage, to go next to the machine shop.

HD

 

[DeckRoid]

3rd pic is much better. This is the trouble I am having with regards to different manufacturers and their idea of HO scale.

On our club layout, we have some 55 -60 different buildings, but we had to arrange them so the differences in scale were the same, if that makes any sense.

Strange, but true.

 

[Mountain Man]

Typically in small towns the small, narrow buildings were often "filled in" between larger ones to take advantage of smaller, cheaper pieces of land. False fronts helped them blend in better, and everybody was happy. If you can squeeze 'em a little closer together and size-up the false fronts just a tad, they'll look perfect.

BTW - look pretty nice right now...:thumb: Nice work!

 

[Glen Haasdyk]

Thanks all. I think I'll go with the third picture with the machine shop on the end and tucked a little back from the road. I'll move the boardwalk from it and move that down to the show repair shop.