Gurus of G Gauge AND SCALE:
The oldtimers know I'm a newbie.
That said, and beginning to get my shop in shape to build, I have stewed myself into utter confusion on scale, hence the embarrassment.
Does anyone sell a 'G scale' ruler? Truth: I've been retired so long I've utterly forgotten a lot of stuff. Or I'm senile. Call it as you will. I'm aware of the controversy re 'scale'. I don't know how to address that.
What I intend to do is model in 1:20.3 scale. Why do I want that ratio? Because 'De Books & De Websites' say that 45mm gauge works out to about 3 foot gauge for American narrow gage. On the other hand, I'd rather build big stuff that's easier to see and work with, therefore, I'm not 'dedicated' to any scale vs track gauge. I just want to build and enjoy--but still stay outside the reach of ridicule and within the limits of probability--or the 'ten foot rule'. A rivet-counter I will never be.
Here's the problem: "1:20.3" ... what? 1 foot to 20.3 inches? 1 inch to 20.3 feet? 1 inch to 20.3 inches? Nowhere--and I've seriously surfed to avoid this display of stupidity, does anyone that I have found mention the units of measure being compared. And that first number, '1', is it the 'real' number? Or is it the second one?
Help, please. And TIA
Les W
Hi hoofe116,
1 inch on your models wil equal 20.3 inches in the real world. Have Fun.
yup, that's it. That's why 1:24 scale would have been a nice standard. One half of an inch in scale would be 1 foot in the real world. Easy math! But if you are modeling Fn3 (1:20.3) forget the .3 and use 1:20 (close enuff !).
-Brian
I can answer two of your questions. Yes, there is a scale ruler for 1:20.3. It is available from Ozark Miniatures at http://www.ozarkminiatures.com
1:20.3 means that one inch on the model is equal to 20.3 inches on the real McCoy.
Brian:
Thank you very much for the info and extra insight.
.5 inches to 1 foot would be easy! I'm into easy. But, isn't there a 'half-scale' fraternity out there?
Les
Les,
There's LOTS of different scale fraternities out there! And many do some fine modeling. The advantage of 1:20 is that there's LOTS of good locomotives and rollling stock available. Just think of the prototype being 20 times larger than what you're modeling.
As you said, it's a great representation for most North American narrow gauge railroads. I take advantage of the locomotives but generally build my own rolling stock. Though lately I've been bashing some of the locos as well. I wish I had started with 1:20, but that's just a lesson learned.
I've got some really nice scale rules from http://www.thescalecard.com/ - clear plastic and marked to the nearest inch.
A thing I am doing, which may or may not apply to you, is I have picked 1:20.3 as my scale. But instead of using just 1:20.3 scale equipment, I am using anything as long as a 1:20.3 person looks good inside of the engine or car. That has allowed me to use pretty much all of the G Scale makers.
Main thing is it is your railroad, so do what you want to do. That is my
Check out your latest issue of GR, there are several advertisers of various scale measuring devices such as the one noted above, the scale card, etc. some work better for some things than others. some are easier to carry around when shopping in case you run across something in Wally world that appeals to your fancy.
It's a good thing to keep in mind! I always complain about the 1:24 buildings on my 1:29 railroad because the doors on the stations are half again as tall as the doors on the cars that arrive in front of them. That difference is glaring to me! Also looks dumb having a 4.5 inch tall figure standing in front of a 3 inch high door!
The Home of Articulated Ugliness
cabbage wrote:Here in the UK we use a slightly different system...Instead of stating the scale as a ratio, we use an Xmm to 1 foot system.
Yeah, that's not too confusing, mixing metric and english measurements!
I went to Ozark after reading last night's crop of answers but they listed no ruler, so I ordered their catalog.
Thanks to all of you who took time to share insights.
I hear that! It is my purpose to kitbash a RR (setting ca 1880's) without killing myself over detail. Speaking of which, has anyone noticed those old wood kitbuilds on Evil Bay (as Kimbrit has it)? Until the 'production line' gets rolling however, and after I obtain an Airwire set and a supply of suitable aftermarket rechargables & charger, I'll be attempting to run 'reshopped' Echo, Sci Fi (SciAmer) & Bachmann to get a feel for outside RR. When I get all that digested, I'll start replacing to something approaching 1:20. I happen to be one of those who get a kick out of making a broken and/or poorly designed thing go as best it will. And I have no hesitation to include something I like, no matter the relative size.
Here's another way to arrive at the correct scale for 3' gauge prototype trains. Since our miniature track is 45mm, divide that dimension by 3 to get the dimension for 1'. 45mm/3 = 15mm, therefore 1' = 15mm. Now convert to inches .... 15mm/ 25.4 = .59055". 591" is very close to 19/32" (19/32" = .594"). Therfore, .19/32" = 1' in 1:20.3 scale. Test these numbers by multiplying .594 (19/32") by 20.3 (the scale) and you get 12.05", that's pretty close to 1'.
If you can't find a 1:20.3 scale ruler commercially available and you have access to a computer with some kind of graphics program, a scanner and a printer you can make your own 1:20.3 scale ruler. Draw your ruler, print it out and measure the results. Make whatever corrections you need to in the program and reprint it. I have Autocad and make my own rulers in any scale I happen to need.
Walt
Ozark Miniatures doesn't list the scale ruler on their web site? That's strange, because they are listed in their catalog on page 31. They have rulers for 1:22.5, 1:20.3, and 1:32 in 6, 12, 18, and 24 inch lengths. All are custom etched brass. The 1:20.3 ones range in price from $7.95 for the 6 inch ruler to $29.95 for the 24 inch version.
My GR subscription is screwed up. Kalm Inc says they never received my check, after sending me two issues. Sigh. So they're sending me the August issue anyway while Friend Wife checks to see what happened. They were very nice. I cannot count the number of times over the years this has happened to me with new subscriptions. I get 1,2, or 3, issues and then, "... Ah, you owe us money." I think this is a genetic defect I have.
Thanks for doing the math, by way of explanation. I'm gonna print it off and tack it up in my workshop.
Cacole:
I'm still not 100% certain Ozark even got my order (via credit card this time). Haven't received an acknowledgement of purchase so far. Maybe they don't do that.
They had a lot of neat pixes on their site, but none would open. I dunno. Time will tell.
Just on a hunch, I checked my late email and got a response from them that they don't stock 'em anymore, but the guy will check his old stock to see if they might happen to have one.
To Whomever wrote: "I like to run in rain and blizzards." What an enticing thought. One usually doesn't think of mixing electronics and moisture, but yeah ... with a little pre-thought (that's right before 'forethought' and is less reliable) ... whoa, with a camera and some creative shutter settings.... Right on, right on.
altterrain wrote: cabbage wrote:Here in the UK we use a slightly different system...Instead of stating the scale as a ratio, we use an Xmm to 1 foot system. Yeah, that's not too confusing, mixing metric and english measurements! -Brian
Don't think of it as "metric vs. english," just think of it in terms of a conversion of units. For instance, we all know there are 3 feet to 1 yard, or 16 cups in a gallon. What are they, but simple labels for units of measures related to one another through a mathematical ratio? Feet and millimeters are no different. Sure, in the real world, there are 304.8 millimeters in each foot. But we're not in the model world. We're in the miniature world. It just happens that in the 1:20.3 miniature world, the ratio works out to a very convenient 15 millimeters to one foot. Disregarding the meaningless labels, you get 15 little hashmarks on this particular ruler equals one hashmark on a ruler measuring the model.
Later,
K
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