Full Size Drawings in Garden Railways

[EMD Trainman]

Mt Beenak

Surely 1:32 is the smallest (and more accurate) scale for garden railroading.  I can never understand a magazine, which should be the leader in its field, promoting a scale/gauge combination which is so far from actual scale.

Yes 1:32 scale is the smallest "Large Scale" train and is the most accurate for "Mainline" operations. All of your museum quality Large Scale trains is made in 1:32. Marklin and MTH Gauge 1 are also 1:32. The old MDC molds which Piko has bought and continue to make product from them are also 1:32 as well as Samhongsa Brass models, Accucraft and gone but not forgotten company called Great Trains was also 1:32.

With all of that being stated, 1:29 has taken off in the last 10 years and has been the more "Popular" scale to run in the garden because it's more tough. Although 1:29 scale may not the most accurate but it sure is the scale which provides a bigger selection of choices in rolling stock especially when it comes to USA Trains products.

The 1:29 scale market has grown so much that even Accucrat opened a new line of 1:29 scale trains called the American Mainline or AML Series.

I think it is a smart move for Garden Railways Magazine to aim at the 1:29 scale side of the G Scale Hobby as well as 1:20.3.

I consider 1:32 scale to be a "Fine Scale" which is not affordable and not something I would want to run in my garden for hours on end. 1:32 scale would be something I would buy to put in a glass case on a shelf for display.

1:29 Scale = "The Fun Scale"

[ttrigg]

The plans posted here are designed to fit on a single sheet of paper, in most cases, and are very scalable. In each article there is a “print scale” telling us how to set our printers to print the drawing in our particular scale. True, some times the “scale print” box omits one or two scales. Simply look at another drawing to find your scale.

 

1:32 scale      91%

1:24 scale     121%

1:22.5           129%

1:20.3           143%

1:19              153%

1:13.7           212%

 

When printing the plans you have a “print instruction box” appears that asks how many copies and what scale to print the page. Plug in the scale percentage in the print instructions and you have the plans printed to your scale. If your scale does not appear, use the calculator function to determine your print scale. Example: your scale is 1:xx.x and the drawing is in 1:29, divide your scale (xx.x) into 29, then round off to 3 digits and that is your print scale. I have used this formula to produce some “scale” structures for my daughter’s dollhouse collection 1:12, 29/12=242%. Then by using tape and scissors simply reconstruct each page. Each printed page will have little tab marks on the margin showing where to cut each page.

[Mt Beenak]

Surely 1:32 is the smallest (and more accurate) scale for garden railroading.  I can never understand a magazine, which should be the leader in its field, promoting a scale/gauge combination which is so far from actual scale.

[Rene Schweitzer]

Hi Charles,

The plans are printed at the smallest scale normally used in the

garden in the USA, which is 1:29, simply to get more on each page and

reduce the total number of pages necessary. We print a chart with

each plan showing the reduction or enlargement percentages for the

other scales so that people can adjust the plans to suit their chosen

scale.

Marc

[twofooter]

Hi Marc and crew,

How about some articles and full size drawings in 1:19 scale? You seem to do most of the other scales used in garden railways but never 16mm. I am a USA modeler who uses 1:19 and 1:20.3 narrow gauge scales.

Regards,

Charles Collins