When I got into the hobby in the mid-60s TT-Scale was already a dying breed with little commercial support. Reading through MRs from the '40s up to the mid-'50s shows that the scale held some promise but failed for a variety of reasons primarily, when it is boiled down to the grit, because, for those looking for a smaller scale accomodating the growing number of apartment dwellers - as well as for those trying to squeeze the baby-boom into Levittown-style houses - in the post-WWII era, it simply was not small enough. Although there were a fair number of manufactures making offerings in the scale throughout its existence it remained the province of the scratchbuilder. It was only about 27½% smaller than the booming HO-Scale market of those days; N-Scale, on the other hand, was 45½% smaller than HO-Scale; those still desirous of a smaller scale at N-Scale's introduction in the mid-60s had a reduction they could sink their teeth into. Although there is an obvious difference in size between TT-Scale and HO-Scale the difference is not quite that obvious. The first time I saw TT-Scale equipment - locomotives - I had to look twice before I realized I was not actually looking at some small HO-Scale equipment. It is a dandy size but in a world centered on HO-Scale and N-Scale it is not likely to become anything other than a quirk.
There was, perhaps, one other reason why TT-Scale didn't make it as a healthy-that-other-scale as N-Scale has done: it was introduced at a less than propitious time; with the depression of the 1930s and the boycott of manufacturing during WWII, modelers, in 1946 when Hal Joyce introduced the scale, were anticipating production to resume in those scales with which they were most familiar; in those distant days that was O-Scale or HO-Scale. As N-Scale has done over the years it - TT-Scale - has tended to attract the introductory modeler as opposed to conversions.
From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
Texas Zepher wrote: tomikawaTT wrote:manufacturing 1:120 scale productDoesn't that equate out to something nice in the English measuring system like 1/10 of an inch = 1 scale foot.
tomikawaTT wrote:manufacturing 1:120 scale product
Yes it does. And I read that that was actually the point of the scale. To try and make modeling easier by offering a scale that was easy to convert sizes from real to model and vice-versa. I find the scale quite interesting. And if anything were commercially offered in TTn3 (with DCC or DCC ready... sound would be cool) I would certainly try it. But unfortunately, there isn't.
Gromitt wrote: gandydancer19 wrote:It is a very popular scale in Europe. TT is not, and have never been a "very" popular scale in Europe. There have been a couple of manufacturer in Europe, but the only one left that I know about is Tillig www.tillig-tt-bahn.de and Roco www.roco.cc who has some models also. TT was rather big in the east european countries but that has changed over the last 10-15 years. /stefan
gandydancer19 wrote:It is a very popular scale in Europe.
TT is not, and have never been a "very" popular scale in Europe. There have been a couple of manufacturer in Europe, but the only one left that I know about is Tillig www.tillig-tt-bahn.de and Roco www.roco.cc who has some models also. TT was rather big in the east european countries but that has changed over the last 10-15 years.
/stefan
If you like the size of TT scale, my advice is to model HOn3. There is quite a lot available in HO narrow gauge, and the track curves, most rolling stock is close in size as to what you could see or do in TT.
Mark
GraniteRailroader wrote:Calling TomikawaTT... Calling TomikawaTT... Are you in the house?
Did somebody call?
American TT was very much a one-person show, and when that one person stopped manufacturing 1:120 scale product the scale shriveled away to a (very) few diehards. To model American prototype in TT today, you might not need to be a scratchbuilding micromachinist - but the skills would definitely help.
I had two pairs of TT scale trucks, both purchased about 60 years ago. The passenger trucks were nicely detailed (for the day) Zamac castings. The freight trucks were bent from sheet brass, seriously ugly. Since the price was greater than the HO equivalent, those two pairs of trucks define my total (currently nonexistent) interest in the scale.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in 1:80 scale)
I've become a TT scaler in the last year. While it may not be a "very" big scale in Europe, it is actually gaining interest both there and here in the U.S. It's estimated that there are about 25,000 TT scale modelers world wide. As has been said, it is 1:120 and runs on 12mm gauge track. This places it in size right between HO and N scale.
Here's an article about TT scale that I wrote which I think covers it pretty well:
TT Scale: An American Orphan
Best!
during TT's heyday, there were a few impressive engines on the market like a 2-8-8-4, obviously there was an 0-4-0 dockside, there was a good range available, but its a very small market now.
BTW in buying some HON3 trucks, I got some TT trucks also, and I want to sell them.
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TT scale is 1/120 in most of the world except ofcourse UK where it is 1/100 or 1/101 in the UK TT stood for "Table Top" when it first came out and was 3mm to the foot and still is. usually it is run on 12mm gauge track, but scale track is 14.2mm
TT scale was started in the US, but was displaced by N scale. It is a very popular scale in Europe. The size is 1:120, and falls between HO and N scale. It is mostly a scratch builders scale but there are some kits available. There are no North American prototype RTR train sets available. You can read about and research TT scale at this web site: www.ttscale.com . I model in TT scale some.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.