Toy train operating and collecting

What is the proper scale for Lionel O scale trains???

 I want to buy cars and other scaled products, I believe the correct ratio is 1:43, but I also see while researching, 1: 48.

So what is it???

What size cars do you use???

THanx,

CS

Pretty much all Lionel, MTH, Atlas, etc. which has been made to scale dimensions since at least the mid-1930s or so has been 1:48.

1:43 is, I believe, generally only used on some European models, like MTH's upcoming Princess Coronation.

American--1/48, or 1/4 inch per foot

Continental European--1/45, corresponding to 32 millimeter gauge

British--1/43.5, or 7 millimeters per foot (This is the O that HO is half of.)

I had heard and read this tidbit some years back (one source was a Proto48 article I think) - maybe someone can confirm or deny it....

The distance between the rails on US 2 or 3 rail track is about 1 1/4 inches - which is 5 feet in US 1/48 scale ("O" gauge).

If you use 1/43 scale, it comes out closer to a more correct 4' 8 1/2".

Thus our normal toy and scale train track is actually closer to 1/43 scale.

The Proto48 folks make sure their track is properly gauged at a scale 4' 81/2" or about 1.18" (1.176" = 56.5"/48 which is (4' 81/2")/48.

Google Proto48 for lots of info.

What i have found is that there isn't a hard and fast rule as to which looks best on an O scale layout.  If you run a truly scale layout then you will want to match the rolling stock to the larger 1:43 size trucks/cars. NewRay makes a variety in this larger look car/truck. but it you mix-n-match the manufacturers [ K-line heavyweights, O-scale and O-27] then the varying sizes in the landscape details won't be obvious.  Just put the larger scale further away on the layout and they will all look the same.

One thing to be aware of .... when the car/truck manufacturer says 1:43, they may not be sincere! I have found that Joal 1:43 and Corgi 1:50 are undistinguishable in size difference to the eye, close or far away. Lionel's 1:48 trucks look about right with 0-27 cars and some o scale cars, but look 'off' with larger [though they are all called O scale] MTH premiere rolling stock. DCP and Tekno make nice items as well, they they are closer to 1:64. If you have seen any of the trucks/cars that come with K-line/Lionel accessories they are more like 1:76 and are really 'off' though marketed with their product line. Ertl makes great cars in the right size to my liking.

The diecast items tend to be pricey, as they are collectible in their own right. You might want to try some different sizes. try some from Walmart. they tend to have a large variety on the cheap, then you can see what the differences in scale really mean to the layout.

Hope this helps

ralph

Our US trains are 1:48, the track they run on is about 1:44, and most of the diecast cars are 1:43. The cars were origionally based on non-US model trains, and the fact that the vast majority of "decent quality" diecast and hand-built car collectors are NOT into trains, nor do they live in the USA.

According to the bible of 1:43 American cars, "American Wheels", the only line of 1:48 readily available diecast cars are made by New Ray (although they are marked 1:43)...however, all 22 of them are convertibles. I think some of these were also sold under the K-Line name. Some K-Line are also made by YatMing, but those are 1:43.

I, personally, feel that 1:43 cars are fine, since Arttista "driving" figures fit perfectly in them. !:43 cars are a "second hobby" for me, so I tend to pay much closer attention to them than most "train guys". Joe

  If you are looking at a 1/48th car model from 2 feet away, that's the same as looking at a real car from 96 feet away.

  If you were to look at that real car 100 feet back, could you really see that it is 10% undersize?   Shine the paint, it'll look bigger.

The scale much mentioned here, 1/43, is not actually used anywhere that I know for trains.  But, if it were, a gauge of 1 1/4 inches would be 4 feet 5 3/4 inches in 1/43 scale, nearly as far off as 1/48 scale but in the other direction.  The scale that is used in Britain, 1/43.5 corresponds to 4 feet 6 3/8 inches.  The continental scale of 1/45 used with our gauge of 1/14 inches corresponds to a prototype gauge of 4 feet 8 1/4 inches, only 1/4 inch too narrow.  Continental Europeans consider O gauge to be 32 millimeters, just 1/4 millimeter wider than our 1 1/4 inches.  For them, the 1/45 scale corresponds to a prototype gauge of 1440 millimeters, only 5 millimeters too wide.

Scale lionel (standard 0) is supposed to be 1/48.  When it comes to cars, most of the stuff you will find is oversized 1/43 (19% too big). This size difference makes cars look quite a bit off if using arttista or Preiser figures. Often as mentioned above the scale shown on package is not quite correct.

 Atlas has announced some scale  (1/48) vehicles.  

With respect to trucks, tractors etc there is an assorment of 1/48 and 1/50 stuff available. 

With respect to cars, i don't have too many for this reason.  The modern era is especially difficult unless you pay $$$. 

wsdimenna wrote:

Atlas has announced some scale  (1/48) vehicles.

Actually, Atlas has produced a prototype for one car, a 1950 Ford. I saw it at York, and the only thing I can say is I hope the "chrome" does'nt end up being the silver paint that was shown. The fact is, they make only a few cars for "HO", so I would'nt get your hopes up for a large "O" selection. Joe

Joe,

Since I do the modern era,

I have no hope that Atlas will produce such vehicles

coldstorage5 wrote:

What is the proper scale for Lionel O scale trains???  I want to buy cars and other scaled products, I believe the correct ratio is 1:43, but I also see while researching, 1: 48.   So what is it???   What size cars do you use???     THanx, CS

1:48 is O scale in the US. All scale Lionel trains ("Standard O"), RailKing Scale trains, and MTH Premier trains are 1:48, with a few exceptions (such as MTH's new Princess steam engine). As far as buying cars to put on the roads on your layout, I simply buy whatever looks good. I have 18-wheelers in 1:64, cars in 1:50 and 1:43, and even a Hummer in 1:36, but that's getting pretty big. 1:43 I've found is the most common scale car you can find that's close to O scale, and it looks pretty good.