Most popular scale?

[Anonymous]

OLD DAD:

Yeah. I got to doing some more homework on the issue right after I posted the question to you. 1:22.5 DOES work out for Meter Gauge as opposed to true 3'.

Aster, which is a Japanese Manufacturer PROBABLY (don't want to ASSUME too much here), but PROBABLY... chose the metric system to use since it's what THEY do. All the hundreds of little nuts and bolts that come with this kit are metric. Even to the fractional mm level. Hence the 1:22.5 for Narrow Gauge.

Not sure the Japanese know what 3 "feet" is. :-) (No offense.)

vsmith:

I do have to go with you on the concept you state here. As I've said before, I'm not as fussy as an indoor HO or N scaler. Can't afford to be unless like you say, I plan LOT of scratch building.

I'd be willing to bet that a regular indoor fussy person would not be able to tell that the Delton 1:24 Consist I run behind the 1:22.5 Narrow Gauge loco is actually what it is without having KNOWN this ahead of time. They are SOOOOO close.

I'll bet a "true" 3' foot narow gauger that usually runs 1:20.3 wouldn't care either, but I could be wrong. The bloody thing looks really good to me.

I'll get some photos ready soon. Even if I have to do it on my dining room table.

[Anonymous]

vsmith
I think your confusing GAUGE with SCALE.
GAUGE is the distance between the inside face of one rail to the inside face of the opposite rail. SCALE is the relationship between a model and its full size counterpart...such as-----1/2" = 1' or 7/8" = 1' get the idea.

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm talking down to you...thats not my intention.

As far as throwing the rulers away goes.....not a good idea IF you care about building a "scale" model of a railroad.
If your happy running equipment of verious scales then that is what you should do...this is a hobby not test so you shouldn't have to prove your self to anyone.

Many different SCALES can run on the same GAUGE track.

Yet another confusing response from OLD DAD

[Anonymous]

Thank you for replies. I shall check out the availability of 1:29 scale locos and rolling stock. It certainly is a confusing issue for a beginner to garden railways. I have completed previous OO and O scale modelling projects, but everything is known to the nearest mm in those scale ranges!

Alan and Mina.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by OLD DAD

Dear Mr. Vettbass,

Always good to hear from you. Allow me to take a stabe at this confusing issue.

When a railroad is said to be 3' gauge it means that the rails are 3' apart, 36"....not 3'2" or 34.5" or 24" or any other gauge. 3' is 3'. A railroad that has a gauge of 3'2" is refered to as a 3'2" or 38" gauge railroad NOT a 3' gauge railroad. The same holds true for ALL other gauges, there is no such thing as a so-called 3' gauge railroad...its 3' or its not 3'. So 1:20.3 on 45mm track is the correct scale for a 3' gauge railroad. However, some countries use the metric system of measurement so 1:22.5 on 45mm track is correct for a meter gauge railroad. Remember, LGB is in Germany and they use metric.

As far as the 1:22.5 vs. 1:20.3 issue goes, these are two different scales, as different as "N" scale and "O" scale they both just happen to run on 45mm track and this fact has nothing to do with anything.

7/8 scale also runs on 45mm track and is the correct scale for a 2' gauge railroad or tramway.

Clear as mud or did any of this help.......OLD DAD

True, except that this is large scale which means throw your rulers out. Especially if your in the garden.

There is so much scale variation at this guage the best I can offer is to choose one "thought" camp and go with it. By thought camp i mean camp 1, the "mainliners" doing standard gauge class 1 type RRing, and camp 2, the "narrow gaugers".

I am a narrow gauger, I chose 1:24 scale, got a 1/2" scale and thats all i use. If I pick something up that was origanally 1:22.5, NOW its 1:24, I will ignore any scale descrepencies that might arise.

I HAVE to do this or else i would have to scratchbuild everything. That i refuse to do. I am no rivit counter, i want to have fun doing this hobby so I will buy "narrow guage" thats appropriate to my line and use it as is. Even "mainliners" have a 1:29 and 1:32 discrepency thats got to have a few people rankled.

I personally feel that the scale debacle in LS is a very long way from being resolved. It has to be changed from the manufacturers first. Bachmann and USA/Aristo are firming up there scale stances, LGB will always be LGB, but others are questionable. For example, what scale are Hartland engines?
The standardization between the two camps is coming, but very slowly.

[Anonymous]

Dear Mr. Vettbass,

Always good to hear from you. Allow me to take a stabe at this confusing issue.

When a railroad is said to be 3' gauge it means that the rails are 3' apart, 36"....not 3'2" or 34.5" or 24" or any other gauge. 3' is 3'. A railroad that has a gauge of 3'2" is refered to as a 3'2" or 38" gauge railroad NOT a 3' gauge railroad. The same holds true for ALL other gauges, there is no such thing as a so-called 3' gauge railroad...its 3' or its not 3'. So 1:20.3 on 45mm track is the correct scale for a 3' gauge railroad. However, some countries use the metric system of measurement so 1:22.5 on 45mm track is correct for a meter gauge railroad. Remember, LGB is in Germany and they use metric.

As far as the 1:22.5 vs. 1:20.3 issue goes, these are two different scales, as different as "N" scale and "O" scale they both just happen to run on 45mm track and this fact has nothing to do with anything.

7/8 scale also runs on 45mm track and is the correct scale for a 2' gauge railroad or tramway.

Clear as mud or did any of this help.......OLD DAD

[Anonymous]

OLD DAD:

Hmmm. I've gotten into this debate before on the 3' narrow gauge issue and admit to remaining a bit confused, but since you brought it up, I'd like to re-visit it if we can.

Yes, 3' does MATHEMATICALLY calculate out to 1:20.3 on 45mm track. The problem I found however is that some prototype 3' Narrow Gauge RR's were not actually 3' truly. The term came to be used generically, (much as "G" scale is tossed around today,) but actually covered a range of narrow gauge RR's from about 2.8' up to 3.5'.

Since I model the C&S Narrow Gauge, the loco which is a top of the line one built by a very reputable manufacturer, it is actually a 1:22.5 which is SUPPOSED to be true scale for IT'S prototype. This would put the track width at down around 2.8' (+/-) and not really 3'. I have not actually been able to confirm that the true C&S WAS under 3', but I also know Aster would not build a Loco described as "True to Scale" if it were not so.

This whole 1:22.5 vs. 1:20.3 issue has plagued me for almost 4 years now. Just on principle alone because the truth is, I'm NOT actually THAT fussy. (My consist is actually 1:24 and I'm quite pleased with it.)

It's merely an issue I'd finally like to get clear on for the sake of THAT alone. There are several Narrow Gauge modelers that also consider 1:22.5 to be the true Narrow Gauge scale since a lot of so-called 3' Narrow Gauge RR's were not REALLY exactly 3' feet at all.

Thoughts.....?????

Regards,

LDH

[Anonymous]

If you intend to model standard gauge trains 1:29 would be a good choice since there is more available in this scale. However, 1:32 is the "correct" scale for 45mm track.

If you intend to model a 3 foot gauge railroad 1:20.3 is the "correct" scale for 45mm track.

You do have a third choice...7/8 scale on 45mm track representing 2 foot gauge trains and tramways. ( www.hometown.aol.com/jbsaxton/mymodels.html-30k ) ( www.hometown.aol.com/jbsaxton/manifesto.html-17k )

I hope this helps.....OLD DAD[:)]

[Anonymous]

I am beginning construction of a 600 foot garden layout early next year. I will be using 45mm rail, probably supplied by Aristo-Craft. However, I cannot decide on the best scale of locomotive / rolling stock.
I wi***o maintain a relative scale value to the 45mm rail. Does any experienced modeller have any recommendations?
I live outside the US - further south, in Honduras - so good metal / plastic rolling stock would be ideal. I do not have any wet weather problems.