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Why "scale" can be such a difficult concept...

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Posted by Marty Cozad on Saturday, May 5, 2007 5:08 PM

Kevins a pretty smart guy....

I'm not. 

Back when I got into the  G hobby I seen some of the scale info but, it was simple for me, I like this engine and it looks good with these cars , thus I'm going to buy them.  As time and age goes on I have learned alot about scale / gauge and understand it,,,but the principle still applies.

This looks good with this and I like that!!!!heheheheheeh 

 

Is it REAL? or Just 1:29 scale?

Long live Outdoor Model Railroading.

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Posted by tomikawaTT on Saturday, May 5, 2007 2:45 AM
 altterrain wrote:

That's a great shot, Kevin. More folks should get out to railroad museums to compare the real things. A comparison of minvan sized 4-4-0 to a warehouse sized 2-6-6-6 Allegheny, like they have up at the B&O museum in Baltimore, would certainly be an eye opener (they have a nice garden  railway too).The K-37 is a beauty. So, how long does one get to keep a locomotive for "review"?Wink [;)]

 -Brian 

If you want to see a REAL contrast in size...

When I visited Steamtown in Scranton, PA, a few years ago, one of their display locos was the Dayton Typewriter Company's miniature Porter 0-4-0t, reputed to be the smallest standard gauge loco built in the United States.

Immediately behind it was a Big Boy.

Model or prototype, there are small, medium-size and 'pushing the loading gauge' locos.  Going purely by photos, the first N&W 2-8-8-2's were scrawny beasts indeed when compared to the Y-6.  And then there's the Kiso Forest Railway 0-4-2T (now at the California Railroad Museum) which has an industrial cyclone stack bigger around than its boiler!

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - one scale, three track gauges)

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, May 4, 2007 6:30 PM

Oh and yes we must remember the little people on our railways......why can I not fit him into the cab of the engine? He is way to BIG....so which little people do I buy? "G" scale?!

I have seen some very talented {sp} men out there do wounders with I think it was eith wax or clay with heat unit...can not remember who?Blush [:I]

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Posted by GearDrivenSteam on Friday, May 4, 2007 1:53 PM
 FJ and G wrote:
  • Robert, that's why have to laugh when I see an ad in GRR for something "G scale". I'm clueless as to what they mean by G scale.

You got it. when I first started examining large scale, I really had to pay attention. It's tough if you're not careful. Hell, it's tough if you ARE careful.  

 

It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me.
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Posted by bman36 on Wednesday, May 2, 2007 11:13 PM

Hi Kevin,

     WOW...that thing is huge. Reminds of when I opened the box for my Bachmann 45 tonner. BIG and very YELLOW! Scale? I give up. Later eh...Brian.

 

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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 6:44 PM
Tis normal with companies not wanting to change dies, but you can stick with one comany you like the best.
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Posted by RR Redneck on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 5:03 PM
 Rastun wrote:

That's a great comparison Kevin.

 

Thanks for posting it. 


Short, sweet, to the point. I CONCUR.

Lionel collector, stuck in an N scaler's modelling space.

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Posted by gtrainman1 on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 3:59 PM

Nice photo.

It looks like comparing something like G, O, and S. together but on the same track.

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Posted by MTCarpenter on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 10:13 AM

Wow.  That's cool.

"Measurement is the way created things have of accounting for themselves." ~ A.W. Tozer
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Posted by altterrain on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 10:04 AM

That's a great shot, Kevin. More folks should get out to railroad museums to compare the real things. A comparison of minvan sized 4-4-0 to a warehouse sized 2-6-6-6 Allegheny, like they have up at the B&O museum in Baltimore, would certainly be an eye opener (they have a nice garden  railway too).The K-37 is a beauty. So, how long does one get to keep a locomotive for "review"?Wink [;)]

 -Brian 

President of
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Posted by FJ and G on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 9:46 AM
  • Robert, that's why have to laugh when I see an ad in GRR for something "G scale". I'm clueless as to what they mean by G scale.
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Posted by GearDrivenSteam on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 9:37 AM
...and that's just in the ONE scale. When you include all the other scales associated with G scale, it's no wonder there's so much confusion.
It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me.
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Posted by FJ and G on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 6:33 AM

nice! I'm assuming track 3 is the track to the right, as I'm not familiar with 3' gauge locomotives and the Ruby was really bashed to where it's unrecognizeable.

 

I'm running 7/8n2 and 7/8n18 both 1:13.7 scale. You should see a the comparisons of those; sorry, no side by side photos yet but have some big Maine stuff and little UK stuff 

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Posted by Rastun on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 12:37 AM

That's a great comparison Kevin.

 

Thanks for posting it. 

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Why "scale" can be such a difficult concept...
Posted by kstrong on Tuesday, May 1, 2007 12:25 AM


All three locomotives are the same scale (1:20.3).

Track 1 - Accucraft K-37
Track 2 - Bachmann 2-8-0
Track 3 - Accucraft "Ruby" 0-4-0 (kitbashed)

Accucraft sent me the K-37 for review, which will be published in an upcoming GR. When I opened the box, my jaw dropped. (Fortunately, the locomotive didn't.) Having thought my B'mann 2-8-0 was big, this put everything in perspective. I won't steal my own thunder, but it's a very impressive loco.

More comparison photos can be found here.

Later,

K

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