Wood Slat or Member Width Dimensions?

[cedarwoodron]

I was considering a DIY project to make some wood flooring for a few gondolas (HO). The scribed plastic sheets I have on hand (Evergreen) seem to be about 3 scale inches wide between the scored lines. Ordinary wood kitchen matches appear to be about 9 scale inches wide. I want to do this as a frugal modeler, although purchase of an inexpensive alternative fits within the project budget. Any suggestions? I am not sure what prototype dimensions the individual slats or members are/were. Cedarwoodron

[7j43k]

I'm looking at a drawing of a Pere Marquette 50' gondola with wood flooring.  It's "2 3/4" x 4 15/16" Shiplap". In HO, 4 15/16" is .057".  The matches are also awfully thick, though in a gon, that wouldn't show.

Tough one.

Ed

[cedarwoodron]

OP: That would suggest the plastic scribed sheeting (as 3 inch scale between the scribed lines) as a better fit with prototype, then. I'll use the match sticks for freight load blocking and make my life easier. Thanks, Cedarwoodron

[maxman]

I don't think this is something to agonize over.  I have a Tangent gon and it looks like the "floor" boards are around 4 inches wide.  I have a LifeLike P2K gon and the floor boards are around 6 inches wide.  These are not accurate scale measurements, just a close eyeball.  Anyway, both look acceptable to me.

Matter of fact, if you have any gons with the floors already scribed in them from the factory, that will give you a guide as to what to make your own board widths.

[cedarwoodron]

OP- most of mine are Athearn BB kits, built and unbuilt as swap meet purchases, so all I see is a molded floor, just the same with box car interiors ( with operable doors), where a smooth surface is found. I just don't want to do a job with flooring that makes for a very un-prototypical appearance. Approximation is good enough. Cedarwoodron