This is not a inferred value judgment, just my curiosity that another thread sparked. The HO scale folks or at least a lot of folks who write on HO scale often promote “prototypical” operations. You know, waybills, assorted paperwork, scheduled trains, dispatchers, even crew callers. My question is this: How many of us in O scale ( clubs, lone wolves etc) follow or emulate this method of running trains. If so, what are the positives and negatives? The reason I am asking is ignorance. Is this an anomaly in O scale these days or common?
As a lone wolf I am just curious about the rest of the pack…
If you did everything to scale, track length, speed, etc. then time would not scale, and if it took a real train 8 hours to go between stops, it would take the same time on the model railroad. This could get very boring. We don’t scale everything because we don’t have enough room. A scale mile of track in O gauge is 110 ft long. In HO, it would be 60 ft long. In N scale @ 148:1, a mile is 35.67 ft. Now you want to make a scale model RR from Chicago to St. Louis, it is going to be huge. So no one really has a true scale model RR.
I personally don’t have any interest in RR operations. I just like to watch the train run around a complex layout. I like to have a lot of switches which is not prototypical. And I am not that interested in making scenery.
A minor point, “N” Scale is 160:1, not 148:1, and FWIW, “Z” is 220:1, both of which are way to small for ME to enjoy. Even Horribly Ordinary(HO) loses something for me when compared the Heft and Mass of “O”. I could see myself getting involved with Gauge 1, Commonly collectively refered to as “G”, which is a particular SCALE, that runs on Gauge 1 track. But I am already well equipped with, and HAPPY with “O” Gauge. Last weekend though, I did something that could have been Very Dangerous(to my budget) I visited a club that runs 7.5 " gauge, and that Live Steam SP Pacific almost converted me.
I’m afraid that “G” is not a “particular” scale, but any of several scales, ranging from 1/20.3 to 1/32, depending on whether the 45-millimeter track is intended to represent a prototype gauge of 3 feet, 1 meter, or 56.5 inches (1435 millimeters).
I’ve tried all sorts of things over the years, ranging from running a switch list through tabs-on-cars down to picking random ‘event’ cards from a home-made deck. Currently, we are running according to how the Fat Controller or Sir Hatt desires us to … without confusion and delay. [;)] We have an express run by James, a branch line for Thomas and two freights, one pulled by Percy and the other by a ‘faced’ 520, all on their separate tracks.
I belonged to a club in VA. where one of the members did a bit where you had cards and you had to drop off train cars and pick up different ones ect but never made it out there but mixed reviews also as some liked it some didn’t rather just run there trains how they wished.
Me personally don’t know if i could get into that type of setting. I still have to build my layout and not real sure how its going to go. But I’m more into running my trains on there loop how ever I construct it.
Waybills? Switch lists? Dispatchers? I had a belly full of that when I worked for a real railroad. I sure don’t want any of that in my hobby!!! Crew callers? That phone call that wakes me from a sound sleep? No way, brother. I’m in this for fun and relaxation. I can see where some folks get caught up in it to such an extent that a hobby becomes an obsession.
I think a better question is “how many of us actually have the room to run protoypically?” At 9 by 15 max I certainly don’t. The original section of my layout was 2 O27 ovals on a 4 by 9 table. I later built a large “U-shaped” extension on a 12 inch shelf that gave me 1 staging track for assembling my trains, but otherwise it isn’t much use. My plans for a RR refit include extending the ovals with bridges to the outer edges of the “U” and having 2 sidings in the center for street running, but that still wouldn’t give me much of a train for point to point running. 50 cars would be nose to tail on a layout that size.
I Respectfully Disagree with both of you, “G” IS a PARTICULAR SCALE, one of about 6 or 7 that all run on Gauge 1 TRACK. I have seen the list of various scales that run on Gauge 1, and “G” Either 22.5:1 or 24:1, I don’t recall which. There are other SCALES such as “A” and “F”, IIRC.
“G” is a designated scale, but has commonly, and incorrectly been used to lump together all trains that run on gauge 1 track. This is similar to the use of “Crescent Wrench” which is a BRAND, not a TYPE, to refer to an “Open End Adjustable Wrench”, or saying “Kleenex” which is also a brand, when refering to Facial Tissue.
“G” is a scale, one of many that all operate on the same gauge 1 track, which has been one of several stumbling blocks that this gauge has had to deal with, annd caused many headaches and confusion. Even with all the various types, 027, semi-scale, Scale, we in “O” still don’t have as rough as our brothers(and Sisters) in Gauge 1.
I do operate my S Gauge layout. I have a schedule and run different types of trains (through trains, way freights, ect) and I have industries on the layout that accept a certain type of car.
I don’t use a time table, nor written waybills, but I do use switch lists. The trains run in sequence and I vary the lighting to indicate day or night according to when the run is taking place.
In my opinion, they are your trains and you can play (yes, I said “PLAY”) with them any way you want to. This particular way of playing with them has held my interest for over 35 years, so it works for me. What ever works for you is okay in my book.
I try to incorporate a prototypical “style” to running my trains, but do not have the ability (read space) to make up and break down consists, or tend to individual industries.
However, I can argue that since today’s Class 1 railroads only seem interested in running coast-to-coast, shunning their traditional trackside customers for Asian containers, perhaps I am operating in a prototypical manner. In today’s railroading, you would pretty much have to model a branch line, or regional rr, to incorporate those industries serviced.
So, while my rr depicts hotshot Chessie R97’s and Q317’s rolling endlessly through my towns, in my mind the Winchester & Western, George’s Creek, and South Branch Valleys of the world made my consists happen off-line.
Yes, it is. Not so much for the modeler as to the manufacturers, though. I got very tired of manufacturers who advertised anything that runs on #1 gauge track as “G scale,” without regard to which of the various scales you’ve listed actually apply.
So, yes, Challenger, you are correct – “G scale” does have a specific meaning (I modeled in 1:22.5). But very few makers seemed to understand that, or even care.
Unfortunately, it is not just the scale differences, but other things such as all the different coupler types & heights, and as I recall there was/is some inconsistencyregarding motor wiring polarity, some locomotives running opposite directions with the same track polarity.
Large scale trains are really interesting, but can be very Challenging. To keep most things compatable, a modeler almost has to stick with just one or two manufacturers, or get very creative.
![Big Smile [:D]](http://cs.trains.com/trccs/emoticons/icon_smile_big.gif){kind=icon}