As I’m new to the hobby I want to buy things that match up. Can someone help me discern the difference in the Scales. I have a LGB Forney and some Pico buildings. These are listed as 22.5-1, but I have seen a number of different scales. How do I tell what scale I dealing with? Whst is the best/most popular scale for an outdoor setup?
Thanks
Dear Tooth,
Your question is sure to bring out a lot of opinions. The short answer is that there is really no solid way to define LGB’s scale. It’s close to 1:22.5 but can be off significantly in almost any of the dimensions (and not all at the same time), and they do not specify a scale. Most of the other manufacturers are pretty close to what they advertise.
The best thing to do is to compare an item you’re proposing to buy to something that you already own. If the two look good together, meaning that they are about the same scale, then go ahead and buy it.
Walt
Now for what goes with what, Piko bldgs works well with all narrow gauge lines, not so much with standard gauge as they are nominally 1/24 scale. Your Forney works as 1/22.5 3’ gauge engine but its modeled on a 2 foo
This discussion about scale gives me a pain in the neck and a few other places as well. What Walt says is right, if it goes with what you have you are ahead.
Rgds Ian
Also Marklin in 1/32 scale. There is no best scale.
underworld[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]
Undie there is one best scale but none of us could afford it or use it in all prcticality and that 1 : 1.
Rgds Ian
Ian:
I am so glad the other guy asked. I just went to my first train show last weekend here in St. Louis, and there were two somewhat vast rooms. There were two, (2), (II, as the Romans spelt it) dealers of G-guage. (I refuse to use ‘scale’ for obvious reasons.) There was one formidable old guy who had a G-gauge passenger set, rather tatty, as the English say. And that was it. Nothing else. (In G). I was lucky to find that one dealer, just a day’s journey by fast car from me, who talked to me at great length. In gratitude, I bought a used Aristocraft turnout and two issues of GR. And right there, after reading both those issues, I became hopelessly confused with “Scale”. I’m still confused about ‘narrow gauge’ vs ‘standard gauge’ since both appear to be 45mm. Now, I really don’t care about scale, per se. So long as it looks good, that’s fine. I worked to close tolerances for years, I sure ain’t about to do it in retirement. In the other sizes, HO, etc, narrow gauge stuff is easily discernable by looking at the wheelbases. Now, if G gauge manufacturers are putting wide bodies or narrow bodies on the same set of trucks and calling one Standard and one Narrow, that ought to be made clear.
I got some ballpark prices on remote control, battery power, etc. I went and got some good beer, after, too. Good grief, that stuff’s high. For me. But compared to other scales, it isn’t out of reason; it’s just intrinsically expensive, I suppose.
So it look like I’ll do block wiring et al. There’s a huge train show coming up in March a long day’s drive from me, but we’re going, because many guys there are using batteries and I don’t want to give up yet.
I went out in the backyard and eyeballed the site of the future RR. Things looked grim under two inches of snow. Half is sloped (eroded) and half is terraced.
Les Whitaker
Yes Les you are right but you are talking to possibly thre wrong person about scale, as i just cannot be bothered with the intricacies of it. I have enough worries of my own when dealing whith my present projects.
I think when thet refer to narrow guage etc they are referring to the original prototype situation; not the model.
I am unsure about the relatationship between “G” and “#1” i think they are the same but i don’t care about this aspect and i don’t need tobe enlightened.
As far as i am concerned if it looks ok it is ok.
Rgds ian
Walt,
Always an interesting topic.
On that scale for LGB; LGB advertised for years and years that they build to 1:22.5 scale. That would be correct for Meter Gauge models on 45mm track.
As a matter of fact if you look at the second page of this PDF it still states:
“LGB trains are G scale (1:22.5) — four times larger than conventional HO-scale trains (1:87).”
Not quite factual in more than one respect, but still stated.
Tooth
As a quick check for scale: take along a “normal” 1:22.5 figure and a “normal” 1:20.3 figure to check the door heights of buildings and rolling stock.
Hope that helps
ER
Toothmark, scales are a bit like fractions; would you rather have 1/3 of a pie or 1/5 of a pie? The 1/5 of a pie is smaller - but when you start to learn fractions, it doesn’t seem right as 5 is larger than 3.
If an average person is 6 feet tall, in 1:22.5 scale he would measure out to be 72inches divided by 22.5 which is 3.2inches. Going the other way, you find a figurine 3inches high. How tall is that in 22.5 scale? Multiply 3" by 22.5 and you get 67.5inches or 5 ft, 7 and 1/2 inches.
And if you are in Canada, it works the same in metric. A person 180cm tall would scale out, in 1:22.5 scale, to 180cm/22.5 or 8cm tall. In 1:20.3 scale he would be taller; 180cm/20.3 = 8.87cm. So, roughly, 1:20.3 scale is about 10 percent larger than 1:22.5 scale.
E.R.'s idea is a good one. Take a cardboard cutout of a typical person in the scale you like best and stand it beside something you want to buy. If he can’t get through the door, or if he doesn’t come up to the door knob, you know this item isn’t going to work well for you.
Hope this helps a bit.
Art
Yes!!! 1 : 1 is best!!! When I get a piece of land I’m looking at buying an old passenger coach.
underworld[:d][:d][:d][:d][:d]
Welcome to the world of garden railroads and straight into the issues of gauge and scale. Trust me guys, if it looks right then it is right, you will have plenty of time later when you have your track down to sort out all the different offerings of 1:20.3, 1:22.5, 1:29, 1:32 etc etc. In the meantime enjoy what you have, you can always sell it later if you decide on something else.
Kim
I think you covered it well!!!
underworld[:d][:d][:d][:d][:d]
Vsmith’s list
In Narrow Gauge we have:
1/20.3 (Bachmann, Accucraft narrow gauge)
1/22.5 (LGB US Profile narrow gauge)
1/24 (HLW)
All use 45mm track to represent 3’-0" (+/-) gauge track
Just to add the Aristocraft (ex Delton) narrow gauge C-16 and their Narrow gauge stock is 1/24 scale.
As narrow gauge stock varied so much in size and smaller railroads tended to hang on to old equipment it’s not really a problem to mix scales 1/20-1/24 if it looks alright to you. Use the smaller stock to form a work train or local pick up, you could weather it to make it look older and well used.
The bigger lines like the DRGW had the money to equip with a modern fleet of big locos but this is the exception rather than the rule.
Maybe an extended version of vsmith’s guide to scales should be added to the pinned posts at the top of the forum to help newcomers?
Vic’s list is good. We also have a (free) downloadable scale-and-gauge chart on this site:
This Issue ( FEB07) has a two or three page blab about buildings even though they missed a few. hope that help’s
What I’d like to see is photos of engines in side views and front views from the different companies to really see how they look next to each other. I’m numerically challenged, so “seeing it” in a picture helps me tremendously.
Not a complaint, but just a wish. Carry on…
I have had made a figure of myself for my garden railway and i am 1.7 m tall and my image is 76 mm; i only run LGB at 22.5 ; 1 so i guess that settles it.
Rgds Ian
I think you are the only one I’ve heard of that modeled themself!
underworld[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]
MT:
Now, there’s a great idea! I too wish there were pixes of the various scales side x side and end x end. I’d even buy a magazine or book that had that info–for G gauge. Just for my own information.
Les Whitaker