Opinion and help on Aristocraft Trains?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I have an opportunity to purchase an Aristicraft Train set, assuming that it is in working order:

  1. What is the overall quality of Aristocraft?
  2. Is the track the standard G-scale track that LGB uses?
  3. Would an LGB train be compatible with an Aristocraft train?

Thank you in advance,
gpharo

2

gpharo you might get a better response on the garden railways part of this forum. I have purchased Aristocraft LGB compatible track (this is really narrow gauge style track) and it is just fine. If I was modelling mainline trains in ‘G’ I would probably use the track that suits that application and I would probably use Aristocraft…the price seems right through most mail order houses. As to compatibility, once again remember that LGB is mainly NG prototype and if you tried to team up, say an Aristocraft ‘F’ Unit with an LGB coach, that would be out of scale/proportion. It would run on the track, but it wouldn’t be right.
Have fun with garden railways…its a whole other world from HO and N. Although, HO in the garden…Hmmmm…

3

Aristocraft is 1/29 scale. The G track is standard gauge track for 1/32 scale (#1 scale). Other G track models are 1/24 (many structures), 1/22.5(LGB), or 1/20.3 (some Bachmann engines). Some manufacturers are building in multiple scales for G. While these can all be run together (may have to change couplers), mixing different scales gives a rather toy train effect. This doesn’t bother most G modelers though.
Enjoy
Paul