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Summer, 2005 Edition
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Summer, 2005 Edition
When I first wrote this article, there was as much misinformation as information out there. Much of the original article was devoted to "debunking" falsehoods and reviewing history that isn't frankly that important to most people. If you want more details on any of the subjects discussed here, please contact me for more information.
On the other hand, the scale/gauge issue in Large Scale is still a little confused, as Large Scalers are still using the same track to model all shapes and sizes of railroads. Unfortunately, some people who have decided on one scale or another come to feel that everyone else is doing it "wrong." Others don't feel that scale is important at all; some of their railroads are a hodgepodge of things that don't always look right together. But don't let such extremes scare you away from the hobby or from proper planning.
Think of this puzzle as one of those cereal-box mazes you worked over breakfast when you were a kid. More often than not, they were easier to work if you started at the "goal" and worked your way toward the "beginning." This article will help you work out your "goal," (a functioning Large Scale railroad that models a real-world railroad you like) then work your way "backwards" through the maze of choices, to make decisions that really bring you to your goal.
Thanks to Lewis Polk (representing AristoCraft), David Buffington (representing LGB), Andy Edleman (representing MTH) and Vance Bass, the GR historian and a long time garden railroader for their assistance in "cross-checking" the facts. I have also requested assistance from the other major manufacturers listed, but have received no specific feedback
If you see any historical, numerical, or other factual discrepancies, please let me know. Thank you very much for your help in maintaining this resource.
Paul
Scale
and Gauge
Prototype Choices
Appendix 1: Manufacturer Support Details
Appendix B: Urban Legends of Large Scale
Appendix C: Manufacturer Links
In building a model of anything, the
issue of scale usually comes up immediately. What numerical relationship
does
your model have to the "real world"? For example, the typical
dollhouse uses one inch to represent what would be a foot of distance in
real
life. So we say that the most common "dollhouse scale" is 1:12,
because each item is one-twelfth as long as the
Most "indoor" model railroading scales, like HO, are known by the relationship their models bear to the real world (i.e. 1:87.1 for HO--there's a history behind the weird number that's not worth explaining here).
Modeling Standard Gauge Railroads Indoors - The vast majority of equipment in the indoor scales models real-world standard gauge railroads, which use rails that are 56.5" apart, like the modern Union Pacific. So if you want to determine the track gauge used by most HO scalers, you can divide 56.5" by 87.1 and get .649" (or 16.5mm), the "preferred" distance between the rails for HO scalers.
Modeling Narrow Gauge Railroads Indoors - But that scale and gauge combination works only as long as the HO modeler is modeling real-world standard gauge trains. Some HO scalers model real-world narrow gauge trains like the Denver and Rio Grand Western, which used 36" track. If an HO scaler modeling a 36" narrow gauge railroad wants to stay in HO scale (1:87.1), he or she will have to use narrower track (.414") to represent narrow gauge. Yes, trackage and equipment are available to model this scale and gauge combination if you look hard enough. (It's called HOn3). But the chances of the HO modeler accidentally picking up a car or locomotive for his or her railroad and having it turn out to be the wrong gauge or scale are just about zilch.
Modeling Anything Outdoors - Things are not so simple in Large Scale. In the smaller scales, the scale stays the same and the track gauge changes when you go from standard to narrow gauge. But in Large Scale, the track gauge came first. In fact "Gauge 1" track (which was initially defined as 1.75" and is now defined as 45mm or 1.775") is over 100 years old. It has been used most of that time by British live steam hobbyists running models of standard gauge equipment. Then when LGB chose to model narrow gauge trains, instead of changing the gauge, they changed the scale. Result? Trains in different scales running on the same track.
Here's a brief example of the most common Large Scale options.
| Prototype Railroad | North American 36" Narrow Gauge | European Metre Gauge | Standard Gauge (56.5") | |||
| Scale Calculation | 1:20.3 (36"/1.775") | 1:22.5 (1 meter/45mm) | 1:32 (56.5"/1.775") | |||
| Scales Supported | 1:20.3 (Correct) | 1:22.5 (Compromise) | 1:24 (Compromise, not widely supported) | 1:22.5 | 1:29 (Compromise) | 1:32 (Correct) |
| Example |  Bachmann Shay |  Bachmann 4-6-0,  LGB Mogul | Delton (AristoCraft Classic) 2-8-0, HLW Interurban |  LGB Stainz |  AristoCraft U25B, USA Hudson | MTH Hudson |
As you can see, North American prototypes are represented, not only by the "correct" scales, but also by compromise scales, each of which has a history not worth relating here.
Only one company, Hartland Locomotive Works, is still developing new products in 1:24 (although many fine "legacy" products, such as the Delton/Aristocraft 2-8-0, are still available). Overall, that leaves two "clusters" of scales that are of interest to most people modeling North American railroads:
Within the current range of choices for either narrow gauge or standard gauge, there is up to 10% variance. This difference is noticeable if you set two of the exact same prototype next to each other. But if you start out, say, with 1:22.5, and later move toward 1:20.3, you can still use the same accessories and even some of the same rolling stock, without things looking too weird.
On the other hand, the difference between narrow gauge and standard gauge Large Scale models can be painfully obvious (up to 36%). Think of it this way: A six-foot-tall door taken from a 1:20.3 caboose would be nine feet tall in 1:32. How many nine-foot-tall conductors do you know?
In short, when you're considering which scale to model, the first question you need to answer is whether you want to model a narrow gauge or standard gauge railroad.
If you've ever been stopped by a train in USA or Canada, odds are millions to one that it was a Standard Gauge train, meaning that the rails are 56.5" apart (please don't lay down on the railroad track to measure the gauge, though). You can model old-timey railroads or short lines in standard gauge if you want to, But if you want to model a big modern railroad with really long cars, you'll probably wind up modeling standard gauge. One trade-off for those really long cars and locomotives is that they require wider curves. Ten-foot diameter curves are the minimum for many standard gauge pieces; fifteen or twenty-foot diameter curves look much better.
There's no question that sixty-car trains are impressive. There's also no question that they take up a lot of room to run (this example would typically be over 100' long and the locomotive would be "chasing the caboose" on a 33'-diameter circle). They also take a lot of room to store. Nevertheless people who've grown up in the "modern" era or who have come to Large Scale from an indoor scale like HO are naturally attracted to big equipment as used by big railroads.
One "downside" to Large Scale standard gauge is that so few accessories are available--most of the "Large Scale" buildings and figures look better next to models of narrow gauge equipment. Currently most Large Scalers are desensitized to 1:20.3 giants looking into the windows of 1:29 locomotives, but I expect that to change eventually. (Lemax brand Christmas Village people, average about 1:32 in scale, so many of them work, depending on the period and season you want to model. Other brands tend to be too small, though.)
(Note that, in this context, the term "Standard Gauge" refers to prototype railroads, which laid their rails 56.5" apart. This usage has nothing to do with the old tinplate "standard gauge" trains that Ives and Lionel made in the early 1900s.)
Prototype standard gauge railroads include NYC, PRR, CSX, C&O, B&O, etc.
Some real-world trains do run on track widths besides 56.5". For example, many historic Western railroads in the US used 36" gauge, and many European railroads use "metre" gauge. Such track widths are called "narrow gauge" to distinguish them from 56.5" standard gauge. Within Large Scale, the most commonly modeled US Narrow Gauge railroads are the 36" railroads, like the old Rio Grande Western. (Some folks do model 24" industrial lines, but that scale isn't widely supported.)
A huge advantage of modeling 36" narrow gauge in Large Scale is that almost all of the accessories, especially the POLA buildings, are made to look right with those trains. And being half again as large as accessories made to go with standard gauge trains means that it is much easier to add detail and "personality" to those accessories. If "quaint" and "charming" are adjectives that appeal to you, you'll probably want to stick with Narrow Gauge. That said, models of larger narrow gauge locomotives are becoming available, and the size is impressive--the standard gauge modelers don't get to have all the big toys.
Prototype narrow gauge railroads include industrial 24" gauge (logging or ore) railroads, the old Denver and Rio Grand Western (36" gauge), and German meter-gauge railroads such as modeled by LGB.
As if the above information about Large Scale scales isn't confusing enough, a few more issues muddy the water in the cases of individual models and manufacturer claims:
Once you've decided on a type of railroad to model, check out the manufacturers who support that kind of modeling.
The following chart summarizes the choices you face if you are trying to find a major manufacturer that supports your railroading interests. The fact that some of the boxes are blank or nearly blank just shows where the Large Scale manufacturing base is at the moment.
The picture could change quite a bit in the next few years. Not only are the 1:29 manufacturers releasing new products constantly, but traditional O-scale manufacturer MTH has shipped several 1:32 products and hopes to introduce several more this year.
So this chart is nothing but a snapshot of the decisions you will face in the fall of 2004.
|
If you're interested in: |
Consider looking here first: |
Other possibilities include: |
|
European Narrow Gauge |
LGB 1:22.5 |
N/A |
|
European Standard Gauge |
Maerklin |
N/A |
|
North American Standard Gauge |
AristoCraft and USA 1:29 MTH 1:32 |
MDC reefers, hoppers and ore cars, if you can find them. Lionel ore cars, if you can find them. Other MDC and Lionel on an individual basis. |
|
North American Narrow Gauge |
Established: LGB and Bachmann 1:22.5 |
Aristo Classics (AKA Delton) 1:24, Hartland Locomotive Works 1:24(?) |
The majority of large scalers "solve" scale/gauge issues by choosing one scale or manufacturer and sticking with them for the most part. If they are attracted to a product from another manufacturer or a slightly different scale, they try to see how it looks with their stuff before they buy it. The result is that there are many hundreds of well-established large scale railroads that look balanced and realistic, not because they are ideal, but because they are consistent and thought-out. (Additional information on mixing and matching equipment from various manuacturers is included in the appendix to this document, and in the Family Garden Trains article "Mixing and Matching Large Scale Cars/ Sample Car Measurements")
If you feel confused by all this information, you should know that thousands of people before you have navigated the same issues and have put together Large Scale railroads that are fun, attractive, consistent, and even, in some cases, magnificent. In fact, many fine garden railroads disregard one or several of the principles defined here, so think of these as guidelines, not as hard and fast rules. In the end, the person you have to please is the one you look at in the mirror after a long day of working on the railroad.
You can see that which scale you use depends largely on which kind of railroad you want to model. The really big question is "Would you rather model a standard gauge or narrow gauge railroad?" After that, choice of era, continent, etc., will also be helpful.
Once you've chosen a prototype you want to model, the detail part of the choice comes into play. While your choice of prototype should dictate the scale you model in, the fact is that some scales are better served by manufacturers than others.
The Manufacturer Support appendix of this article provides many details you should find helpful.
Once you've chosen a prototype and a preferred scale to
model, you'll realize that you may still have to make compromises to make your dream
come to life. For example, you may have to use a locomotive designed for another
railroad, cars or accessories from a different era, and even models from a
slightly different scale.
Some folks think that the way to avoid these kinds of compromises is to run a very sparse railroad until you get around to scratchbuilding or kitbashing everything you need. But to my way of thinking, trying to represent a railroad empire with a handful of rolling stock and two buildings is a compromise, too.
The fact is that most people's tastes mature, or at least change, once they've been at this a while. You may find that some compromise that didn't bother you when you started out bothers you later. That's just part of the hobby, of any hobby, in fact. Just take a little care not to spend all your money "up front" while you're still getting your "feet wet."
And don't let anyone else make you feel guilty for not choosing the prototype they choose, for not using the manufacturer or scale they use, or for living with a different set of compromises than they do (and we all live with some compromise no matter what the self-appointed "purists" tell you).
The best advice I can give is to decide wisely, then make time to enjoy the choices you made. Contact me if you have any questions, corrections, or additions.
Best of luck
Paul
At any given time, most scales are only supplied by one or two manufacturers, so any worthwhile description of what's available in the different scales is sorted by manufacturer as well as by scale. A table summarizing this information is provided in the body of this article.
Note: The following summary focuses on manufacturers who mass-produce a variety of quality equipment that works well together at prices that won't bankrupt the average middle-class family of careful shoppers. There are many additional suppliers who make a handful of excellent products, but whose product lines don't have the "depth" to meet the needs of most beginning garden railroaders. Custom manufacturing runs of $2000-$5000 locomotives, etc., are also beyond the scope of this article. Once you've chosen a prototype and a scale, you may find that the custom products, as well as the products of other "niche" manufacturers make nice additions and upgrades to your railroad. However, this section focuses on the needs of folks who need to equip a beginning to intermediate railroad on a manageable budget.
LGB's mass-produced offerings for the US market are slightly off-scale and occasionally have adjusted lengths to help the product handle tight curves, but they are built very solid and have an excellent reputation for reliability.
A few recent LGB US-prototype entries (such as the skeleton log car) are said to be closer to 1:20.3 than 1:22.5, which may or may not indicate willingness to accomodate US hobbyists modeling 36" railroads.
Incidentally, part of LGB's original commitment to its user base was that they would never make a product that would not run on the 24"-radius track they provide with their starter sets, which means their equipment can only get to a certain length. In the meantime, when you buy an LGB starter set (or any starter set), keep that 48"-diameter track circle for using around the Christmas tree. For a permanent layout, buy and use the widest radius curves you can fit into your location. Even LGB stuff will look and run better on it.
LGB Standard GaugeIn the past, LGB has occasionally teamed with Aster or other "boutique" manufacturers to create collector-quality models in scales that are more suited to US standard gauge (such as 1:32, 1:30 and 1:29). Every time they did, US standard-gauge fans drooled over the entries and hoped it meant that LGB was interested in really supporting them. That's probably not going to happen quickly, although they're making adjustments in their own factory-produced lines these days, too. For example, the USRA Mikado (2-8-2) is rumored to look very good with 1:29 equipment.
Bachmann:
1:22.5, 1:20.3 North American Narrow Gauge: Bachmann's original models of
US narrow gauge equipment were in 1:22.5 scale to match LGB's. Through
mass-marketing and lower price points, the Bachmann
4-6-0 became so successful that Bachmann has reengineered it three times; it
is
still the "flagship" of their 1:22.5 line, and very inexpensive
compared to other brands.
Other American hobbyists complained loudly that 1:20.3 would be better, since that would be the proper scale for using 1.775" track to model 3' gauge railroads. So Bachmann began making more expensive, better detailed 1:20.3 locomotives like the Shay and Climax, and 19th century-looking 4-4-0s, 2-6-0s, and 2-8-0s. The newest member of the Bachmann 1:20.3 "family" is "small" diesel, whose proportions will be too large to look right with most non-1:20.3 equipment.
Bachmann has also been making ore cars and other "shorty" freight cars with huge handrails and other details that look better on a 1:20.3 layout than with 1:22.5 or smaller scales. The Bachmann 8-wheel caboose also has slightly larger door heights, etc. than their 4-wheel 1:22.5 caboose - maybe Bachmann hoped 1:20.3 users could use it.
A number of 1:20.3 enthusiasts have been disappointed that Bachmann hasn't chosen larger prototypes to model in 1:20.5. My guess is that they don't want to produce stuff that looks outright silly next to their 1:22.5 stuff until they've paid off some of their retooling. Bachmann has yet to introduce any 1:20.3 coaches or eight-wheeled freights.
The advantages of the Bachmann 1:22.5 stuff are that it is widely available and that it is a very good value for the price. This makes Bachmann an excellent good choice for people who are just starting out and haven't firmly decided what to model. If you start with a Bachmann starter set, then decide to model another scale later, you can always let the kids have the starter set.
On the other hand, if you prefer to start with 1:20.3, and you don't mind having a sparse railroad until more stuff becomes available, Bachmann and Accucraft 1:20.3 equipment is definitely worth a closer look.
If you want to add a Hartland piece to an existing setup, try comparing it visually first to what you already have.
Maerklin also makes a cute line of tinplate trains that resemble American equipment and fit the overall measurements of 1:32 scale. This equipment, however, is plagued by inaccurate details like European-style steam chests that would keep it from being used to start a serious model railroad, even if you could get by the quaint stamped-metal-and-lithography manufacturing process.
Scale and height
issues aside, AristoCraft provides the best variety and some of the best
engineering in the entire market. They also support their trains with a wide
variety of accessories, an excellent family of track products, and a
constantly-upgraded stream of control and power devices. In short,
AristoCraft
is the closest thing US standard-gauge modelers have to a full-service
provider
for Large Scale. (AristoCraft also manufactures the old Delton Narrow-gauge
equipment, too, calling it their "Classics" line, but they clearly
label it as 1:24 so people don't get confused).
When USA started making their own diesel engines, however, the rules changed. In fact, their latest entries have been advertised as 1:29 scale (matching AristoCraft's). This includes most of their diesels, the extended-view and bay-window cabooses, and the freight cars they introduced in 2000.
By all reports, USA's new stuff is nicely detailed, metal-wheeled, and not cheap. A 40' PSI boxcar I saw recently, was exceptionally well-detailed for a "mass-produced" product. Frankly, I think that the USA cars "raised" the bar a little." Otherwise why would the new Aristo freight cars sit lower and have metal wheels and see-through roofwalks?
By all accounts, USA's most dramatic new 1:29 product is their NYC Hudson, reputed to be very heavy and to pull like a monster. Appearance is said to be excellent as well, though I haven't had one in my hands or on my railroad yet to really check out.
Reports are that the MTH equipment is a very good value. The locomotives' built-in digital command/sound card features are being well-received, although they're currently not compatible with DCC or other more common digital command technologies.
It looks as though MTH will make a serious case for 1:32 within the next couple of years.
Unfortunately, MDC has quit manufacturing Large Scale equipment. We hope they sold the molds for their ore cars and hoppers at least to someone who will keep that part of the line going. Those were quite useful--especially the ore cars which could be used for a variety of scales, since the originals came in all shapes and sizes.
If you ever come by any of the "more serious" Lionel Large Scale products, you will notice that some of the paint jobs are very nice, and most of the equipment is very sturdy. In fact, I have and use a couple of their Atlantics (4-4-2) and 0-6-0s. However, the scales are uneven, and some of the pieces are rather toy-like in appearance. In other words, before you buy any Lionel Large Scale equipment, try it next to pieces you already own, to see how it "stacks up."
| If it's any help, the 0-6-0 pulling the Christmas train is about 1:32 in length and 1:24 in height; its gearing is noisy, but it runs very nicely for an 0-6-0 (I have an old one in a more realistic paint job--both the Denver and Rio Grand and Canadian National paint jobs were very nice.) It is excellent for a "display" sort of layout, especially if you replace all the wheels on the cars with metal wheels, so the plastic doesn't gum up the track and reduce conductivity on the locomotive's drivers. More information about this train is available on the Large Scale Christmas Trains page. |
If scale issues really concern you, you should know that some of the most expensive imports, which were advertised as 1:32 are really 1:30, due to a 10mm/foot shortcut often used by Asian model-makers. The same "try-it-before-you-buy-it" rules apply at the "high end" as they do at the low end.
The new Lehmann Toy Train line is very solid and offers some values if you are trying to ease youngsters into Large Scale railroading; it has the added advantage that the equipment will run on the same track and use most of the same accessories as Lehmann's LGB line.
The 1:22.5 car as 1:32-stand-in Myth: For years people who mix and match scales have pointed out that many 1:22.5 models of narrow gauge cars have about the same overall dimensions as a 32:1 model of a standard gauge car, because the real narrow gauge stuff was about 2/3 the size of the real standard gauge stuff.
It is true that many people would not particularly notice an LGB boxcar in a string of 1:32 or 1:29 cars if the train was moving, and lots of folks over the years have mixed and matched without anything really bad happening to them.
But this casual approach to the matter eventually gave birth to an "urban legend" to the effect that LGB's 1:22.5 models of narrow gauge cars were "so close" to 1:32 car measurements that they were, for all intents and purposes, interchangeable with 1:32 cars, or even with 1:29 cars. As late as early 2002, the same was being said of USA's first generation cars, the ones that were nearly identical to LGB's in proportion and size of details. This was an especially useful, and self-serving conviction to hold in the early days, when decent 1:29 or 1:32 equipment was almost impossible to come by. In fact, many of my friends still run LGB 1:22.5 and AristoCraft 1:29 cars in the same train and I wouldn't dream of telling them they're doing it wrong. Certainly not when their overall railroads are so much nicer than mine.
However, if you place 1:22.5 and 1:32 (or 1:29) models next to each other and examine them, you'll discover lots of differences like handrail spacing, brake wheel placement, etc., in addition to some relatively apparent overall size discrepancies, especially in width. So you may or may not be comfortable with mixing and matching. Or it may not bother you now, but might bother you in a few months or years.
In short, I would recommend that you try not to mix and match too much at first, because you could find out that details and minor differences that didn't bug you at first drive you crazy later, once you have more of the RR built.
Best of luck,
Paul
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Copyright (c) 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 by Paul D. Race.
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