The FAQ is maintained by Urban_Fredriksson@icl.se
The HTML version of the FAQ is maintained by Tony Lupton
(t.lupton@citr.uq.oz.au)
The HTML version of the FAQ is hosted by Rich Weyand (weyand@rcnchicago.com)
This digest contains the following parts:
What should I buy as a gift for somebody who is new to the hobby?
This answer is tailored to HO.
The cheap packaged sets make by Bachman and Life-Like are not a good way to get started in the hobby. The equipment is cheaply made and as a consequence will tend to stall and derail frequently, and is also likely to break early. While you'll spend slightly more by buying individual items, you can assemble a starter set from better equipment and still spend under $100. The following list is a suggestion of specific items which will make a nice set for somebody new to the hobby, either adult or 8+ year old child.
Higher quality locomotives can be purchased from Atlas, Stewart, and KATO (who make the mechanisms for some other brands as well). These models run very well, have more accurate and refined details, and will cost about $100 for a single locomotive. Life-Like has a premium line called "Proto 2000" and Bachman has one called "Spectrum" which offer medium level products in the $50-75 range.
In addition to Athearn, MDC (Model Die Casting, also known as Roundhouse) makes good quality kits in the $5-10 range, and they are about as easy to find as Athearn. They make more of the modern equipment than does Athearn.
Peco makes better quality track switches, for about $15 unpowered. They have a spring which keeps the switch rails firmly in the selected position and an under-table power unit which is easy to install (although you have to cut a hole in the table). They come in "Electrofrog" and "Insulfrog" versions - the Insulfrog ones are "power routing," which means that the track power only flows in the direction the switch is set. This can make it much easier to wire stub sidings in a block scheme, since you don't need a separate block for the siding. Electrofrog switches have a live metal frog (hence the name) and are not electrically interchangable with the Insulfrog version.
What if I just won the lottery?
Brass models are regularly imported by a small collection of companies based in Japan and South Korea. These are limited run (~100 units) models of specific prototypes, hand-made from brass. They are usually delivered unpainted but some runs offer factory painted units at an extra cost. The majority of these models are of locomotives, with steam more abundant than diesel or electric. Passenger cars and cabooses are also fairly common, with occasional freight and maintenance-of-way cars offered. The main appeal of these models is that well-made ones will be exact models of particular prototypes with a high level of detail. They also come with high quality drives, something quite difficult to find in cheaper steam locomotives.
The cheapest brass locomotives in HO are offered by Sunset Ltd., with most models in the $200-300 range. They are reportedly good runners with a fairly low level of detail. Highly detailed models are offered by the other importers, with steam prices in the $450-1000+ range, diesels in the $200-400+ range. O scale models can run twice as much as these prices. The best bet is to find either a local dealer or a reputable mail-order importer who can advise you on what looks good for the money.
Most of these items are sold by advance reservation, so by the time the model actually arrives there may not be any left for sale. The models are advertised in advance of production so that you can place an order in time. Relying on the advertisements can be risky, though. Often the lead time is fairly slim, and not everything made gets well-advertised. For example, if you are interested in future brass items, you would be advised to consult your local hobby shop to keep abreast of upcoming releases. Some hobby shops will take note of your interests and keep you advised when model can be reserved.
Used models can be purchased and can be a good value if purchased from a reputable dealer who is honest about the quality.
How come the affordable suggestions only include diesel engines?!?
In general, steam engines are more expensive than their diesel counterparts. For example, the cheapest HO "ready-to-run" steam engines cost about $100. If you are the type who likes to build kits, the cheapest steam engine kit costs about $70 dollars. Below is a short description of several popular steam engine brands. The prices in square brackets are mail order prices provided by a second contributor, so may not be for the exact same models.
Bachman: Sold as "ready-to-run" units, these engines usually cost about $100 [$25 - $55 (RTR)]. The bodies are plastic. The running characteristics of these engines vary a lot. If possible, see it run before buying. Bowser (Cary Logo. Works) sells a conversion kit for these engines providing a new drive train, however this upgrade will cost nearly as much as the original engine.
MDC/Roundhouse: Sold as kits, these engines usually cost anywhere from $70 to $100 [$60 - $80 (kit)]. The boilers are metal, the cabs and tender are plastic. MDC makes smaller (and earlier-era) steam engines (4-4-2, 2-8-0, Shay, etc.).
Bowser: Sold as kits, these engines usually cost anywhere from $80 to $150 [$70 - $155 (kit), $120 - $170 (RTR)]. The kits are all metal very heavy. The casts usually require a fair amount of filing to remove any flash. Running characteristics are good and the pulling power is very good. Bowser provides a number of PRR steam era engines as well as a Challenger and a Big Boy.
Rivarossi: Formerly imported by AHM, these engines are sold "ready-to-run". They cost anywhere from $150 to $500 [$120 - $250 (RTR)]. The engines are all plastic. One or more of the drivers has a "traction tire" (rubber band) to keep the lighter weight engine from slipping. Running characteristics are good. Rivarrossi makes a wide variety of steam engines.
Mantua: [This is based somewhat on hearsay] They seem to offer two grades of equipment - the older designs such as the 0-4-0 switch engine which are quite inexpensive ($20) but which run poorly, and newer models such as the 4-4-0 Atlantic which seems like a very nice model for about $120. Some of the models come in kit form for less money.
What if I choose N scale instead?
Diesel locos: anything made by Kato. This includes the Kato brand engines as well as the items recently offered by Atlas. The Con-Cor PA-1 was the first Kato diesel imported but most of their more recent offerings have not been. These don't come cheap, most being in the $80 to $100 range.
Bachmann has just introduced their first Spectrum engine in N scale (a Dash 8-40C.) About the half the price of the Kato and runs well but the body shell is not quite up to the standard of the Kato engines, although the paint work is nice. The regular line Bachmann is less expensive than these but require some work to get them running really smoothly in most cases.
Life-Like have improved the quality of their engines over the past couple of years to the point where they make a good, inexpensive alternative to Kato. Although the paint work tends to be less detailed, it is acceptable. These engines run well at low speeds.
Rivarossi have a reasonable reputation in HO, but not a very good one in N scale. The problem tends to be mechanical with motors being too rough and burning out quickly.
For freight cars, the best quality is MicroTrains. These range from $8 to $10 for cars with basic paint schemes up to $30 for the TOFC flats with semi trailers. Their couplers are also a great improvement over the Rapido couplers. The easyest conversion is the trucks with couplers mounted, but I prefer to body-mount couplers. MicroTrains also hase conversion kits for a large number of steam and diesel engines.
Track: In general, PECO is recognized as the best, especially for their turnouts. Atlas have been making improvements to their track over the last while, but they still have a lot to learn about turnouts.
What companies make good equipment in G scale?
(The description of G-scale equipment was written by John Haskey.)
In my opinion, Bachmann track should be avoided like the plague. If you don't want to spend big bucks on LGB track, check out the REA track. REA makes very decent track and is usually cheaper than LGB. The Bachmann track will do nothing but disappoint you.
On the other hand, the Bachmann Locos and rolling stock are a very economical way to get into G-scale railroading. Their locos are noisier than their LGB counterparts but consider this: a Bachman 4-6-0 can be had for as little as $80 mail-order and it comes with lights, smoke, & sound. A similiar LGB loco will cost over $500. Granted, the LGB loco will probably last a lifetime but for someone getting started the Bachman loco represents good value. Make sure you avoid the Bachman battery powered remote controlled locos though. I have friends who have been less than thrilled with them. Bachmann's rolling stock is serviceable out of the box and, as others have mentioned, can be vastly improved by replacing the trucks and couplers. Their kits have great potential for kitbashing, etc.
I personally own both Bachmann and LGB and don't regret purchasing either brand. If you're rich and have disposable income, by all means go out and get that LGB starter set, a few hundred feet of LGB track, and lots of cars and locos. On the other hand you could start with a loop of REA track, a MRC throttle, and a Bachmann train and be well on your way as well.
The newsgroup rec.crafts.metalworking also has discussions relevant to this topic.
Live steam railroading is the term most frequently applied to the branch of the hobby involving larger models, in most cases suitable for hauling (full size) passengers, and in most cases using steam as the propulsion mechanism (hence the name). There are a series of de-facto standard track gauges, and corresponding scales when used to model standard gauge (4' 8 1/2") prototype locomotives:
The above scales apply when standard gauge prototypes are modeled. It is also possible to model narrow gauge prototype locomotives using a larger scale to operate on the above relatively standard track gauges. The appropriate scales can be easily calculated from the track gauges of the model and the prototype.
Live Steam models typically model all of the appropriate aspects of a real steam locomotive, including the fire (coal or oil fired, occasionally propane is substituted), a boiler (copper on small models, usually steel on large models), cylinders, valve gear with reversing means (Stephenson, Walshearts, etc.), injectors for boiler feed (sometimes augmented or replaced by axle or reciprocating steam pumps), etc. Few if any modelers try to model automatic coal feeders.
Track for the larger gauges (7 1/4" -7 1/2", usually 4 3/4" - 5") is laid directly on the ground. Ballast is used, similar to prototype practice. Smaller gauges (3 1/2", some 4 3/4" - 5") usually use elevated track, about 3' above ground. The larger gauges are frequently ridden sitting directly on the tender, while the smaller gauges use a riding car, which is typically a flat car coupled directly behind the tender where the operator can reach the controls and tend the fire, etc.
Live steam railroading is frequently done in conjunction with live steam clubs, which typically own or otherwise have access to a plot of land on which layouts of one or more of the standard gauge track sizes are laid. Clubs also sometimes provide storage facilities for the engines, which can get quite heavy, particularly in the larger scales. Lists of clubs (worldwide), as well as a significant amount of other information about the hobby, are available in various live steam magazines:
Although the name implies operation by steam, there are also models of diesels and electrics commonly built in the same scales and gauges. These typically use automobile batteries or small gasoline engines, either with hydraulic transmissions or alternator/motor arrangements. Another branch of the hobby involves other live steam models, such as steamboats, steam tractors, steam cars or stationary steam engines. Frank Kerfoot fwk@hogpa.att.com
Scale and gauge are two very common terms in Model Railroading. However, their true meanings and their development are often misunderstood. This is a short introduction to the topic which should give you a reasonable overview. Let's start with a couple of definitions:
The major difficulty that people seem to have is that when a model is scaled the prototype gauge may not be scaled to the same proportion, but simply sized to an appropriate "standard" gauge. By convention, the scale name conveys both the scale and the gauge.
During the last century model railways were produced to scales and gauges at the whim of the manufacturer. Even when different makers used the same gauge, the variations in rail sizes, track standards, wheel standards and couplers precluded any inter-mixing of their models. Other than individuals building their own systems completely, "Model Railways" as we know them today were impossible.
The first break-through came at the Leipzig Toyfair in 1891, when Maerklin introduced a complete range of track parts with geometric curves, straights, points and crossings in 5 different scales.
These were:
No 5 gauge 4 5/8"
No 4 gauge 75mm or 3"
No 3 gauge 67mm or 2 5/8"
No 2 gauge 54mm or 2 1/8"
No 1 gauge 48mm or 1 7/8"
At that time, Maerklin used Roman numerals. They changed to
Arabic (1 instead of I) in recent times.Note: No 0 gauge 35mm or 1 3/8" was introduced several years later.
To all those people with their hands in the air, note that these gauges were measured from rail-center to rail-center, with a common rail-head width of 3mm (1/8"). I believe these dimensions were originally inch measurements, later rounded to metric units. No 4 gauge is variously quoted at 3" and 2 15/16". Amusingly, when "American Flyer" in the USA decided to manufacture a new size, they looked at the Maerklin catalogue and selected the No 3 gauge. Unfortunately, they were not aware of the European method of gauge measurement and assumed that 2 5/8" was the distance between the rails rather than the center to center distance. They were not the only ones to make this mistake! When they took up the standards some manufacturers such as Bing, called 75mm gauge - No 3 and 67mm - No 2a.
Scales were not considered important by the toy makers. Appearance was all important and most makers produced models which did for several gauges with different wheel spacings. Usually the model in any gauge became the basis of a cheap range for the next gauge up. Scale models were still a long way off!
In 1912, Lionel in the United States began production of a range of trains using Maerklin's philosophy of offering a complete range of trains, track and accessories and adopted the No 2 gauge. However, they too assumed that the 2 1/8" gauge stated in Maerklin's literature was measured between the rails, which was the norm in the USA. When the mistake was realised, Lionel coined the term "Standard Gauge" which is still in use today in the USA.
Around 1900 No 0 (zero) gauge was introduced by Maerklin to allow train sets to be accommodated in the smaller houses which were then being built. Perhaps too, it was also because toy trains were becoming cheap enough to be within the range of people on lower incomes. The larger gauges had already fallen out of favour; little had been produced in No 5 gauge, No 4 attracted a few one-off orders and No 3 gauge was purchased only by the rich. No 1 gauge was the most popular and confirmed the market for smaller gauges.
No 0 gauge was immediately popular as the price made railways accessible to the middle classes. Before WWI this movement to smaller gauges encouraged makers to introduce smaller non-standard trains. However none were persevered with, probably because they were non-standard sizes.
In the 10 years before WWI, the English market began to have an influence on the German manufacturers with Henry Greenly and others pushing for more accurate models to be produced. After WWI Maerklin introduced a No 00 gauge of about 7/8" (22mm?) - this was produced from 1921 but it was dropped after 3 years in production. Bing of Nurnberg introduced their "Table-top" range in 1921 which was to 5/8" gauge - chosen because it was half No 0 gauge. This was taken up by Henry Greenly for the English market in 1923. Distler, another German firm, produced 5/8" gauge from 1920, but this too seems to have faded away without success.
With few exceptions, gauges larger than No 1 did not reappear after WWI. Even No 1 gauge had faded away somewhat by the 1930's. S gauge made its appearance in the USA during the interwar period, notably from American Flyer. The track gauge of 7/8" is the same as the 22mm gauge produced with little success by some European manufacturers. Bing's Table-top railway was the big success in Germany, England and even the USA. Copies were produced by various firms throughout Europe eg Bub, Paya, JEP etc.
Trains were becoming more true to prototype in the larger scales and individual makers used the toy gauges as a basis for producing models to scale. The actual scales used with each gauge varied, most makers rounding scales up or down which resulted in some very odd combinations, some of which continue today.
The late 1930's saw new ranges being introduced in OO/HO scale by Hornby, Maerklin, Trix, Lionel and others. I have deliberately used the OO/HO scale term here as OO and HO had not settled at their present meanings except in the USA, where OO meant 19mm gauge, 4mm/1ft scale and HO meant 5/8" gauge with 1/8":1ft or 3.5mm:1ft. In England and Europe, competitors used opposing terms, probably to keep their customers faithful to one brand.
Today the currently popular (and commercially supported) Model Railroading Scales have been generally reduced to the following range:
Scale name Gauge Proportion IIm (or G) 45mm 1:22.5 I 45mm 1:32 OO 16.5mm 1:76 HO 16.5mm 1:87 N 9mm 1:160 Z 6.5mm 1:200As with all hobbies, there is always room for controversy and the wide range of scales and gauges available, coupled with a rich history, gives us ample room for lighthearted disagreement. Two prime examples are G and HO. The term G more correctly denotes a gauge (45mm) and not a scale - common usage sees either IIm or G being used as alternatives. HO was derived from half No 0 gauge and strictly speaking the name should be H-zero and not H-oh - again common usage would indicate HO is universally acceptable. Perhaps it's these historical oddities that helps to make Model Railroading the complete hobby that it is!
Lately the various national bodies have been working to tighten the standards somewhat. For instance, the European NEM 010 standard has been designed such that track built for the representation of a normal gauge prototype at a given scale, could also be used for the representation of a metric gauge prototype in the next higher scale, or for the repesentation of a narrow gauge prototype in the second higher scale. Thus G gauge (45mm) track can be used as I scale (1:32), IIm scale (1:22.5) or IIIe scale (1:16). Furthermore, NEM 010 partitions all existing prototype gauges into groups as follows:
Normal 1250mm - 1700mm Metric 850mm - 1250mm Narrow 650mm - 850mm Industrial 400mm - 650mmThe metric, narrow and industrial gauges are indicated by an m,e or i appended to the scale symbol. No letter denotes a normal gauge prototype
The following pages list some of the combinations of gauge and scale in use since WWII. They are blocked in "family" groups.
Scale name Origin Gauge Proportion
Comments
---------- ------ ----- ---------- --------
Model Engineering scales:
24" 5":1ft Live steam - parks &
commercial
19" 4":1ft Live steam - parks &
commercial
18" 4":1ft Live steam - parks &
commercial
15" 3":1ft Live steam
10 1/4" Triang Minex - proprietary
1960's
9 1/2" 2":1ft
USA 7 1/2" 2 1/2":1ft Live steam - narrow gauge
7 1/2" 1 6/10":1ft Live steam
7 1/2" 1 1/2":1ft Live steam
USA 7 1/4" 1 1/2":1ft Live steam
5 1/4" 1":1ft Live steam
3 1/2" 1":1ft Live steam - 3'6" gauge
3 1/2" Live steam
Model Railway scales:
VI Europe 181.8mm 1:5.5 NEM standard gauge
1" Britain 4 13/16" 1":1ft Defunct tinplate scale
No 5 gauge 4 5/8" Maerklin standard - 1891
V Europe 125mm 1:8 NEM standard gauge
11/16" Britain 3 1/4" 11/16":1ft Defunct tinplate scale
No 4 gauge 75mm or 3"
IV Europe 90.9mm 1:11 NEM standard gauge
No 3 gauge 67mm or 2 5/8"
III Europe 62.5mm 1:11 NEM
USA 2 1/2" American Flyer
IIIe Europe 45mm 1:16 NEM narrow gauge
II Europe 54mm 1:22.5 NEM normal gauge - Magris
Standard Gauge
USA 2 1/8" Lionel, Boucher
IIm (or G) Europe 45mm 1:22.5 LGB Metre gauge models -
"Garten"
G USA 45mm 1:24-28 Narrow gauge - 2ft
SM45 Britain 45mm 16mm:1ft Narrow gauge - 3ft
SM32 Britain 32mm 16mm:1ft Narrow gauge - 2ft
No 1 Gauge Britain 45mm 10mm:1ft Standard
I Europe 45mm 1:32 NEM normal gauge - Maerklin
9mm NZ 32mm 9mm:1ft NZR models - 3'6" gauge
O Britain 32mm 7mm:1ft, 1:43.5
OF Britain 32mm 7mm:1ft Fine scale - more accurate wheel std
ScaleSeven Britain 33mm 7mm:1ft, 1:43.5 Exact scale option
No 0 Gauge Europe 32mm 1:43.5
O Europe 32mm 1:45
O France 32mm 23mm:1m
Om Europe Narrow gauge - 1 metre
O 27 USA 1 1/4" No scale Lionel Toys, 27" diameter
curves
O 72 USA 1 1/4" No scale Lionel Toys, 72" diameter
curves
O 17 USA 1 1/4" 17/64":1ft, 1:45
O USA 1 1/4" 1/4":1ft, 1:48 NMRA standard
Proto 48 USA 1 11/16" 1/4":1ft, 1:48 1/4" AAR fine scale - 1950's
Q USA 1 3/16" 1/4":1ft, 1:48
On3 1/2 USA 7/8" 1/4":1ft, 1:48 Narrow gauge - 3'6"
On3 USA 3/4" 1/4":1ft, 1:48 Narrow gauge - 3ft
On2 1/2 Britain 16.5mm 7mm:1ft Narrow gauge
O Minex Germany 16.5mm 1:43.5 Maerklin HO stud contact
- 750mm gauge
Oe Germany 16.5mm 1:43.5 Fleischmann Magic Train
- 750mm gauge
On2 1/2 (30) USA 39/64" 1/4":1ft, 1:48 Narrow gauge - 2'6"
On2 USA 1/2" 1/4":1ft, 1:48 Narrow gauge - 2ft
On1 1/2 (18) USA 9mm 1/4":1ft, 1:48 Narrow gauge - 1'6"
IOM Britain 12mm 5.5mm:1ft Gem IOM - 2'3" narrow gauge
Fn3 Britain 16.5mm 5.5mm:1ft, 1:55.5 Narrow gauge - 3ft
H1 USA 7/8" 3/16":1ft, 1:64 Forerunner of S scale
S USA 7/8" 3/16":1ft, 1:64
S 5'6" NZ 3/16":1ft, 1:64 Canterbury broad gauge
Sn3 1/2 NZ 16.5mm 3/16":1ft, 1:64 Represents 3'6" gauge
Sn3 USA 9/16" 3/16":1ft, 1:64 Narrow gauge - 3ft
Sn2 1/2 USA 15/32" 3/16":1ft, 1:64 Narrow gauge - 2'6"
Sn2 USA 3/8" 3/16":1ft, 1:64 Narrow gauge - 2ft
Table Top Europe 5/8" Bing 1921-1934
HO Britain 16.5mm 4mm:1ft H Greenly - 1923 on
OO Britain 5/8" 3.5mm:1ft Developed from Bing
standards
HO Britain 16.5mm 3.5mm:1ft Unusual, foreign models only
OO Britain 16.5mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 BRMRA standards
EM Britain 18mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 (Eighteen Millimetre)
EM Britain 18.2mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 Revised standard
EEM Britain 18.83mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 Exact scale movement
P4 Britain 18.82mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 Final form of EEM
S4 Britain 18.82mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 Exact scale flanges too
OO Broad G Britain 28mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 GWR Broad Gauge - 7'0 1/4"
OO9 Britain 9mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 Narrow gauge on N gauge
track
OO USA 19mm 4mm/1ft Prewar commercial
(3/4") (5/32")
OOb5 1/4 Ireland 21mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2
HOb5 1/4 Australia 18.5mm 1:87 Victoria - 5'3" broad gauge
OOE Europe 16.5mm 1.1mm:1m, 1:91
HOE Europe 16mm 1:87 Followed from Bing, Bub 5/8"
gauge
HO Europe 16.5mm 1:90 Trix Express
HO Europe 16.5mm 1:87 NEM standard
HO USA 16.5mm 1:87 NMRA standard
Hon3 1/2 NZ 12mm 1:87 NZR - 3'6"
Hom Europe 12mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 1 meter
Hon3 USA 10.5mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 3ft
HOn900 10.33mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 900mm
HOn800 9.18mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 800mm
Hoe Europe 9mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 750-785mm
HOn2 1/2 USA 9mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 2'6"
Hon2 USA 9/32" 1:87 Narrow gauge - 2ft
HOn600 6.88mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 600mm
HOz Europe 6.5mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 600mm
E USA 19/32" 1/8":1ft, 1:96
QO USA 6/10" 1/8":1ft, 1:96
OOC Europe 14.3mm 1:100 "Cent" attempt to establish
a
logical scale
TT USA 12mm 1/10":1ft H P Products - "TableTop"
TT Europe 12mm 1:120
TT "120th" NZ 9mm 1/10":1ft, 1:120 NZR - 3'6" gauge
TT3 Britain 12mm 3mm:1ft, 1:101.6 Tri-ang 1950's-60's
TTX Britain 12mm 1/9":1ft, 1:108 } attempts to improve
TM Britain 13.5mm 3mm:1ft, 1:101.6 } scale/gauge ratio
Scale 3 Britain 14.2mm 3mm:1ft,1:101.6
QOO USA 0.3" 1/16":1ft, 1:192
HH(O) USA 5/16" 1.75mm:1ft, 1:174 NMRA standard - c1948
OOO Britain 9.5mm 2mm:1ft, 1:152.4 Superceded by 000
2mm scale Britain 9.42mm 2mm:1ft, 1:152.4 Current 2mm Association
OOO Britain 9mm 2mm:1ft Lone Star Treble O - 1950's
MiniTrix Europe 9mm 1:150 1950's push along trains
Europe 9mm 1:200 Arnold 1960
K Europe 8mm 1:180 Forerunner of N
N Europe 9mm 1:160 NEM standard - mid 1960's
N USA 9mm 1:160 NMRA standard
N Britain 9mm 2 1/16mm:1ft, 1:148
British standard
N-NZR NZ 6.5mm 1:160 NZR - 3'6" gauge
Nm Europe 6.5mm 1:160 Swiss metre gauge
Nn3 USA 6.5mm 1:160 USA - 3ft gauge
TTT USA 0.236" 1/20":1ft, 1:240 NMRA proposed standard
Z Europe 6.5mm 1:220 Maerklin
HZ Germany 3.25mm 1:440 Railex - 1992
(X) British 3/16" 1mm:1ft R Walkley - 1935
Un-named British 1/8" 1:480 1970's
This list was mainly compiled by Greg Proctor and Peter Platt
(oaplattIsouthpower.co.nz)Their own comments about it:
Although we try to keep it relatively up-to-date and you will notice that it includes some comments from recent net postings, we do not claim it to be complete or absolutely accurate. In fact it would be safer to say that it is guaranteed to contain some mistakes. Certainly, we know it's not complete as it is known to be missing many localised scales from around the world.
Promotional models are not uncommon in the following decades.
These are followed by tin plate, wood and cardboard models in the decades to come.
The models of this time always ran on the floor, most were fueled by ethanol. Smallest gauge was 63 mm, but up to 115 mm wasn't uncommon.
They ran with fixed speed, but could be stopped with devices between the rails that acted on levers on the locomotive.
The track system had straight and curved sections as well as switches. The sections had two rail joiners at one end, none at the other, adapters with joiners at both ends, or no joiners also existed.
Gauges were standardized:
0 1 2 3
35 mm 48 mm 54 mm 75 mm
but as at that time the gauge was measured from the
center of the rails, and they were 3 mm wide, subtract 3
mm to get the modern equivalents.Level of detailing was abysmal. In gauge 0 and 1 the cars didn't even have doors hinted at.
Caretti invents a system with one rail joiner at each end.
All Nurnberg companies adapt the gauges 0, 1 and 2. In USA Ives uses 0 and 1. However lots of companies had gauges between 2 and 3: Bing's gauge 3 was 67 mm and 4 was 75 mm; Shoenner's 67 mm was called IIa; Planck had a 65 mm gauge they called 8.
Three different systems are already in existance: 2-rail, center rail or catenary.
Maerklin started just before 1900 with electric streetcars, which soon appear in steam engine form.
Most equipment run on 50-60 V DC. As controllers were mostly used simple resistors directly connected to the house current of 110 or 220 V. Not very safe.
There was already since a number of year an English magazine Model Engineer for hobbyists who built their own scale models, and when the Englishman Basset-Lowke starts collaborating with the German company Bing, which gets to make models of English prototypes, the transformation of the toy trans into a hobby for adults is started.
1:16 with 89 mm gauge was common among the English hobbyists, but that was a little too large to become practical. The Basset-Lowke models were made to standard gauges, but not to any scale. The English thought measuring from the center of the rails was stupid, they wanted to measure like the prototype, and the trains kept to a scale corresponding to that.
As the English were influencial, gauges were standardized:
0 1 2 3
32 mm 45 mm 51 mm 64 mm
1:43,5 1:30 1:27 1:23
In England, gauge 0 to 1:43,5 became common, through the makers Basset-Lowke, LMC (Leeds Model Company) and Hornby (Meccano), with input from the model railroad clubs.
In USA, makers Lionel, Ives and American Flyer mainly made Standard Gauge models, which was close to, but not identical to #1 gauge. They also made 0 gauge models. Gauge 1 and 2 were kept to the German standard.
In USA, the gauge 00 gets a track gauge of 19 mm to fit the scale 1:76.
Basset-Lowke adjusts the scale to the track gauge and it becomes 1:87.
Trix-Werke in Germany (who was a competitor to Meccano), starts making 16.5 mm track on a roadbed of pressed cardboard, so that all three rails could be isolated from each other, thus permitting two trains to operate independently on the same track. They ran on 14 V AC, and direction was changed with a pulse of higher voltage. They used a scale of 1:90.
What is to become S gauge, 1:64 models on 7/8" track, is introduced by Cleveland Manufacturing under the name C-D gauge.
After the war American Flyer drops 0 and H0 and offer 1:64 trains on S gauge 2-rail track. Lionel abandons 00 gauge.
A question to the European modelers out there. How well does the Hornby OO/HO units run? Are they in the same league as Atlas, Athern, Model Power or Bachmann? And as a side question, what is the status of Model Power? With most of their trains being produced in Yugoslavia are they now effectively out of business or have they shifted their [focus?]
I have just begun dabbling in British models. Although it's difficult to make the comparisons you've asked, because some manufacturer's only make diesels, while hornby makes predominantly steam, and each type of model has its own idiosyncracies because of wheel size and drive mechanism, I would say that Hornby is about equivalent to Athearn, a fairly decent running model, with about the same level of detail. The nly drawback I have seen re: Hornby vs. American HO is that the check gauge - distance between driving wheel flanges, back to back, is fairly narrow. This does not seem to affect them on Atlas Custom-line turnouts, but makes for rocky running through Atlas snap-switches. The tread is also a bit wide and can short out the rails close to the tip of the frog. Again, this seem to happen mostly with snap switches, which I bought for the kiddies to play with. I'll probably widen the frogs with a razor saw, leaving the guard rail alone so it will still keep the flange away from the tip of the frog. A little nail polish on the rails near the from will help a bit also.
By reputation, Bachmann Branchlines from England are very decent runners, better than their American line. Same for Dapol. If you would compare Hornby to American HO steam, they would probably rank at least with Mantua, and lots better than Bachmann or Model Power. For the money, they are a good deal. I would like to note that I have seen an improvement in American inexpensive steam, such as Bachmann Plus and it looks like IHC is beginning to produce some decent running steam which I plan on using as the basis for a kitbashing project.
Over the weekend, a friend and I attended a train show and saw a Lionel
engine with a camera in it for $125. Was this a reasonable price? Is the
receiver supplied also? It wasn't obvious from looking at the box. Do
other companies sell cameras mounted in G gauge units?
Of more interest to us is how does it work? We assume that a cheap CCD
imaging chip was used, but do they bother to put the signal on a carrier
or do they just put the bare video on the track? If the latter, the
receiver is likely little more than an RF modulator.
They use a CCD camera, signal is on a 4 MegHz carrier, you can buy the camera as a replacement part from Lionel (about $69 plus $5 S/H) which includes the receiver. The signal is transmitted through the rails.
An article on modifying the unit must have appeared in Model RR as one I wrote was turned down (just a little too late). This is not a bad price if it is new, it's like getting the engine for $60 if you want the TV for something else!
I think picture is about 150x100 or so. It's not bad for black and white and always interesting to visitors at my layout (I have the O scale version and there is an HO version).
...
Actually, we found the picture quality to be pretty awful. It only works well under very bright lights, and the battery drains very, very quickly. We modified one to serve as a survelliance camera, and it works very well out in the bright sunlight. Unfortunately, the camera is very sensitive to the power supply, and even a filtered, regulated supply causes interference. Picture quality on a regular TV is fairly decent, with good enough resolution to see raindrops and snowflakes. As far as use on the layout though, it's pretty bad.
Who (besides Walthers) are the distributors, and what's their typical relationship with manufacturers and dealers?
Toy and hobby distributors in various cities. They generally sell only to established retail stores.
Con-Cor and Western Star are two I can think of off hand.
Discount to retail store is usually about 40% of retail price although books are typically at 33% and brass at 5-10%.
...
Walther's retail price is a 40% markup. Some dealers do only a 20-30% markup.
...
Hobby shops typically buy merchandise for 60% of list and sell it for 80%-90% of list.
...
Many hobby shops stock most items at or near the suggested retail price, but typically offer specials and quantity discounts on new or popular items.
Depends on the manufacturer. Direct to dealer distribution can actually produce a higher profit for the manufacturer because there is no middleman to pay. Because of this, generally only smaller companies deal directly with dealers.
Very often products from smaller and specialty manufacturers are personal requests, or products that are perceived to fill a gap in the market. (Such as RPP's modern diesel shells)
Athearn manufactures their own product. Con-Cor is shifting its production to its Arizona plant, so they manufacture most of their own product. Walther's does it's own freight cars, but the engines are imports. Atlas' engines are imports (From Kato). Bachmann and I believe Model Power engines are imports.
ConCor locomotives are made mostly by Roco (GP's, SD's, E7's). The switchers (SW7 and MP15) were made by Kato. I believe that currently Roco makes the parts for ConCor and ConCor has them painted and assembled in Mexico.
Atlas makes their own cars (N, O), track, and buildings (HO, N, O). Locos are made by Kato (GP7, C4xx, RS3/11, RSD4/5/12) or Roco (S2/4, RS1, FP7, and EMD's now sold by ConCor).
Bachmann engines are made in China by Bachmann (they own their own overseas production facilities). Bachmann (they claim) is the world's largest producer of model/"toy" trains.
Help! My kids have fallen in love with Thomas the Tank Engine. What can I do?
If in England
Actual locomotives fitted with faceplates to look like Thomas and Friends make the rounds to various rail museums that offer rides to the public on weekends and holidays. Human characters from the stories accompany the engines. If you find no other source of information, you can investigate this in the schedules section of the many rail enthusiast magazines available at typical newstands all over England. You might possibly be able to get such information from the British Rail tourist office in this country.
Two years ago I saw these engines at the the Didcot Rail Center near Oxford. I was alone, but the emotions shown by English children seeing the live engines for the first time were quite touching. That Center may be reached by rail from London, Oxford, Reading, etc. and is within walking distance of the British Rail Station. Interesting rail museums are found in similarly convenient locations throughout the country. All kinds of Thomas parahernalia can be purchased there.
Others are:
This article is from the April 1993 issue of Model Railroader, pages 86 and 87. The article and photos are by Michael Edwards. Extracted here without permission.
"Thomas the Tank Engine has steamed through many a childhood since the Reverend Wilbert Awdry began writing stories about the little blue locomotive 40 years ago. The books are wonderful, but the TV adaptations - well, they're wonderful too. To find out how the producers of Shining Time Station achieve such stunning results, I visited the famous Shepperton film studios on the outskirts of London."It all began 12 years ago, when executive producer Britt Allcroft was working on a film about the age of steam. The film's technical consul- tant was none other than Rev. Awdry, and Allcroft began thinking about interpreting his creations as TV characters.
"To some observers, a children's series staring a steam locomotive seemed a big gamble - this was the age of space epics and Steven Spielberg. Reverend Awdry himself was concerned that TV might destroy the delicate, period quality the original book illustrations conveyed. He was a stickler for accuracy.
"He need not have worried. Authenticity became a major goal, and specialty bookshops were scoured for reference works.
The locomotives
"For the pilot film, the train models were scratchbuilt from plastic. However, the problems were many and varied. To obtain better reliability, the producers turned to Maerklin's superbly engineered O scale locomotives with their die-cast metal frames. They added new acrylic bodies with radio-controlled eyes.
...
The many faces of Thomas
"Those removable faces bring the characters alive, even though the only moving parts are the eyes. Each character has its own basic face, which was first sculpted in clay. Then a rubber mold was made, and copies were cast in a mixture of resin and autobody filler. These were reworked to different expressions from which the final silicone castings were taken. ..."
So-called "small scale" live steam is actually on the large end of the usual model railroading spectrum, though most live steam equipment runs on much wider track (.75" scale or larger). Live steamers are easy to find in gauge 1 (45mm or "G" gauge), less common but available in 0 gauge (32mm).
Gauge 1 live steamers are popular with garden railroaders because they interoperate with electric gauge 1 equipment and because some of the problems with live-steam operation are lessened outdoors. (Most people don't have room for a 7.25-inch gauge track in the basement; spillage of hot water or oil drips are more problematic on indoor layout materials.) Some larger scale steam clubs also have gauge 1 tracks for the smaller steamers. Because of the interoperability, most gauge 1 live steamers seem to belong to clubs with other gauge 1 modelers, rather than specialized gauge 1 steam clubs. (The folks who run electric models really seem to like the live steamers, too!)
What makes up a gauge 1 live steamer? They share the basic characteristics with all live steamers: they burn some sort of fuel to boil water and move cylinders. They may differ from gauge 1 electric trains in that they typically have working parts such as valve gear, pressure gauges, relief valves, feedwater pumps, etc. They may differ from larger live steamers in that their mechanical design is (often) simpler. Fuels are usually methyl alcohol ("meths"), butane or solid fuels (rare).
Modeling detail spans a wide range: a live steamer will run with no more than a boiler, cylinders, valves and pushrods. Aster and others make super-detailed scale models. There are many other models which fall in between these extremes. Gauge 1 live steamers typically pull rolling stock which is also seen behind large-scale electrics: LGB, Bachmann, scratch-built.
There are many technical distinctions among live steamers which will affect both price and performance. Some examples: boiler types may be "flue", "pot-boiler", "porcupine", "Smithies", etc. Each of these represents a trade-off of construction complexity (and thus cost) vs. efficiency. Some locos have two steam cylinders, some only one. Those with one sometimes have dummy cylinders where they would be on a prototype, with the working cylinder between the frames. Cylinders may be fixed (with a wristpin on the driving rods) or oscillating (the driving rod is a single piece, and the cylinder moves to accomodate the movement of the attachment point on the driving wheel).
Because of the relative complexity of steam locomotives, it's usually a good idea to chat with someone who knows about them, or to do some learning about them, before buying one. Here are some resources which can help.
Steamchest Publications P.O. Box 335 Newark Valley, NY 13811 USA phone: 607-642-8119 bimonthly. US$21/year ($27.50 Canadian, US$28.50 foreign). (UK subscriptions available through Salem Steam Models in Wales or Bandbright Ltd in Norfolk)The only magazine totally devoted to small-scale live steam. Features product reviews, construction articles and plans, columns on machining and building, etc. The editor is an avid live steamer.
Garden Railways magazine
Sidestreet Bannerworks P.O. Box 61461 Denver, CO 80206 USA phone 303-733-4779 bimonthly. US$21/year (US$28 foreign).Focussed entirely on outdoor, large scale (almost exclusively gauge 1) railroading. Often includes articles, product reviews, etc. relating to gauge 1 live steam. The editor is an avid live steamer, and has also made a very complete and informative videotape introducing small-scale live steamers.
National Gauge One Steam Up Info/registration from Jerry Reshew 5411 Diamondhead Drive East Diamondhead, MS 39525 USA phone: 601-255-1747 every January (Jan. 13-15 1995 upcoming)This is the largest small-scale live steam event in the US. 1994's event saw almost 100 steam enthusiasts and their engines running from before daylight until the wee hours of the morning. Workshops cover topics such as radio control, fuel choice, machining, layout planning, etc. Diamondhead Mississippi is approx 1 hour drive east from New Orleans.
Indiana Transportation Museum Small Scale Steamup Info/registration from Dr. John Bloxdorf 2540 North Ninth Street Terre Haute, IN 47804 USA phone 812-466-1007 every SeptemberFeatures 380 feet of tracks in five separate lines in an outdoor setting on the grounds of the Indiana Transportation Museum, in a suburb of Indianapolis.
Membership is 12 pounds a year and, if I remember correctly, there is also a one-time 5 pound charge for new members. There is an excellent quarterly newsletter (the last one ran 64 pages) and when I joined I received an information package including a complete how-to booklet on building a simple Gauge 1 locomotive, a list of suppliers, and miscellaneous other items including newsletter back issues. The one potential catch is that the Association's interests and membership are primarily British. This is fine for me - an expatriate Brit most interested in British railways - but might not appeal to others.
Gauge 1 Association addresses are as follows:
Hon. Secretary R.E. (Bob) Hines
3, Coniston Close,
Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 9SW
ENGLAND
Telephone: (039 42) 2233
Membership Sec. Mrs Laura Foster
112, Clarendon Road,
Broadstone, Dorset BH18 9HY
ENGLAND
Telephone: (0202) 694213
Compiled by: Vance R. Bass, Nashville Garden Railway Society
(vrbass@vnet.ibm.com)