Help with dimensions for Z passenger cars

[jes]

Hello!

In the last hour, I've taught myself a bunch about model trains, and I think I know what I don't know, if that makes sense.

I've joined the forum to ask for some help with what kind of passenger car I can use for a project on which I'm working.

I don't want the car to run (gasp!), I want to use it as a prop in an art project. I'm going to be using a plane, a ship, and I hope, a (19th c, probably) passenger car.

From my research, I think that Z scale is the smallest size, right? I'd like to keep the train car roughtly the same size as the other models I'll be buying: my ship is 4 in. long, and my plane is 2.4 in. long. I realize a Z scale car won't be in scale with those other 2 items, but they will be roughly the same size for my art project, right? The N series cars I found online were 5.5 or 6 inches, which makes them a bit too long to be photographed nicely with my other miniatures.

Again, I would like a passenger car and I'm having trouble knowing how long an older passenger car is compared to any other type of car. Am I right to think a 75 ft train car would come out to about 4 in in the Z scale? If so, how does an old passenger car compare to that 75 ft/4 in. scale?

I'll check back in a few days and I thank you for any help you can give. Since I'm not looking at track size, I can't find any sellers offering dimensions of the actual cars b/c most people don't buy them that way

jes

[sstlaure]

Older passenger cars (you referenced late 19th century) were significantly shorter than 20th century passenger cars. More along the lines of 40-50ft in length. At 1:220 scale (Z) they'd be 2.25-2.75 inches long.

Here's a 1:220 Cutty Sark
http://www.ebay.com/itm/REVELL-1-220-CUTTY-SARK-CLIPPER-SHIP-MODEL-KIT-BOAT-/110595452230?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0

Here's a 1:220 Plane
http://www.ebay.com/itm/REVELL-C-160-TRANSALL-1-220-SCALE-PLANE-MODEL-KIT-NIB-/250844072146

Looks like Revell models quite a bit in 1:220 scale.

[jes]

Thanks so much for your reply. I appreciate it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MARKLIN-Z-SCALE-PASSENGER-CAR-8751-/320780773060?_trksid=p4340.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC.NPJS%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUA%26o tn%3D5%26pmod%3D390348969632%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D3 782419057087386840

(I'm uploading the seller's image in case the link above doesn't work)

So the car above would be around 2.5 inches, you think? I guess I should contact an ebay seller to ask, but I don't want to give anyone false hope as I'm not yet ready to buy.


...you know, I have to say, I never had any interest in model trains, but after all the poking around I've done today, it suddenly seems very appealing.

[sstlaure]

2.5" would be a good guess. Z-scale is really small. (Although there are some scales that are even smaller.)

[tjcruiser]

Jes,

There's actually a T scale, which is even smaller ... 1:450 ! Super tiny. Big in Japan. A 40' passenger car would be just a bit over an inch long.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_scale

TJ

[jes]

Again, thanks to you both.

I'll try and find a car, or even an engine, that I can afford that will fit my needs now. The final photo is going to be the cover art for an upcoming book about travel, so I hope it all comes together.

jes