[Boston&Maine]

Anyone who has looked into the world of O gauge has discovered that there are many sizes. Below are some photographs that I hope will help outline what will size-up with what.

1. For reference, the MTH Premier Line is 1:48 scale, which is the definition of O scale. All products in the Atlas Big O, Atlas Master, Atlas Trainman, K-Line O Scale, Lionel Standard O, and Weaver lines are also 1:48 scale and match the size of the MTH Premier Line car shown below.
2. It appears that the Atlas Industrial Rail, K-Line O-27, Lionel Traditional, and MTH Rugged Rails product lines are equal in size and would be classified as being O-27 gauge.
3. As the pictures show, the MTH Railking Line falls between O scale and O-27 gauge. In fact, there are even three categories within this product line - Railking, Railking Imperial, and Railking Scale. More about this can be read here.

Credit for the images below belongs to a gentleman named Sean from another forum. He did a great job showing the differences 👍

These images are not available.

MTH Premier v. MTH Railking

MTH Premier v. Lionel Traditional

MTH Railking v. Lionel Traditional

MTH Railking v. MTH Rugged Rails

Lionel Traditional v. Atlas Industrial Rail

Lionel Traditional v. K-Line O-27

Lionel Traditional v. MTH Rugged Rails

MTH Premier v. Lionel Prewar ​

 

[tjcruiser]

B&M,

Thanks for the info. Interesting comparison. That's "my guys" in that last pic ... prewar tinplate Lionel ... baby O ... ohh baby, ohh baby!

TJ

 

[Big Ed]

And the model house in the back ground looks like a real house too.:thumbsup:

 

[servoguy]

The model house in the background looks like a photograph.
Bruce Baker

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

I guess they were going for "biggest on the block" with the MTH Premier line.

 

[zipper69]

Finally some scale in a visual format. Thanks!

 

[ceilingtrains.com]

Thats great. I have customers that want the largest O Scale cars for my ceilingtrains bridges i build and i just don't have all the answers so now i know too. Thanks...Bob

 

[T-Man]

The picture has a lot of great shadows. It must of been taken late afternoon or the early morning. Plus the fact that it is blown up for a backdrop. Good Find!

 

[joe7034]

Thanks for the help with the scale, now lets talk about the wheels, are the prewar lionel wheels deeper than the post war? or is that the diffence between true O and O-27.
My pre war trains run fine on the fast track until they come up to a switch or accessory track, the rails are not deep enough for the wheels.
thanks
joe

 

[servoguy]

The flanges on the prewar wheels are larger than the flanges on the post war wheels. The prewar crossings don't work well with postwar cars, and vice-versa. The crossing carry the same part number, so you have to test them. I haven't tried 022 switches.

 

[Badwolf & Arizona RR]

The shadows of a nearby tree on the house move/change from photo to photo - this a piece of FasTrack set on a a piece of Trex which likely is the cap piece for a deck, with the neighbor's house in the background. We could probably tell in which order these photos were taken, if we really cared.

Great comparison, though. Definitely some food for thought.

 

[goraman]

I don't think that Lionel has a standard O/27 gauge.
As there O gauge is all over the place. Some boxcars are just longer and not as tall some are shorter and a little taller.

As far as I'm concerned only there track is consistent.
O gauge is a confusing mess. I should have just gone with G.

 

[Big Ed]

I don't think that Lionel has a standard O/27 gauge.
As there O gauge is all over the place. Some boxcars are just longer and not as tall some are shorter and a little taller.

As far as I'm concerned only there track is consistent.
O gauge is a confusing mess. I should have just gone with G.

:laugh:

Once you learn about the differences of O and O/27 it is not that confusing.

O track is a bit taller then O/27, but most of the O will run on O/27. It is the curves and switches that will give true O trains a problem.
I would say that all O/27 will run on O.

I run on O/27 track and mix O sized box cars with O/27 box cars.
I don't care. O are just a bit bigger.

If your new to O and O/27 check out this site to learn, when done click down the bottom of the page to view a lot more info. There is a ton of usefull info on Thors site.

But by all means ask here too ,you need to.

edit,
http://www.thortrains.net/otrix1.htm

 

[goraman]

:laugh:

Once you learn about the differences of O and O/27 it is not that confusing.

O track is a bit taller then O/27, but most of the O will run on O/27. It is the curves and switches that will give true O trains a problem.
I would say that all O/27 will run on O.

I run on O/27 track and mix O sized box cars with O/27 box cars.
I don't care. O are just a bit bigger.

If your new to O and O/27 check out this site to learn, when done click down the bottom of the page to view a lot more info. There is a ton of usefull info on Thors site.

But by all means ask here too ,you need to.

edit,
http://www.thortrains.net/otrix1.htm

Thanks,but i'm pretty much done as my sons train now has 10 cars and 50X110 of of fast track,good enough for a 2 years olds Christmas present.

 

[trainguru]

Blimey!

It's a world gone MAD!!! Too many varients... so dizzy!

 

[Evil Caesar]

Great reference page thank you. So I found a RMT flat car I would like to aquire. Any idea how it will hold up next to Lionel traditional?

 

[old464]

for out of scale O, check the Lionel Crossing gate and signal from the 80's and the gateman is also larger than it should be. When you compare the railking buildings Doors and figures and then place the old Lionel gateman beside. Gateman looks like a giant!

I also noticed the differences in the K-line box cars and the MTH and newer lionel ones. kind of crazy.

Chris

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

Most of the old PW accessories like the crossing signal, banjo signal, etc., are far larger than scale.

 

[3155 warrior]

Thank you, you answered one of my posts and made it real clear, I am a Postwar Lionel guy with some MTH and Atlas Industrial.

 

[JPLOF]

that house in the background looked like the real thing