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That's not the confusing part!

What is confusing is proportions and perspectives, i.e. 'Standard O', 'O gauge', '0-27', etc.........

What we wound up is having 12 foot gateman, flag man and barrel loaders, large flanges on wheels
and high rails.
 
That's not the confusing part!

What is confusing is proportions and perspectives, i.e. 'Standard O', 'O gauge', '0-27', etc.........

What we wound up is having 12 foot gateman, flag man and barrel loaders, large flanges on wheels
and high rails.
Some sacrifices have to be made for things to work properly, especially with track/wheels, even if it means being out of scale.

Of course, one of the tightest real railroad curves had a 500' radius, per google. A railroader said they ran an engine at 1mph on a 150' (35" radius) curve--and it realigned the track as needed.
Further down in that thread, a particular 10° curve (Google says this is a radius of 573.686'.) in Muncie has a speed limiter of 15mph, and the EMD F3's manual called for a minimum radius of 274' (137" diameter in 1/48!). Obviously, this is unacceptable for most modelers, as we don't have room and want our trains to move faster than 15mph!
So, accepting that the track is never going to be in scale, allowances can (and should) be made elsewhere.

But I agree that a gateman figure 12' tall is absurd if you are trying to have everything to scale! Maybe Goliath's taller brother signed up on the day some Lionel engineer wanted to size an average human? 😂

Another interesting thread.
 
Well, I’m likely gonna get some flak over this, but here it goes….IMO, it all depends on if the model is meant to be a “toy” train, or a “model” train….there is a difference….

Again, IMO, “O“ gauge has historically intended to be a “toy” train by definition….not necessarily built to an exact scale, but close in depicting a real train, whereas a “model” train follows the definition of the word “model”, which is….
A replica: A small but exact copy of something, such as a model ship or train, or a model of a building
So, “HO“ and “N“ gauge tend to be “model” trains (see above definition) compared to O gauge….but even after having said that, there are examples of “model” trains in “O“ gauge, most notably in 2-rail (I own some examples of those)….scale couplers, scale wheel profiles, proper “models” (proportions) of real cars and locomotives, track that models “real” track (no middle third rail), etc, etc…

All of this is my personal opinion, and is in no way intended to downplay or promote any scale of toy/model trains….

As long as you are enjoying, and having fun with, the scale/gauge you have chosen, well, that’s the goal of this hobby, isn’t it….? 😁
 
FLAK, FLAK, FLAK, FLAK, FLAK, FLAK. 🥴
 
Ah, the usual suspect…. 🤣
 
Minimum radius on the Rhätische Bahn meter gauge railway is 148'. Maximum incline is 7%...and that is adhesion, not cograil.

Glad I'm over the minimum for a change.
 
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