[MtRR75]

Did my fuzzy brain do this scale speed approximation right?

If 60 mph = 88 fps, then on a 1:87 scale, 60 mph should be about 1 foot per second.

If true, then timing my HO train at a moderately slow rate, it took four seconds to go four feet (1 fps). Therefore it was going a scaled rate of about 60 mph.

Your calculations are correct.

 

[rkenney]

Railroad scale speed calculator:

http://www.mcr5.org/articals/speed.php :smokin:

 

[microbuss]

I likes G scale cause it is nice to cuddle a loco
I likes HOn3 too
BUT both are REALLY expensive

 

[norgale]

I'm usually happy if my trains will run a any speed. However when watching some video of a long freight going a scale 25 MPH on a hug layout with fifty foot long straightaways I get really really impatient and bored. Even real RR's don't move very fast. It takes five days for a train to cross this country and that time hasn't improved in many decades.
Speed 'er up boys. Get 'er done!

https://youtu.be/LhOs0tddGKg

 

[Water Stop]

When I recently converted from O-scale to HO scale, I experienced an instant 3-dimensional expansion of space.

HO is 1/87.1, and O-scale is 1/48.

The linear ratio between these scales is 55% or 1.81, taking the reciprocal.

Thus, what used to be 1.127 scale miles on my 124-foot main line run is now 2.045 scale miles.

My artificial mountains are now 1.81 times as high, or 81% higher!

The volume and weight ratio of exactly-scaled O and HO locomotives is 1.81 cubed, or 1.81x1.81x1.81, or 5.93 times the mass!

That's all.....

Water Stop Hal

 

[jimtone]

scale

I'm trying to find the correct scale of the Mar-Line trailer truck that came mounted on the Marx flat car? I can't determine if it is 1:64 or not? When I find the actual trailer and or tractor truck, I never see any dimensions describing the size. My brother has the Marx 666 set with that car and trailer truck, and I have the same flat car but would like to find a similar trailer truck to mount on it. The originals are far too expensive and I'm wanting to find something else to fill the bill. I'm pretty sure the width is about 1 9/16 inch. The 1:64 th trucks I see look to be Hot Wheels size and that isn't the correct size. Any info would help.

 

[Lee Willis]

I'm not sure it was any scale. I've seen some Marx truck/flatcars from the 1950s that look to be around 1/50 scale, but many (don't know the era, but they look older) seem to be toys that just were desiged to be the right size to play with.

With respect to finding a truck/cab of the right size, it's likely to be 1/43, 1/50 or 1/64 so you could just watch for those until you find one that looks good with it.

 

[jimtone]

I'm sure the truck mounted in our set was made by line-mar with the red truck and white trailer. I've seen that Sear sets came with thr rigs painted in Sears green and grey or orange with Allstate lables mounted on the same flat car or 2 trailers mounted back to back with no truck. Line-Mar has Marx pressed into the bottoms of the chassis.I will keep watching but thought there was an absolute measurement "sience" being discused here that I could learn to try shopping for other pressed steel vintage trailer trucks. I'm willing to make allowances for non original brands but even these aren't being given away so I really don't want to buy the wrong size several times before finding the correct one.

 

[Lee Willis]

I have one seen the Sears version with my own eyes. ERTL makes a couple of different ten-wheeler tractor trailers, each available in dozens of different company livery, that are very close in size the the Line-Mar Sears truck. The first time I saw a Line-Mar Sears truck at a swap meet, I thought i was one of those until I picked it up and looked more closely.

Here is one of the ERTLs so you know what I'm talking about . . .

http://www.diecastdirect.com/asp_modules/add_item.asp?ProductCode=E9030

If you can't find the real thing these might do. You can often find them at swap meets for as low as $15. If not, you can check out ERTL offerings of trucks of the site in the link about. They have tons of trucks about that size.

the other option is o go to ebay and try o find one just like you want. My experience is that if it is old Marx stuff you want, you eventually succeed but it can take up to a year to find and score something rare that you want, and it can be cost more than you are originally want to pay - but after a year of looking, you do.

 

[jimtone]

They have many of those savings bank trucks listed on Ebay for very low prices with the branding of AHL, but they are die cast which has to make them very heavy compared to the pressed steel model Mar-Line trailer truck that came with the 50s Marx set. I've saved several of those AHL trucks in "My Ebay" after writing the sellers for size verification on the width but still feel they'll be heavier than what I'd want to carry as a load. If I could verify the exact scale size, I'd be able to search other makers of pressed steel trucks from the same era. It's tuff writing so many listers asking for dimensions that may never be answered or takes days waiting. I've had one clown write me with the dimensions the day after their truck sold?? I also feel that waiting and searching is the only way to purchase an original and I'm not in a hurry, but thought getting the scale would help this from going wrong. Most listings don't have any size reference in them with some trucks looking exactly like the original Mar-Line but turning out to be 4 inches wide? If I were selling a vintage toy truck with photos on line, I'd have a ruler sitting next to it in every shot. It kills me that so many people listing on line are not willing to communicate with the buyer. If you are in an "E" business, it's almost impossible to not explain questions folks are asking?? "MODERN LIVING"!

 

[king0735]

here is an article about gauges and scales that might be useful http://unlimitedmodeltrains.com/model-train-gauges/

 

[Mr.Buchholz]

here is an article about gauges and scales that might be useful http://unlimitedmodeltrains.com/model-train-gauges/

Great article! Thanks for sharing!

-J.

 

[CTValleyRR]

Great article! Thanks for sharing!

-J.

Not so much sharing as redirecting you to his own website, where he will try to sell you all kinds of merchandise, including directing you to that quick and easy way to separate you from a lot of your hard earned cash: "Model Trains for Beginners", which has been discussed elsewhere.

Also, linking his site to this one probably helps to boost his Google Page Rank score.

A site that really wants to help beginners learn will provide the advice for free, not shill products. His site is thinly disguised advertising, not helpful advice. Yeah, you might pick up some useful info, but you're also likely to pick up a lot of merchandise that you don't need.

 

[Bwells]

Not so much sharing as redirecting you to his own website, where he will try to sell you all kinds of merchandise, including directing you to that quick and easy way to separate you from a lot of your hard earned cash: "Model Trains for Beginners", which has been discussed elsewhere.

Also, linking his site to this one probably helps to boost his Google Page Rank score.

A site that really wants to help beginners learn will provide the advice for free, not shill products. His site is thinly disguised advertising, not helpful advice. Yeah, you might pick up some useful info, but you're also likely to pick up a lot of merchandise that you don't need.

CTV: You are always welcoming to new members and provide a lot of good info and tips. However, the above statements sure threw me for a loop. I saw nothing in the posters response that would indicate anything other than a link to some information that could be of use. There is embedded links but they are easily bypassed without seeing the sales propaganda. The poster probably did a copy/paste and has nothing to do with any sale activity. Just my thoughts.:stroke:

 

[/6 matt]

I really don't think that article was written and linked to for the purpose of peddling products since the books are all from different authors. Although that may be an ignorant assumption on my part. What is more important though is the misinformation in the article.

1. G scale is not 1:22.5. true standard gauge g scale I believe is actually 1:32 while the former scale represents a narrow gauge of 3'4"

2. HO scale and OO scale are not 1:87 Ho scale is 1:87 and OO is 1:76.2 but they both utilize 16.5 mm gauge track

 

[geo61bird]

Here is a nice tool for scaling.

http://www.modelbuildings.org/scale-conversion-calculator.html

Not my website just something I found.

 

[CTValleyRR]

I really don't think that article was written and linked to for the purpose of peddling products since the books are all from different authors. Although that may be an ignorant assumption on my part. What is more important though is the misinformation in the article.

1. G scale is not 1:22.5. true standard gauge g scale I believe is actually 1:32 while the former scale represents a narrow gauge of 3'4"

2. HO scale and OO scale are not 1:87 Ho scale is 1:87 and OO is 1:76.2 but they both utilize 16.5 mm gauge track

First of all, thank you to Bwells for the compliment. I do try to be welcoming and helpful (whether I succeed or not is another issue).

In this case, though, yes, the website is one of many salted throughout the internet that purport to be a "review" or "advice" website, but just serve to provide links to a vendor, in this case, Amazon.com. I have experienced many, from tools, to exercise equipment, to golf clubs.

The hyperlinked text words are deliberately placed, with direct links to the Amazon products. You may notice that the author doesn't actually discuss different books to help the beginner, but takes a "buy this one" approach (again, right to Amazon). His other articles "Best Lionel Set", "Best HO Train Sets", all link to one manufacturer's products on Amazon. Just on the subject of HO train sets, why anyone wouldn't discuss LifeLike and Trainman sets, or even the pros and cons of trainsets vs. scratchbuilt, is a dead giveaway.

The "Model Trains for Beginners" is a book-club type product, which attempts to sell the reader overpriced books filled with information that can be found elsewhere (like here). It touts it's "closely guarded secrets of model railroading". Really? Ask any model railroader of my acquaintance about the hobby, and you're likely to get a lot more information than you want or can handle. Anyone who would recommend that product as the best way to get information has an ulterior motive.

I'm always suspicious when someone directs you to a website that they created, especially when the same answers are located in the thread he's directing you away from. I've been wrong about people (Mixy and SCARM), but not in this case. If you search King0735's posts, you'll see how he responds when challenged on the subject. I hope he only gets revenue when someone actually buys one of his linked products, because if he gets paid purely for web traffic, then I've given him money just by investigating, and that would tick me off.

And yes, the errors are worrisome to us, but not to the author. He's a salesman. If he were forthright about it, it wouldn't bother me, but he's trying to push product under the guise of helping beginners. To me, it seems too much like taking advantage of someone who comes to you for help, and that's always rubbed me the wrong way.

 

[gg1hokk]

Can anyone post a picture of OO gauge? Is it closer to HO or O gauge?

There are actually TWO OO gauges. British OO is HO for all intents and purposes.

American OO is halfway in scale between S and HO. A truly lovely scale.

I would post a picture as I have NYC steam in G-O-S-OO-HO-TT-N-Z for comparison purposes but I have not figured out the picture format here yet.

Check this out for an American OO primer. http://www.tcawestern.org/scale-craft.htm

 

[jouni rautiainen]

at one show i saw T scale 1:145?
http://www.tgauge.com/

 

[time warp]

I saw a T scale train back in the spring at a show, not running though.