A question about scale, and model sise.

[mlauderbaugh]

I've been lookin at different plans, and kits for my main goal project. (which is a locomotive) and i haven't been able to figure out the scale vs size thing. 3/4" scale or 2 1/2" scale. As a kid I did car models, and they were 1/8th scale or 1/10th etc. thanx in advance for any clarifications. mike

 

[Tin Falcon]

There are a couple of scaling systems. an inch scale refers to the dimensions in inches representing 1 foot at full size. so 2" scale is 1/6th the size of the original.
Tin

 

[Lew Hartswick]

I had that very question a few years ago and the answer gets even more complicated
when you let the word Gage get in the conversation. That is the real final criteria
in any event. Then if you make a model in "standard" gage to fit a certain track it
comes out a certain (real "scale") but if you make a "narrow" gage model to fit the
same track it is a different (real "scale").
Real scale being as the op mentioned "a ratio"
So the first thing that has to be decided is what track width are you going to use.

...lew...

 

[mlauderbaugh]

The model that I saw, and would like to duplicate, was at a customers' neibors house. there wasn't any one home so I didn't feel right snooping around to get a better look. but from the distace it looked like about 10" or 12" between the tracks. the customer said that this guy would give his grandkids rides on it, and it has over a half mile of trck. I've been looking around the internet to find one that looks the same, but no luck yet.

 

[vlmarshall]

Nice, most likely it was 12" gauge. One day I'd like to have something like that, too.

Like everyone else has said on scale, 3/4" scale refers to a scale of 3/4" to the real-world-foot.

Lew's point about narrow gauge is a good one, a popular scale is 16mm, or "SM32", modelling real world 2-foot "narrow gauge" railroads. The several Cracker locomotives on here are 16mm scale, running on 32mm-gauge (O Gauge) track.

Here's a good listing of the scales and gauges.

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

 

[mlauderbaugh]

thanx, Vernon, for that link. I book marked it and I dare say I'll spend more time there in the future.


I think it's been said before by others, be carefull what you ask here,... you will get the answer.


mike

 

[hammers-n-nails]

12" guage is pretty big, id be suprised if you found any kits or plans in that size, im planning to start a 7 1/2" guage loco this winter and some suppliers dont even have much in that size.im new to the railroad thing, and to model building for that matter, but thats setting a goal at the very top it seems like to me, i dont want to discourage you tho. smaller scale plans could always be scaled up i suppose?

 

[vlmarshall]

Model Engineer Magazine is giving away the plans for a 5-inch gauge 0-6-0... gotta find the link posted here recently...

http://www.model-engineer.co.uk/news/article.asp?a=5153

Edit: Well, there were last week. Now it's subscriber-only. : ???


I'm glad I got a copy while they were still free.

 

[te_gui]

7 1/2 or 7 1/4 are kinda the common track gages for the locomotive boys here in the States. If you take the standard US railroad gage of 48.5" and divide that into your track gage you wind up with something close to 1/8" scale. Where the fun starts is when they take a 24" gage (narrow gage) like a mining locomotive and scale it to fit that 7.5" gage. Now you are up to 1/4" scale and those are pretty cool. I have seen some where you are almost in the cab while operating. The nice thing is that on those narrow gage locos the wheels were smaller diameter since they werent built for speed, so if you are buying wheelset castings, the ones for the 1/8 scale road locomotives are pretty close. Its a way to get a big engine on a small track.

 

[Jasonb]

Over here you do get 10 1/4 gauge railways and then its 12 1/4" followed by 15". this is a 10 1/4 line.

Jason

 

[Mainer]

As I understand it:

3/4"' scale (3/4" to the foot) locomotives typically run on 3 1/2" gauge track. This is about the most universal "standard" of any of them.

1" scale locomotives are typically built for either 4 3/4" gauge or 5" gauge track. 4 3/4" gauge is older and I think limited mostly to the east coast.

1 1/2" scale locomotives are typically built for 7 1/4" gauge or 7 1/2" gauge track. Again, one is more common the east coast and the other on the west coast.

There are also smaller gauges -- 2 1/2" gauge track, etc.

And, as others have said, these are not absolute relationships, if you start considering 2' gauge prototypes and such.

Probably the first thing to do is decide what gauge track you're going to run on -- what your local railroad club has, for instance -- and then find locomotive plans to suit that gauge. Plans can be scaled, but it is not always straightforward. When you scale the boiler, it will probably need to be redesigned for proper operation and/or safety at the different size.