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compounding an already confusing gauge

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#21 ·
Posted By Amber on 26 Aug 2012 12:22 AM
When I first started getting to large scale, 1/20.3 scale was starting to become popular. I bought a scale rule for it from The Scale Card company, along with their scale card in 1/20th scale. Those rules are still the best ones that I've personally seen. And of course, I jumped on the band wagon because of the track, and also because inexpensive engines were available. That would be the other problem with 1/24th scale finescale, a lack of motive power at a reasonable price. I know there were a number of brass engines made in that scale and gauge, but they don't fall into the category of "reasonably priced". I think a pretty decent engine could be made for that scale by using a Delton C-16 and refitting a properly gauged mechanism to it, perhaps using a n NWSL drive for reliability. The hard part would be getting proper drivers without them being expensive brass parts. The flanges on the Delton drivers would be too big for the track work.
No motive power at a reasonable price and no commercial track and switches in the right gauge for 1/24 scale - wouldn't that make it a non-starter?
 
#23 ·
Posted By Pete Thornton on 26 Aug 2012 03:09 PM
There was M scale at 1:13.7 plus its derivatives like Mn2
I thought the 1:13.7 was supposed to be called "T" scale for Thirteen? That was before the Japanese T-scale was invented?
1/13.7 scale has pretty much standardized to be referred to as "7/8n2 scale"..
that doesn't account for other gauges in 1/13.7 scale, such as standard gauge, but standard gauge modeling barely exists in that scale anyway..
the vast majority is 2-foot gauge modeling..(2-foot gauge models on 45mm track)

there has been a recent movement to attempt to get people to use SE24 and SE18 as a scale designation, for "Seven Eights 24 inch gauge" and "Seven Eights 18 inch gauge"..
but again, like standard gauge, the 18" gauge modeling appears to be a VERY tiny niche within the very tiny niche that is 1/13.7 scale modeling..
probably 95% of 1/13.7 scale modeling is 2-foot gauge.

personally I don't care for the SE24 designation, I think it's completely unnecessary and *creates* confusion rather than diminish it, so I never use it..
I just use 7/8n2 scale, which works perfectly fine, has been around the longest, and is completely understandable and descriptive..

Scot
 
#24 ·
Are there any engines of any kind for 7/8n2, or is it a kitbash situation for that? I know there's several businesses that cast parts for that scale for building small cars, but I haven't seen any engines offered yet, not even the little gas mechanicals. Of course, I haven't really done a big search for an engine, so I don't really know if there is or not.
 
#25 ·
Not a whole lot. Accucraft just announced a live steam 7/8" scale loco, and there have been a smattering of others here and there, but it's mostly the playground for the modelbuilder. I've seen a few Bachmann Shays turned into pretty cool-looking 2' gauge Gilpin Tram-style Shays. (I had one slated for such a project, but opted not to head down that road.) If someone came out with a proper Maine 2' gauge Forney in 7/8" (especially if it were a Monson prototype) I'd probably be in a lot of trouble. In another life, I'm going to model the Monson end to end. (Hey, it's only 2400' of track in 1:13.7)

Later,

K
 
#27 ·
Kevin

Paul Travaskis [Rishon Locomotive Works in Australia] built a short run of the Portland ser#622 in 7/8n2. It is gas fiired live steam. This locomotive gained four different numbers over its 40+ year operational history: SRRR #5, Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes (SR&RL) #6 in 1908, Kennebec Central (KC) #4 in 1924, and finally WW&F #9 in 1933.
 
#28 ·
Kevin

You said "In another life, I'm going to model the Monson end to end. (Hey, it's only 2400' of track in 1:13.7)." WOW!!

Now where are you going to find the space to dig the BIG HOLES in the yard to represent the quarries. That would require some serious excavation.
 
#29 ·
Now where are you going to find the space to dig the BIG HOLES in the yard to represent the quarries.
Ah, that's the beauty of model railroading! You needn't model the entire industry, just the part where it interfaces with the railroad. Although in another life, the space to do so properly wouldn't be an issue (nor would the permitting.) Alas, constrained to mass-suburbia, I'm afraid the HOA might have some concerns about me scraping off the neighbor's house to use the basement as a quarry. Maybe I'll do it in HOn30 instead. That's only 365' of track. In my basement, that'd be around 4 loops around the perimeter of my basement. That's doable, right? Something tells me if I were to suggest that to the other half, my time in this life might be in jeopardy. I guess I'll just stick to dreaming... Much safer that way.

Later,

K
 
#30 ·
Unfortunately, for large scale it has now been MORE then 20 years, and we have not progressed very far.
Well, NMRA keeps trying. They recently tried to get a coupler standard in place - one of them had both USAT and Aristo 1/29th stock and he wanted it to play nicely together.

Unfortunately, there are some people around here who think any standards should be immediately squashed - even something as simple as couplers.

[Now, if the NMRA had proposed just an "A" for American scale (1/29th) coupler standard, then they might have got somewhere..]
 
#31 ·
Well, considering what you are getting with that Plymouth engine from Sierra Valley, I guess it's not too expensive, even though it's out of my price range. It's certainly no more expensive than a lot of the G scale engines. A die cast frame for something like that would lower the cost of it a bit, but nobody would do that unless they could sell a bunch of them. I'd bet that the NWSL Magic Carpet Drive would work well for a small engine like that, although I like the idea of a short fat motor with chain drive also. No worm gear involved.
 
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