Old Posts

Friday, January 31, 2014

A milestone has been reached...

In the history of this blog, never have so many pageviews been recorded in one month.  January 2014 has seen exactly 1000 pageviews.  So thank you to everyone who visits this blog and I'll be sure to continue posting!

--James

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Top 10 Micro-layout Mistakes



Although this hobby is not built around one "correct" way to build a model railroad, there are plenty of errors which may affect the enjoyment of a layout.  Most of us know enough not to put track in hard to reach places, to leave enough room to walk around, exc...  We all learn these basic rules either before, during or after our first layout, depend on how much thought is put into the planning process.  However, there are some guidelines which aren't so obvious or stated enough.

One group or 'camp' in the modeling community is the micro train layout community.  These modelers take pride in building small layouts, usually below 24 square feet down to as little as a square foot or so.  These layouts offer several advantages over 4x8's and larger layouts.

Micro layouts are:


  • Simpler to build
  • Faster to build
  • Cheaper to construct
  • Take up very little space
  • Require less rolling stock and motive power
  • Great learning tools
  • Capable of being expanded
  • Known for being very unique
  • Portable
  • Great train show displays
However micro layouts have their own set of guidelines and practices to avoid.  Below is a list of the top ten things which make a layout more enjoyable and easier to operate:

  1. Avoid running with the train.  We've all done it at one time or another at a show, but some layouts need a person to be in front, in back and even to the side of the layout in order to operate.  Larger layouts typically have a middle section that is open so operators can monitor their trains without blocking the view of the layout.  Other layouts have the operator seated to the side of the display and monitors the operation of the train.  Still others operate their layout from the front.  Few are designed in a manner that requires the operator to run the train from multiple places.  However micro layouts, as small as they are, are often designed with a need for the operator to be in front, behind and sometimes off to the side of the layout; in other words too much movement.  Below is a good example; the fiddle track is in the back while the switches are in the front.  Without a control panel and/or the ability to reach those turnouts, the layout could be a pain to operate.  It is much better to be able to sit in one place and operate the layout comfortably.  Not only is it easier on the operator, but also is easier for the audience to focus on the detail of the layout.
  2. Manual turnouts are bad at a show.  While perfectly fine for a home layout, manually operated turnouts ruin the effect of the train layout because you have to stick your hand into the display to flip the turnout.  That said, if going to a train show, use remote turnouts.
  3. Keep it Simple.  The KISS principal is perhaps the advice a modeler could use.  A micro layout does not have to be complicated to be fascinating.  A few turnouts and one or two key industries that need to have certain cars in certain places is not only easier to operate, but surprisingly fun and simple.  Below are some perfect examples of layouts which are easy and simple to operate.
  4. Leave some elbow room.  A train layout not only should be easy and simple, but also very believable.  While at the drawing board a track plan with many turnouts, a lot of track, and all in a small space leaves minimal room for buildings and scenery.  At home the train will look great if it is surrounded by landscape and buildings, at a train show the majority of the people not interested in the trains will gaze in awe at the craftsmanship of buildings and the natural flow of the modeled landscape.  Even myself enjoy looking a great scene or an excellently modeled building much more than the most detailed of rolling stock.
  5. Details, details, details.  Perhaps the most boring layout to have is one where a train runs through a scene that vaguely looks like a town or a forest.  What is needed are details.  In the streets; cars, people, trash, litter and pets should be seen.  While out in the country; animals, dead trees and the occasional person will complete the scene.  On a farm, people expect to see cows, horses sheep, pigs, chickens and a host of other livestock right down to the ducks on the pond.  Not only will the layout look better at home, but also the layout will appeal more to the masses while at a show.
  6. Lights are great.  I'll bet anything that even the most well lit rooms in a home still aren't good enough for great modeling.  Therefore, even the smallest layout should have some system of lighting which gives the models a natural look complete with shadows that are noticeable, but not too dark.  If taking pictures, such as for a blog like your's truly, lights help with pictures immensely. 
  7. Add sound, smoke and layout lights.  A layout that has puffing, steaming, hissing locomotives draws attention.  While not every locomotive needs to have sound and smoke, one or two (or as many as you plan to operate during an open house or a show) will be good enough to keep people interested in the layout.  Lights I believe are a must for structures and for trains, especially at night.
  8. Good enough to operate in the dark.  A layout that is reliable during a nighttime session will be reliable at any other time; so that is the goal a modeler should work towards for operation.  When a train can be operated with nothing but overhead black lights, and lit operating panels; then the layout is equipped well enough to operate in the daytime.
  9. Animation domination.  The more things move on the layout, the more attention it gets.  Fair rides, Circuses, buses, trams, and sometimes even boats and planes will attract attention and make for a very fun layout both for the public and for the individual.  On a micro layout this is especially important because unlike the huge modular displays, micro layouts are more prone to being past by, so attention is needed.  This also applies to #7 and #10.
  10. Advertise.  A sign that declares the name of the layout, town represented, modular group, or whatever will be noticed at a show and will give the layout a sense of completeness and professionalism.  Even at home, the banner could be hung just as the team flags are displayed at every high school gym.  If nothing else, a sign lets people identify the layout.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

In the great state of Colorado, there are many sites to see and things to do which not only tel of the past, but seem to transport tourists back to a simpler time, a time when a cleaver mid could get you money, but only a gun would keep those riches safe.  A time when thousands were coming across the Great American Desert, better known as the Great Plains, to the mighty Front Range of Colorado.  While many had their own reasons, most came because of one word, GOLD!

The cry of "Pikes Peak or Bust" resonated in every Midwest and Eastern town on the continent.  It was at this time that a legend was born.  Unlike most legends, this one is a real, hot, breathing, steaming legend.  Also unlike most legends, this one is still known to many Americans simply because it is a monument in American culture.  When mos think of the west, they think of coming into a gold mining town on coaches that seem to radiate gold themselves.  They think of towering peaks in the distance where the gold lies, while the towns surrounding the vast mountain ranges are busy with less profitable, but more stable pursuits such as farming and ranching.  The legend still lives in the most famous narrow gauge train in the world: The Durango and Silverton.

Originally called the Denver and Rio Grande railroad, the first crews which laid the track which the D&S would still use 130 years later.  Durango was founded in 1880, but the tracks did not arrive inside the town until August, 1881.  Everyone's eyes were set towards the San Juan mountains, the same Mountains which the Spaniards laid eyes upon hundreds of years earlier, but would never penetrate the rocky terrain.  These first white men in the area also had the same goal, find gold.  Te elusive "El Dorado," lost city of gold.  While the city was supposedly in South America, Americans hundreds of years later would realize that a true El Dorado existed, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.  Indeed, Spanish explorers were within miles of their goal, but they never found much within the desolate plains and desert which surrounds the great mountains.  Even if the Spanish had found gold, the same problem remained which would plague the early settlers and gold seekers, how do you get gold out of an impassible mountain range?

That answer was finally steaming towards the mining camp of Silverton in late 1881.  The Crews of the D&RG were working feverishly to get to Silverton as quickly as possible.  Early lessons were learned about building narrow gauge railroads in the Rockies almost ten years earlier as the Colorado Central slowly built their line from Boulder to Silver Plume.  The route was shorter than Durango to Silverton, and yet it almost bankrupt the Colorado Central, and was a major drag on the finances of their sponsor, the Union Pacific.

Everyone else took notes on the Colorado Central and quickly learned how to balance finances to best get to the towns in the mountains.  The D&RG railroad was using the simply method of building quickly and efficently until reaching the goal.  This eliminated time, which eliminated money.

The full 45 miles between Durango and Silverton was completed within a year, despite the harsh winter, and despite a near impossible route.  The route between Durango and Silverton was a marvel of Engineering then, and still is today.  In between 1882 and present day was a series of misfortunes and several important events which would eventually kill the D&RG and later the Denver & Rio Grande Western along with the Rio Grande Southern railroad.  However, individuals would emerge, most notably Charles E. Bradshaw, which would put the line back on its feet, this time hauling people instead of ore.  Another great turn of luck was when Hollywood discovered the line and used the railroad to make several movies, no doubt most have seen the westerns with the golden railroad cars in the background.

Today, the Durango and Silverton is operated as a tourist line, giving passengers a unique view into untamed wilderness and well preserved history.  I had the privilege of riding the famous line over Christmas, 2013.  So what follows are a series of photos showing some of the highlights of the line.  Please enjoy, and feel free to comment if you'd like to add a piece of info or two or if you have a question.  I hope that someday, you too will get a chance to ride this line because, even in the dead of winter, the journey is fantastic!









































Friday, January 3, 2014

All Scales, All Gauges

3 days ago the idea struck me to create a list and basic information about every scale, every gauge that has been used for model railroads.  With the help of the Internet and fellow modelers on railroad forums: this is the result of 2 1/2 days of research and editing:

Scales and Gauges

This is a compilation of nearly all the model railroad scales.  Am I missing a few?  Probably, but I'll update the pdf when new scales and gauges come to my attention.

Each scale/ gauge combination has the following information:  the scale's name, gauge in millimeters and inches, the prototype gauge represented, the length of a 40 foot US standard box car (or simply 40 feet), the status of the scale in the hobby, and one or two notes about the particular combination which may be important.

Also, the document is in three parts:

Part I is a full list of every scale going from smallest scale to largest (T to full sized 15 inch gauge) and within each scale grouping the gauges also go from most narrow to most broad (9 inch to 5 foot)  For simplicity, only the scale/gauge combinations which have actually been used successfully on an operating layout.  In other words, no theoretical scale/gauge combinations.

Part II takes a look at the narrow gauge scales with the following categories:  less than 2 foot gauge, 30 inch gauge, 3 foot and meter gauge, 42 inch gauge.

Part III looks at the outdoor scales.  There are two type of outdoor scales; the typical garden railway scales collectively named "Large Scale", and the very large models which are strong enough for adults to ride on.

So what was the point of this?  Well, for starters, having a list such as this will help modelers decide which scale and which gauge to pursue.  This will be especially helpful to beginners who are looking for the scale and gauge which suits their situation best.  This can be a great help to those looking to model their favorite narrow gauge either inside or in the garden.  For those short on space, this list will show which scales and gauges are likely candidates for a small area.

The 40 foot box car length is a great tool to picture how one scale or gauge compares to another.  The large scale community has a variety of scales, most run on 32mm (O gauge) or 45mm (gauge 1) track.  Using this list, a modeler can see the difference between 1/24 and 1/20.3.

There are a variety of uses for an all encompassing list of scales and gauges.  This pdf is for public use for anyone, and this is a tool I think is valuable to any modeler.

--James

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Scales and Gauges

It has been a while since I created a post aimed towards beginner modelers.  I myself a somewhere between a beginner and an experienced modeler.  I haven't seen everything, but I have seen a lot and part of this blog's purpose is to assist those who are just beginning with model trains with helpful information and links.  Come to think of it, I haven't done a big post on the topic of Scale and Gauge just yet.  Well, there's a first time for everything.

Scale refers to a ratio or fraction of one unit on the model equaling a certain number of units on the prototype (real life) trains.  For instance, HO scale is 1:87  meaning that one inch measured on the model represents 87 inches on the prototype.

Gauge (gage) refers to the width between the rails.  This is a fundamental difference between scale and gauge.  G gauge refers to track that is 45mm (about 1 and 7/8 inch) apart.  G scale, if there is such a thing, would refer to 1:22.5 or 1:24 scale model trains.  F scale is 1:20.3, but F scale typically runs on G gauge track, representing 3 ft gauge in 1:20.3.

Confusing?  Not to worry, while the definitions may be different, the terms are used interchangeably, even by the most experienced of modelers.  What is more important is that you the reader understand the different scales and the gauges related to each scale.  Below is a list of the different scales found in the US:


  • Z scale (1:220)
  • N scale (about 1:160)
  • TT scale (1:120)
  • HO scale (1:87 or 1:87.1)
  • S scale (1:64)
  • O27 scale (about 1:50)
  • O scale (1:48 but some vehicles are 1:43)
  • Large Scale ( can be 1:32, 1:29, 1:25, 1:24, 1:22.5, 1:20.3, 1:18, or even 1:13.7)
Now let's look at the different gauges within the US:
  • 6 mm (about 1/4")
  • 9 mm (about 1/3")
  • 16.5 mm (about 5/8")
  • 22.4 mm (about 7/8")
  • 32 mm (about 1 and 1/4")
  • 45 mm (about 1 and 7/8")
We will first look at Z through O and their respective standard gauges.  Standard gauge refers to a gauge that is 4 foot and 8.5 inches between the rails.  each modeled scale has their own standard gauge.  Z is 6mm, N is 9mm, HO is 16.5mm, S is 22.4mm, and O is 32mm.  However, not all trains in real life were standard gauge.  Some railroads ran on a wider gauge than standard, but many were narrow gauge.  So below is a list of different gauges found within each scale:

  • Z scale only uses 6mm track
  • N scale will use 9mm for standard, and 6mm representing 3 foot gauge.
  • HO scale uses 16.5mm for standard, 9mm for 3 ft gauge
  • S scale uses 22.4mm for standard, 16.5mm for 3 ft gauge
  • O scale uses 32mm for standard, 16.5mm for 30 inch gauge and slightly wider for 3 foot gauge and 9 mm for 18 inch and 20 inch gauge.
In these smaller scales the suffix "n" is used to represent narrow gauge, followed by the prototype gauge.  So On30 means O scale narrow gauge representing 30 inch gauge.  HOn3 means HO scale narrow gauge representing 3 foot gauge.

However, this is completely different for large scale.  Large scale, instead of having multiple gauges for one scale, instead has multiple scales for one gauge.  All large scale trains run on 45mm track, known as gauge 1.  But each scale represents a different gauge:
  • 1:32 (true standard gauge)
  • 1:29 (slightly over-sized standard gauge)
  • 1:24 (42" gauge)
  • 1:22.5 (meter gauge (39"))
  • 1:20.3 (3 foot gauge)
  • 1:16 (30 inch gauge)
  • 1:13.7 (2 foot gauge)
Again, all large scale trains run on 45 mm track.  The downside is that multiple gauges cannot be represented easily on one layout.  So for someone going into large scale, keep in mind that it would be wise to stick with one or two scales rather than having multiple scales that look incompatible. 
Of course, there are exceptions to this.  In reality, it is what looks good, not what is accurate.  In other words, "What ever floats your boat" is the mentality I take to the hobby.

Confusing now?  Let me blow your mind further.  These are just the US scales and US gauges,  There are plenty of other gauges and scales.  The next most formal is UK scales, which are similar to US scales.  The main difference is that in the UK, instead of letters, measurements are used in the metric system to represent scale while letter combinations represent gauge.  This is different than the US, which uses letters for scale and measurements for gauge.  Below is a list of formal British scales and their respective US counterparts:

  • 2mm to the foot (2mm) N scale
  • 3mm to the foot (3mm) TT scale which is slightly smaller than HO scale.
  • 3.5mm to the foot (3.5mm) HO scale
  • 4mm to the foot (4mm) OO scale which is slightly larger than HO scale but runs on the same track.  There are also several types of 4mm scale trains.
  • 7mm to the foot (7mm) O scale.  Again, there are different types of this scale as well.
  • 10mm to the foot (10mm) G scale or gauge 1.
 4mm and 7mm scale trains have different gauges used to represent standard, true standard, and various narrow gauge prototypes. Below is a list of different 4mm gauges:
  • HO gauge (16.5mm gauge track with a scale of 1:87)
  • OO gauge (16.5mm gauge track with a scale of 1:76)
  • EM gauge (18.3mm gauge track with a scale of 1:76)
  • P4 and S4 (18.8mm gauge track with a scale of 1:76 representing true standard gauge)
  • OO9 gauge (9mm gauge track with a scale of 1:76 representing narrow gauge)
  • OOn3 gauge (12mm gauge track with a scale of 1:76 representing 3 ft narrow gauge)
And the 7mm gauges:
  • O gauge (32mm gauge track with a scale of 1:43)
  • Scale 7 (32mm gauge track with a scale of 1:43, but the track is a more accurate model)
  • 16.5 gauge (16.5 gauge track with a scale of 1:43 representing narrow gauge)
Finally, there are several universal gauges which have been used in the past, all representing standard gauge:
  • Gauge 0 (32mm gauge track)
  • Gauge 1 (45mm gauge track)
  • Gauge 2 (63mm gauge track)
  • Gauge 3 (89mm gauge track)
  • Gauge 5 (127mm gauge track)
  • Gauge 7 (184mm gauge track)
  • Gauge 10 (260mm gauge track)
Gauge 5 and up are commonly known as "riding scales" since the trains are big enough to be ridden.

Now are you confused?  Well, there is one last thing I want to show you then. Below is a list which I don't think has been made before.  This list shows all the scales and all the gauges used by the different scales.  The scale goes from largest to smallest Z through gauge 10.  Within each scale I will have listed the various gauges used starting with the narrowest gauge and ending with standard gauge.  This is my best attempt so far at a complete listing of all scales and gauges in order of least to greatest:
  • Z (1:220)
  • Nn2 (1:160)
  • Nn3 (1:160)
  • N (1:160 US 1:148 UK)
  • TT (1:120)
  • HOn2 (1:87)
  • HOn3 (1:87)
  • HO (1:87)
  • OO (1:76)
  • EM (1:76)
  • P4 (1:76)
  • Sn3 (1:64)
  • S (1:64)
  • On2 (1:48)
  • On30 (1:48)
  • On3 (1:48)
  • O (1:48 US 1:43 UK)
  • O14 (1:43)
  • O7mm (1:43)
  • Scale 7 (1:43)
  • Mn2 (1:35)
  • Mn3 (1:35)
  • M scale (1:35)
  • #1n3 (1:32)
  • Gauge 1 (1:32)
  • Gnine (1:24)
  • Gn15 (1:24)
  • Gn18 (1:24)
  • G scale (1:29 - 1:24)
  • Gauge 2 (1:22.5)
  • Fn3 (1:20.3)
  • F (1:20.3)
  • Gauge 3 (1:16)
  • 7/8" scale (1:13.7)
  • 1" scale (1:12)
  • Gauge 5 (1:11)
  • Gauge 7 (1:8)
  • Gauge 10 (1:5.5)