G Scale- What Scale To Model A Building (If I Were To Do So)

G-Gauge railroading is quite unique in that many different scales use the same 45mm gauge track:

Gauge One is 1:32 for American Standard Gauge track.

A Scale is 1:29 which originated from Aristo-Craft.

Half Scale is 1:24 for 1/2” equals one foot. This is usually LGB scale for their American railroad offerings.

G-Scale is 1:22.5 which is European scale for one meter gauge track.

F-Scale is 1:20.3 for American narrow gauge track of 3 feet.

Doug,

I model in 1:29 scale, but I think a shadow box building would still be acceptable in 1:32. The smaller size naturally would work for guys in Gauge 1. As far as depth I think 2inches is good. 

I sure can use some factory style windows in 1:29.

 "G scale" is a wide group of scales under one label as you probably have seen. Good thing there's not that many track gauges. I like to call it large scale.

I prefer 1/32 scale myself. Many prefer 1/29 in the U.S. Some of the larger stuff is more like 1/20 I believe?

You may even get a market overseas if you pick the right scale in demand say in England or other parts of Europe?

I could not say what the most popular large scale is running inside though. I would think 1/32 so it could fit inside easier?

I would suggest using 1:24 as your scale.  It's a simple scale to work with at 1/2" to the foot.  It fits with all "G" scale trains with the exception of 1:32.  Don't forget Bachmann large scale is 1:20.  Aristocraft is 1:29 as is USA trains.  Most people in large scale don't model first class railroads.  They model secondary narrow gauge types.  These would be mostly Bachmann and LGB.  Harland is also at the larger end of the scale spectrum.  

Thank you all for the input so far. Our first G Scale prototype will be at 1:32. It is in the laser right now. The majority of our shadowbox and building work has been done at O Scale, 1:48. Going from 1:48 to 1:32 represents a 225% increase in the surface area of an elevation and will be noticeable effect on the cost of our materials. 

Going from 1:48 to 1:24 represents a 400% increase in the surface area of an elevation. I believe that our materials and methods as currently designed are quite likely not cost effective.

First blush- unpainted. Measures: overall 15-5/32" wide by 20-7/16" tall, bottom to top of first window opening 4-1/8". Any interest in a built up and painted shadowbox or flat? If a shadowbox, how deep?

I’m glad your going with 1:32. The first building I made in large scale was 1:32, after that I stuck with 1:29, they all look good together. 

Will you be doing blank brick walls and industrial windows and doors so we can build our own designs? What about custom jobs if we provide pictures?

I just went down to my layout. The height is a little short but I can make it work.  My shadow boxes are 7” deep.

Chris-

I am very much on the fence about offering blank walls and/or kits. Early on in our O Scale work I received a number of requests for kits of our Union Pacific Trackside Warehouse. The original 2-story version is modeled after an actual building. The model has since grown to 6-stories in both a loading dock and plain warehouse configuration, and has been our best received shadowbox model on an ongoing basis. We made 30 kits over a year ago and I still have 20 of them. Our elevations are laser scored and cut cell cast acrylic plastic. You need a triple chip (ours are 80 teeth, 10" diameter) blade to cut the plastic with satisfactory results if your intention is to modify the blank wall. So the answer is not "no", but rather we would have a private conversation about it.

I will consider a "custom job" under two circumstances: 1. If it is a 1-off model, the fee has to be commensurate with professional time, not hobby time. 2. If it is a building that I believe will have marketability (at least 25-30 sold), then the price can be greatly reduced because the design overhead is amortized over the entire production run(s). Email me the picture(s) so that we can chat about it. Our custom job availability is booked into late April at the moment.

Here is our G Scale (1:32) prototype note that it is only five window columns wide. The overall size is 15" wide by 20-3/8" tall. We have put the new warehouse doors on the first floor, along with the regular door. We have used a gray acetate for the windows. The original O Scale prototype is on the left.

Will this be available as a kit?  Looks really nice.

Chris-

Thank you for the compliment! Please see my response above. At the moment, I am not considering offering any more of our buildings in kit form to the general public. You may call me at the shop number to discuss your request.

We're up and ready to take orders on the website. Look under the new "G Scale Structures" in the SHOP pulldown menu.

With a bit more input from customers, we're also offering the Paterson Silk Mill in 3- and 5-stories. You may purchase a 1-piece set that measures 15" long or a 3-piece that measures 36-1/4" long. There are choices of the model as a flat, a 2" deep unlit shadowbox and a 2" deep lit shadowbox. That is 18 variations on a theme.

Then select from two different window styles with three different glazing options, two different cornice details, and a multitude of regular and warehouse door options. There are literally hundreds of ways that we can configure this model!

Place your order my the end of tomorrow night Sunday, March 9, 2019 to pick up the model at TCA York.