Does anyone know if the k-line 18 inch aluminum Passenger cars are scale or semi scale? I realize that the length of the cars is not scale but I was wondering about the other dimensions
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Ok. And are the 21s scale in height?
Most of the K line passenger cars sit high in the saddle... that is they are a bit high over the trucks... This was a compromise so the longer cars will traverse over O72 curves.
Which makes them higher than scale? They seem to go well with my Imperial GS4
GJP posted:Which makes them higher than scale? They seem to go well with my Imperial GS4
Not sure if the car bodies are scale either. GGD and CZ Atlas O cars are closer to scale, but K line's are really close in height with out breaking out the scale ruler....
I'm trying to figure out whether to use scale or semi scale boxcars with the passenger cars.
K-Line's aluminum cars (and for that matter, anyone else's) are scale width. Most discussion focuses on the length when talking about "scale" since 18-inch cars are usually listed amongst the higher-end product of the companies that make them, but only 21-inch cars are "truly scale" since their real-life counterparts are 85' long.
Your scale boxcars should look just fine. "Semi scale" boxcars may look a little narrow if viewed next to them from overhead. (and as for height, remember that during the streamliner era, most freight trains had substantially uneven rooflines ).
---PCJ
I have both semi and full scale boxcars. I was wondering about their height, since the semis are considerably shorter, but line up well with the tender height.
Pull up any YouTube video of a mixed or manifest freight. Modern 50-foot boxcars vary between standard and hi-cube cars. In the streamliner era, boxcar rooflines were even more all-over-the-map. Next to a steam locomotive's tender, a boxcar could look like a runt or tower over it, depending on what kind of tender was involved.
Even within 'traditional' size boxcars, there is variance in roof height, usually between different manufacturers. Some people are actually bothered by this and insist on buying rolling stock from only one company in order to ensure all the cars are the same height.
I myself have been collecting screen shots of videos showing unequal-sized tank cars next to one another, in order to demonstrate the real-life version of my intermixing RailKing modern tank cars with Premier ones (from my big tank car spree during 2015-2016)...when the question comes up.
---PCJ
PCJ: That's really helpful. So, really anything goes as long as I like it. Whew!
