A lot of times, I mix scale and traditional items by "breaking up the silhouette" of the train.  What I mean by that is not placing similar car types of different sizes together (i.e. not putting scale boxcars next to traditional boxcars).  I usually put flatcars or gondolas in between, and when running, you hardly notice the difference in scale due to the big difference in car types.  I've run traditional cabooses at the end of otherwise scale trains, and they didn't look bad (had a flatcar or gondola immediately before the caboose).

 

I don't think anyone can actually say how good (or strange) it will look until someone tries it.

 

Andy

Flatcars are the great equalizer in O Gauge.

 

     Bill T.

   If you look at pictures/videos of steam era trains, say in the 40s and wartime traffic,

you will notice there are many different sized cars of all types.  In that period in particular, and before/after, railroads used cars of all sizes, the requirement dictated by the cargo associated and availability.  I mix different sizes all the time, and as stated above, it looks fine.  The only factor to look for concerns car weight and placement in the consist, length of consist, and correct placement to eliminate problems of lighter cars pulled over while negotiating curves.

I do it all the time. Some car types work better together than others though.

ogaugeguy, I think the main difference other than size, is the level of detail. Scale cars are also wider than traditionally sized cars. For example, consider the Lionel scale milk cars: They are based on a smaller prototype car, yet compare a traditional woodside reefer versus a scale milk car and the differences become obvious.

 

Or the former Crown Model cars, picked up by Weaver: The steel-side box car, the woodside reefer and the outside braced box cars. All three are scale sized, yet based upon a smaller prototype car. They don't look out of place size-wise with traditionally sized trains, but they are more detailed... but not nearly so as the recent Lionel, MTH and Atlas cars.

 

Or consider the Menards box cars. They are close to scale for a smaller, older prototype box car. Yet on a detail level, they are way more akin to a traditional Lionel type of car. Yet, because of the bargain price, they seem to have appeal to both traditional and scale operators.

 

I am absolutely a traditional 027 hi-railer. I have in the past, bought some of the smaller scale cars, thinking that size-wise, they wouldn't look too out of place. But it was the higher detail levels that ultimately led me to sell them. I really prefer the "suggested" simplified detail levels, like molded in ladders on box cars. 

 

Also consider that there were a few postwar designed Lionel items that were pretty close to scale proportions, like the GP-9 diesel. Yet if you put a recent production scale detailed GP-9 next to a postwar, MPC or modern-era starter set GP-9, the differences will become quite obvious.

 

Ultimately this is a question you will have to answer for yourself. You might try viewing a bunch of Lionel train videos on YouTube: I've seen videos showing scale and traditionally sized trains running together. That would be a good way to help you make a decision as to how they look running together. Or going to some train shows with display layouts and taking note of differences between rolling stock items.

 

My preference is to run either 100% full O size trains (engines and cars) or just 100% all "traditional" size engines and cars.

 

The "traditional" trains look good when running on a loop at a distance from the viewer along with the use of smaller trackside structures.

It's your railroad so do whatever you like! Personally, I think Andy and Texastrain have it right. 

 

--Greg

Gondolas and tankcars also. Especially tankers was they really come in a variety of sizes.

My railroad has all different styled cars mixed and they look great to me but I am not an expert and neither are the folks that look at my RR.

 

Main thing , like what you have not what other folks have.

 

Brent

As stated flat cars,gondolas and tank cars break up the consist.
Enjoy what ever you run is my motto.

  Assembling by similar weights most often, I end up with tankers filling the "box car gap" most often.

 

If anything bothered me enough to whine, I'd be picking on the widths.

 

 

 

When I had my different layouts, I ran what I wanted, when I wanted.  I never had a "SCALE' layout, but a toy train layout.

I purchased the locomotive out of your set as a break-out. My primary consist are the scale Polar Railroad cars. It looks great and I'm planning to buy the same caboose. I concur with Adritac that the tank car is also a very good transitional car. FWIW, I do try to limit the consist with this locomotive to 6-8 cars.

It's nobody's decision but yours. If you like it, run it.

I prefer the mpc size bay window caboose.  It's wide enough to fit in with scale cars and not to tall to dwarf the traditional Lionel cars.  They are lighted, and fairly cheap.   Their light weght wont drag the cars off on a curve.  Ithink a smoke unit could be put in if desired.  I have several I picked up to get painted.  I plan on looking for someone who paints cars while at York.
Worse case you could get a EOTD that goes on boxcars and put on the last car.