QUESTION ON "SCALE"

Nick, as the number to the right of the colon increases the size of the model decreases.  O scale is 1:48 therefore a 1:48 pickup truck will be smaller than a 1:43 pickup truck.  An HO pickup truck should be listed as 1:87.  Please keep in mind manufacturers do not always accurately describe their toys.  The attached picture shows a "1:50" yellow retail beverage delivery truck.  However, it measures 1 9/16 inches wide which for an eight feet wide body is very close to S Scale(1:64).  Hope this helps. 

John in Lansing, ILL

Yup, scale for many diecast model cars, trucks and construction vehicles is all over the place, so caveat emptor is the guiding phrase. Best to inspect in-hand before buying! Mail order is a crapshoot at best.

Nick, I sometimes get confused, but then remember the sizes/ratios can be expressed as fractions:  1:43 is 1/43.  And 1:50 is 1/50; and, so on.  The larger the denominator the smaller the relative size.

Correct, but with John's example above, those fractions can be relative for a given model.

Here is an e-book I made on scale and gauge of toy and model-trains. It might help you and is free to read or download:

http://sncf231e.nl/gauge-and-scale/

Regards

Fred

Model gets smaller as denominator grows

1'=43' or 1/43

1'=50' or 1/50

Or look at it this way, if something is 1/43 it should  take 43 of them in withe, height, and length to make a actual size of one. So if it is 1/50 it takes 50 so it must be smaller if it takes more to do the same thing.

Thank you fellas If I attempt to order on line I am going to ask for measurements of the item. Nick

"No such thing as over kill-- keep it RIGHT". 

OK, Then 1:43 is actually 1:43.5 which explains why 1:87 is Half Ought.

rockstars1989 posted:

Thank you fellas If I attempt to order on line I am going to ask for measurements of the item. Nick

Nick,  That is the safest.  Please keep in mind the term 'selective compression' as it applies to models.  Permit me to use a standard van semi-trailer built in 2019.  For practical purposes, the actual trailer is 102" wide(by state/federal rules/guidelines/laws), 13' 6" tall and very close to 53' long.  If we model that trailer in O scale it will be 2 1/8 inches wide,  3 3/8 inches tall and 13 1/4 inches long.  While the width and height are manageable, the length is not except on the largest layouts.  A 50' boxcar is 12 1/2 inches long so for the 53' trailer in scale length to maneuver to back into a dock, it is going to need a lot of 'empty' space in the parking lot.  I don't think we want to dedicate that much space, therefore we accept the scale height and width, but we selectively compress the length which allows us to have less maneuvering space but it still looks okay.  Same with any warehouse, manufacturing facility, scrap yard, etc.  Respectfully, John in Lansing, ILL 

rattler21 posted:

rockstars1989 posted:

Thank you fellas If I attempt to order on line I am going to ask for measurements of the item. Nick

Nick,  That is the safest.  Please keep in mind the term 'selective compression' as it applies to models.  Permit me to use a standard van semi-trailer built in 2019.  For practical purposes, the actual trailer is 102" wide(by state/federal rules/guidelines/laws), 13' 6" tall and very close to 53' long.  If we model that trailer in O scale it will be 2 1/8 inches wide,  3 3/8 inches tall and 13 1/4 inches long.  While the width and height are manageable, the length is not except on the largest layouts.  A 50' boxcar is 12 1/2 inches long so for the 53' trailer in scale length to maneuver to back into a dock, it is going to need a lot of 'empty' space in the parking lot.  I don't think we want to dedicate that much space, therefore we accept the scale height and width, but we selectively compress the length which allows us to have less maneuvering space but it still looks okay.  Same with any warehouse, manufacturing facility, scrap yard, etc.  Respectfully, John in Lansing, ILL 

Thanks John Nick

Don’t forget though, that models are almost never fitted with scale-length couplers: so a consist of scale-length bodies would actually be over-Scale in overall length. 

None of this is new, though. Tri-Ang OO coaches and rolling stock were notably under-length in the 60s, fir the same reasons, and Hornby ones still are.