I got completely out of O gauge due to the sheer cost. It's just too expensive compared to HO and On30. The result was a small nest egg which will finance a new Logging Road.
My question is remembering how O gauge People did not fit correctly in the way too small Bachmann Camp Car doorways, I wonder if I can cheat and populate the new railroad with S Scale Figures? They should look better with the smaller cabs as well that I expect with the logging engines.
What do you think?
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Lee,
First, measure an O Scale figure, should be about 6' tall.
The On3 and On30 cars are small, look at the inside height figure on your car side.
IMHO, s scale people are too small.
ChipR
On30 rolling stock is 1:48 scale, so the appropriate people figures and other accessories should also be 1:48 scale. Granted, the narrow gauge stuff is much smaller than the standard gauge stuff, but that's how it is in the "real world" as well. Browse the Web for photos of narrow gauge and standard gauge locomotives and/or rolling stock sitting side by side. BIG difference!
As Allan said, the whole point of narrow gauge is that the trains are tiny compared with their standard gauge counterparts. The correct 1:48 scale people will reinforce that look.
When I had the chance to visit the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden CO several years ago, I found that I had to duck frequently when entering equipment through the narrow gauge doorways.
As far as those camp cars are concerned, you have to remember that railroads were not out to pamper their employees. Squeezing through doorways and cramped living conditions were the norm. 
Jim
Keep in mind, too, that much of the U.S. population was actually a bit shorter way back then, not to mention slimmer. There were exceptions, of course, but 5' women and men considerably less than 6' tall were more common than rare.
Keep in mind, too, that much of the U.S. population was actually a bit shorter way back then, not to mention slimmer. There were exceptions, of course, but 5' women and men considerably less than 6' tall were more common than rare.
Very true!!! Dad was 6'2" when he entered college in 1952 and was quickly recruited for the school basketball team....being SO tall!! His Dad was 5'3" and not considered short.
One thing you need to do is check the scale of the figures you are using. O scale figures I have vary greatly. So much so the small O scale figures will be kids and teens on my layout......and a few of the giants will not be used at all!
Nobody may be paying attention to this thread by now, but I disagree with some of the opinions given.
Of course you can use some S scale figures on the layout, along with 1/64 vehicles. The trick is to use them judiciously, and to place them in an area where they will add to the effect of the scene you are modeling. 1/64 figures are undersized for 1/48 scale, so use the smaller scale figures in the background of your scene, in areas where there is no full scale building or rolling stock nearby.
i intend to use a variety of different scale items on my new layout--1/43 scale autos in foreground areas, 1/48 scale figures, 1/50 Corgi streetcars and buses, 1/64 figures and vehicles, and HO scale buildings, figures, and autos in the extreme background of deep scenes.
Forced perspective is a common diorama technique, and it can be incredibly effective when done right. Hopefully I won't goof it up...
Jeff C
One thing you need to do is check the scale of the figures you are using. O scale figures I have vary greatly. So much so the small O scale figures will be kids and teens on my layout......and a few of the giants will not be used at all!
So very true, Dave! Even though advertised as being O scale (1:48), the figures available in the marketplace do tend to range all over the place as far as height is concerned.
That's right, and so do real people!
That's right, and so do real people!
Yes, that's certainly true, of course, but when you're talking about overall proportions, and with figures relating to scale structures and vehicles, you have to be a bit discriminating in what you use if you want to create a convincing scene.
It might be time for the magazine to run another feature comparing the many various sizes of "O scale" figures available today.
I don't know where I would fit in...I'm 5' 14".
Bad Order Hal
I firmly believe most O scale figures are much larger than they should be for 1:48 scale.
Seriously, go find some 1:48 scale figures for the military modelers. They look like kids compared to most O scale ones. In fact, I had a large gathering of "WW2 GIs" for my planned layout and now I have to find a place in the background for forced perspective as they're nowhere near the size of O scale figures, but they should be the exact same sizes...
Narrow on the left standard on the right, so how big should the brakeman be? The same for either 1 1/2 inches or 6 feet. Russ
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