What Scale Cars are for O Scale

O Scale is 1/4 inch to the foot.    Your cars should be the same scale - -  1/4 inch to the foot.    That works out to 1:48.

 

However, there are very few model vehicles that are 1:48 scale.   There are lots of 1:43, some 1:45, some 1:50 and some actually 1:48, especially plastic military models.

 

The 1:43 cars are oversize, but if you stick with one scale and don't put them too close to the trains, most people will not notice.    Even close to the trains, many people will not notice.   It is probably best to stick to one scale for all your model cars and mix the various ones out there

Most cars that are available for O-scale are 1:43. You can find some that are 1:48 and 1:50, but by far 1:43 are most common.

 

Rick

 

Assuming you're referring to autos, anything from 1/50 to 1/43 may appeal to you.  (There isn't much that's exactly our 1/48).  There's currently a thread running that gives a good list of available makes: (O Scale Chronicles), to which I would add "Amer Hobby 1/43", available on Amazon.  There is an amazing variety of vehicles at low prices.

There is another thread going on about this. I think official o scale is 1:48, most cars seem to be 1:43 or 1:50. Better experts will soon chime in I hope!

First, every Friday Richard E posts the 1:43 Motor Chronicle on the Hig-Rail and O027 form.  Check it out.  He always posts links to previous postings too, and there is a lot of good info there.  

 

I prefer 1:43 automobiles both because there is a big, big selection compared to 1:48, but mostly because they look better on the layout - something as small as a car benefits from being about 10% "larger than life" in my opinion.  I prefer 1:50 trucks for the same reasons" most good ones available are 1:50 and a big truck or bus looks better to me just slightly compressed.

 

I buy from several sources:

Amazon.com - Toys and Games section.  I always start here first, thousands of 1:43 cars and 1:50 trucks, usually if they have it is the best price. 

 

diecastdirect.com

 

3000toys.com

 

modeltrainstuff.com in their O-gauge section, vehicles subsection, has good bargains.

 

Just a word of warning: buying 1:43 cars can become addictive.

 

 

Lee, you are right, it does become addictive! It's probably because it reminds us of our youth. The 1/43 size are the most prolific out there in automobiles. Semi's seem to be in the 1/50 size.

Yeah, terribly addictive, but I'm happy with my addiction.  I started out buying 1:43 cars and 1:50 trucks just for the layout, and for some reason never got addicted to the trucks, but the cars: about half of what I buy still goes on the layout or up in the train-room, etc., but I see these models I just want to have and . . . . so I now I have this collection of maybe 30 cars down here in the study that I'm not sure why I bought, except they are very interesting cars I bumped into while shopping for the layout.  Here's an example, my seven tiny little cars: too weird, too European, to ever go on the layout, and not reason at all why I need them, so they just sit on this shelf:

front, Morgan three wheeler, three- and four-wheel Messerschmidt "Googlemobiles" and an Isetta, back row, Fiat 500 and 600 Multipa six-passenger version of it, and my favorite here, a Lloyd 600, which could do only 56 mph but packed a lot of cargo capacity in  footprint a lot smaller than a VW.