Studied Ambiguity

[IrishPeter]

I tend to find myself drawn to both 2'6" gauge and 3' gauge prototypes, and having spent the last couple of yars trying to be a 15mm purist I have decided to give in an go with 16mm scale as the standard for all future construction. Paradoxically, the 2'6" gauge lines I like such as the Leek and Manifold - use equipment that is bigger than most 3' gauge stuff!

Anyone else had the same problem and resolved it in the same manner?

Peter in AZ

[TommyDodd]

So many fascinating railways on so many different gauges, so little garden space and other resources. To model all the railways I like would take the resources of a billionaire and a medium-sized island. I suppose if you want consistency and realism there are three choices:

1) Find a scale/gauge combo you like and stick with it, keeping your interest in other stuff to the bookshelf.

2) Keep the railway "plain line" with minimal scenery, so you can run trains of different scales (not at the same time) with no visual clash.

3) Fudge it slightly, with under/overscale axles but everything else right (see TR & GVT on 32mm, or W&LLR on either popular gauge) and near-enough good-enough use of slightly-off scenics, G scale buildings and 1:18 cars. Seems to be the popular choice and most get away with it- realism seems largely to be a function of finish- with a very approximate structure beautifully done preferred over a dead-on building that looks too plastic.

I've stuck with 16mm on 32 for practical and social reasons, despite being fascinated both by Manx & Irish 3' and the vast continental 750/762mm Empires. I have thought about working in IIe for the latter, which would give me slightly more manageable models but not look too out of place in a 16mm world. It would at least bring transporter wagons and their associated SG loads out at something like the right size.

Oh yeah, IIe. G scale did exist before LGB, but when they started manufacturing they re-christened it "G" to match their range (much like peco created SM32 and hung it round our necks). That scale/gauge combo had originally been known as IIm, and just like with HOm and HOe there was a second combo in the same scale to represent the 750mm lines, using 13.5mm/ft on 32mm track to give approximately the right model gauge.

[IrishPeter]

Thankfully I have only three lines that have really got under my skin, and one of those I will not model - at least not yet.  

I rather like the idea of having one line, but tw sets of rolling stock.  My three-foot interest is the S&SR which had a mainly four-wheeler fleet.  One of their trams in 16mm would be 256mm over the headstocks, and some of their goods stock was as short of 10.'  Even their largest vehicle would be no worse than 552mm long.  So built to SM45 it won't look out of scale

The other inspiration is E A Calthrop.  I use the engineer's name rather than that of a specific railway because it is his concept of what an NG Light Railway rather than specifically the Barsi Light Railway or the L&MVLR which fascinates.  You could model just about the whole L&MV rolling stock - 4 carriages, five rollwagen, and a slack handful of goods wagons and still have room leftover in a moderate size wardrobe!  Also 2'6" gauge prototypes running on 45mm gauge look better than OK.  I have already had a go at a Barsi/L&MVLR style carraige which at 678mm is a right Queen Mary, but runs OK over my line provided I use a long enough length of bog chain on the coupling!

I looked long and hard at IIe & IIm when I started on this game but decided I did not fancy it.  My interest in Dutch 75cm gauge and German 75cm and Metre gauge was not enough to make a modelling commitment, though the idea of shuffling a Sp.II wagon onto a Sp.IIe or Sp.IIm rollwagen has its appeal.

Peter in AZ