Hello from Southeast PA

A

Andrew S.

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Hello

I am completely new to model railroading. My goal is to set up a G Scale outdoor railroad in my yard. At first, I want to run a largeish mostly oval setup on the ground around the pool during seasons when the pool is closed; eventually, if I stick with, it a permanent set up in a large corner of the yard. I would like to run only battery power and remote control for my locomotives; are there any real train looking remote control battery power off the shelf locos? Can I run 1:29 scale USA trains on the same track as LGB? Can I couple 1:29 cars to 1:22.5 cars? How much different in size are they in person?
 
be welcome.

Andrew S. said:
Can I run 1:29 scale USA trains on the same track as LGB?
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Yes.

Andrew S. said:
Can I couple 1:29 cars to 1:22.5 cars?
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Yes, but it looks shitty. (in my eyes)

Andrew S. said:
How much different in size are they in person?
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a normal person (5' 10") in 1:22.5 is about 3 inch. in 1:29 it is less than 2½" (a full head shorter)
it depends on what kind of mindset you have, if that is 'good enuff' , or disturbing.

well, i leave some questions for the others to answer.
 
Welcome to the forum, Andrew. You're certainly taking the sensible route and keeping it simple to start with, and asking the questions before you make the mistakes, and not after! I'm not sure if there are any off the shelf battery locos, in your chosen scales, other than Playmobil. (In 16mm scale it is the norm, other than live steam, but isn't that common over there, and is mainly UK prototypes) That being the main drawback of battery power, fitting batteries to a highly expensive loco.
 
Welcome to the forum Andrew.

I guess our US members are best placed to advise you on battery locos....
 
Welcome to the forum Andrew. There are some battery self fit systems stateside not sure any like you would desire but do have buttons and twiddly knobs rather than plane RC, some rtr locomotives are almost battery ready. I would suggest a good look at this site Stateside.
www.deadrailsociety.com

Dead Rail Society - Dead Rail™ Suppliers

This is the official website of the Dead Rail Society, founded 20010 in San Diego, California, and dedicated to the elimination of electric power on model railroad track. Batteries and radio control are the way of the future!
www.deadrailsociety.com www.deadrailsociety.com
Whilst looking at smaller scales, much of the kit would work for smaller G scale locomotives.
 
Andrew S. said:
Hello

I am completely new to model railroading. My goal is to set up a G Scale outdoor railroad in my yard. At first, I want to run a largeish mostly oval setup on the ground around the pool during seasons when the pool is closed; eventually, if I stick with, it a permanent set up in a large corner of the yard. I would like to run only battery power and remote control for my locomotives; are there any real train looking remote control battery power off the shelf locos? Can I run 1:29 scale USA trains on the same track as LGB? Can I couple 1:29 cars to 1:22.5 cars? How much different in size are they in person?
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Andrew, hi.

Many years before I actually started an outdoor railway, I read an article in the modelling press where a guy ran his railway on 'impressionist' principles - other people use the expression 'the 10 foot rule' - so called because when you're standing up, looking at a ground level railway, the eye is going to be approximately ten foot from the railhead.

If you are thinking mainly of the trains, and not so much about the little people inside, most 1:29 stock will look very similar in size to most 1:22.5 and 1:24 stock. This is because, in the real world, the 1:1 standard gauge trains are much larger in pure physical size than narrow gauge trains. One of the reasons why Aristocraft and USAT allegedly chose the slightly inaccurate scale of 1:29 for their standard gauge trains was to harmonise the physical size with the 1:22.5 narrow gauge models.

And, of course, there are some classic anomalies - Aristocraft's Rogers 2-4-2 seeming to be much larger than 1:29 - so much so that it sits comfortably alongside the Fn3 models which are a even larger at 1:20.3.

Coupling is a different ball game as each manufacturer made their own couplers. Bachmann have generally included a hook and loop type coupling as an alternative with their models to work with LGB, USAT are hook and loop, but Aristocraft pursued their own type of knuckle coupler. Coupling height can sometimes be less than straightforward.

However, if, like me, you're a good bodger, then the coupling issue can be dealt with.

There's not much off-the shelf battery power as yet - that's the downside. It might be worth talking to model clubs in the US to see if there are reputable guys who undertake conversions (we've got one or two here in the UK) although I have undertaken all my own, but it is a bit of a learning curve, and you need some good advice before you start.
 
Thinking about battery rtr the Piko 25tonner is a good start, now available with sound.
www.trainworld.com

PIKO 38509 SF 25-Ton Diesel Battery R/C w/Sound

Features This loco is battery-powered. (Batteries not included. High-capacity rechargeable batteries recommended.) Detailed GE 25-Ton diesel electric locomotive with lights Simple R/C Pocket Remote with pre-programmed buttons to control speed and d
www.trainworld.com www.trainworld.com
 
Welcome aboard Andrew. I too reside in SE PA. Fort Washington to be precise.

If you need help with setting up battery power, I will be more than happy to assist you.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum, I notice you say you might 'stick with' it - too late as the bug has bitten!
korm kormsen korm kormsen I think what Andrew means by 'in person' is having two vehicles of different scale side by side. A Andrew S. the answer here is probably the 'rule 8' whereby you run what you want, if it looks okay in your eyes then run it.
Anyway fire away with the questions (the only daft question is the one not asked) but in another section of the forum please, I would suggest starting your own thread so you can keep everything under one roof so to speak.
 
pugwash said:
I think what Andrew means by 'in person' is having two vehicles of different scale side by side.
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you are right, and i knew that.
but i needed a"Eselsbrücke"/donkey-bridge(??) to come from rolling stock to figures/humans.
being a non-native english speaker, i hoped/thought, you guys would let me getaway with it...

but, honestly, what better way to visualize different scales, than humans? (if we ignore pygmies, dwarves and hobbits?)

figuren-24-feb1.jpg

yes, i know, there are differences - 1 to 4 are british, 6 is a Hobbit and the pink guys seem to be french :wasntme:
 
korm kormsen said:
but i needed a"Eselsbrücke"/donkey-bridge(??) to come from rolling stock to figures/humans.
being a non-native english speaker, i hoped/thought, you guys would let me getaway with it...
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An eselsbrücke (Ieselsbréck op Lëtzebuergesch) is a donkey bridge in English and with the same meaning. You are right about the figures as I had 1:22.5 figures and a Piko station building, it looked like all the people were going to bang their heads! Luckily the Pola buildings were to scale and of better quality. Your pink dudes look more like Peter Sellers to me. ;)
 
One must remember for size what the model represents as the LGB toytrain line is more like narrow guage in size and the RHB in Europe is a Narrow guage line, and I have seen different size boxcars on the 'rural' RR's. While traveling through Vermont I saw many different sized cars on a train.
 
And back to battery r/c. The Crest r/c kit of TX and RX are designed to fit the Aristo plug-n-play socket which is found in many Aristo locos and now a lot of Bachmann locos have it.

RLD Hobbies sells a wiring kit of a charging plug, a switch, and wires to the battery and to the p-n-p board.
The will also sell you a battery and charger. That's all you need.

I've added the complete rig to a Bachmann Forney in 30 minutes. I've also suggested this to other new folk and they've been pleased with the results.

It does require finding a place for the switch and socket. But that's the only tricky bit. I have an article with photos for FGRS that I can send. Just send me a PM (private msg.)
 
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Hello Sir. My post is a real one, from a french amateur modeler trying to create in Britany a Word from two trips in your country. Durango and Silverton and Californian forest railways plus some issues of Narrow gauge gazette are my sources for scratch creation: k-27, C 25 and Mason Bogie from David Fletcher drawings.
My roster is somewhere in the site.
 
Gérard Baudoin said:
Un grand bonjour d'un français qui ne se reconnaît pas en panthère rose.
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Mais, M'sieur, ce panthère est très sympathique!
to save on translations (and due to my very rusty french) in english:
most of the best comic figures i know, are french or belgian.

stall10.JPG
 
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