Utility railcar, scratch build (1:28 approx.)

Ozark Miniatures is your friend here. A HYOOJ ranges of high-quality white metal castings for numerous scales applicable to us. Brass wire with teeny washers around it makes great handrails.
I just checked out their website. This is perfect. I am about to start working on another RR project -the Tom Thumb locomotive from 1830 and it seems they have several items that will be perfect. Thanks for the connection!!
 
I reviewed the Ozark Ministures website. If I only knew about all their stuff before I started building my model. I can see I will be buying from them. Question: I see reference to 10 foot, 20 foot, 30 foot descriptions of items. Is this some sort of scale? Most of whaT plan to build will be 1:24 or 1:32 scale (G Scale).
 
To narrow it down, I live in the east end of Toronto, in an area known as the Upper Beaches. Are you familiar with the city?

Not very, TBH, we try and stay away as much as possible, having once gotten stuck in Don Valley for over three hours......................... Not much we need there, either, being hicks. :)
 
I reviewed the Ozark Ministures website. If I only knew about all their stuff before I started building my model. I can see I will be buying from them. Question: I see reference to 10 foot, 20 foot, 30 foot descriptions of items. Is this some sort of scale? Most of whaT plan to build will be 1:24 or 1:32 scale (G Scale).

10ft, 20ft and 30ft are the full-size lengths of the actual cars represented by the models. Did you look at the pictures?

Please note that 1:32 is decidedly NOT 'G scale'. It is one of the original model scales posited before the end of the 19th C. Take a look at G1MRA. Models in Gauge 1, as it is called, run on 45mm gauge track and represent standard gauge operations running on 4ft 8.5in gauge track - iow, standard gauge, not narrow gauge - that's the remit of 'G scale'.

'G scale' is a catch-all term used to describe scales from 1:22.5 up to around 1:29*. The 'G' usually refers to the German word 'Gross' - 'big', from the Ernst Paul Lehmann producers of LGB - Lehmann Gross Bahn - Lehmann big trains. They mostly replicate the European metre-gauge stuff found in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. LGB are notorious for their 'rubber scale rule' - you'd need to look that up, but basically what at first glance might appear to be a half-way good model is distorted in any of the three dimensions - sometimes ALL of them.

*1:29 is a strange mélange of oversized models running on too-narrow track. The late Mr Polk, boss of Aristocraft, was unimpressed with the size and bulk of 1:32 scale, so he upped it to 1:29, running on the same 45mm gauge track, for what he called 'the WOW! factor'. USA Trains followed suit, and American large-scale was reborn. MTH in America remained staunchly 1:32, which enables their stick to run with ordinary 1:32 scale stuff without making it look undersized

Aristocraft disappeared about twelve years ago, but USA Trains thrives with a HUGE range of models - steam and diesel. Recently Bachmann Industries have re-introduced a few of the former Aristo diesels, at eye-watering prices, making ownership of the original Aristocraft models something to crow over - I have a lot of them.
 
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I reviewed the Ozark Ministures website. If I only knew about all their stuff before I started building my model. I can see I will be buying from them. Question: I see reference to 10 foot, 20 foot, 30 foot descriptions of items. Is this some sort of scale? Most of whaT plan to build will be 1:24 or 1:32 scale (G Scale).
I would imagine that the casting could be slightly over scale so personally I would not worry overmuch, looking at tac foley tac foley ‘s efforts they look very good. Your first use of them would hopefully give you an appreciation of what you think scale wise, possibly a small supply as a test?
 
10ft, 20ft and 30ft are the full-size lengths of the actual cars represented by the models. Did you look at the pictures?

Please note that 1:32 is decidedly NOT 'G scale'. It is one of the original model scales posited before the end of the 19th C. Take a look at G1MRA. Models in Gauge 1, as it is called, run on 45mm gauge track and represent standard gauge operations running on 4ft 8.5in gauge track - iow, standard gauge, not narrow gauge - that's the remit of 'G scale'.

'G scale' is a catch-all term used to describe scales from 1:22.5 up to around 1:29*. The 'G' usually refers to the German word 'Gross' - 'big', from the Ernst Paul Lehmann producers of LGB - Lehmann Gross Bahn - Lehmann big trains. They mostly replicate the European metre-gauge stuff found in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. LGB are notorious for their 'rubber scale rule' - you'd need to look that up, but basically what at first glance might appear to be a half-way good model is distorted in any of the three dimensions - sometimes ALL of them.

*1:29 is a strange mélange of oversized models running on too-narrow track. The late Mr Polk, boss of Aristocraft, was unimpressed with the size and bulk of 1:32 scale, so he upped it to 1:29, running on the same 45mm gauge track, for what he called 'the WOW! factor'. USA Trains followed suit, and American large-scale was reborn. MTH in America remained staunchly 1:32, which enables their stick to run with ordinary 1:32 scale stuff without making it look undersized

Aristocraft disappeared about twelve years ago, but USA Trains thrives with a HUGE range of models - steam and diesel. Recently Bachmann Industries have re-introduced a few of the former Aristo diesels, at eye-watering prices, making ownership of the original Aristocraft models something to crow over - I have a lot of them.
Thanks for this. I never really understood all the various scales and dimensions (until now!).
 
I would imagine that the casting could be slightly over scale so personally I would not worry overmuch, looking at tac foley tac foley ‘s efforts they look very good. Your first use of them would hopefully give you an appreciation of what you think scale wise, possibly a small supply as a test?
Good advice. I will order a few items to see how they fit. Right now I am planning to build a model of Cooper's "Tom Thumb" and since it will be a static model, on display on a shelf, I can upsize it or downsize it to fit the materials I will be using.
 
Not very, TBH, we try and stay away as much as possible, having once gotten stuck in Don Valley for over three hours......................... Not much we need there, either, being hicks. :)
Getting around the city is becoming impossible. Since I retired, I rarely leave our little neighbourhood for anything. Our son lives in the west end in the Junction area (Dundas and Keele) and it can take an hour to drive there from our place, on a good day!
 
1:29 is a strange mélange of oversized models running on too-narrow track. The late Mr Polk, boss of Aristocraft, was unimpressed with the size and bulk of 1:32 scale, so he upped it to 1:29, running on the same 45mm gauge track, for what he called 'the WOW! factor'.
There's an intriguing aspect of the 1:29 scale, that may or may not have weighed into the decision to take it up. Since 87 is exactly three times 29, you can take the design for any H0 (1:87) article and turn it into a 1:29 model by multiplying every measurement by three. Apparently, this trick significantly reduced development cost.
 
There's an intriguing aspect of the 1:29 scale, that may or may not have weighed into the decision to take it up. Since 87 is exactly three times 29, you can take the design for any H0 (1:87) article and turn it into a 1:29 model by multiplying every measurement by three. Apparently, this trick significantly reduced development cost.

I recall mentioning that mentioned that to Jonathon Polk, son of, noting that the models produced by thus far, at THAT time, were matched almost one-for-one by Athearn' Genesis series of H0 models...he vehemently denied the suggestion.

Here's a USA Trains GP38 in 1:29 compared to the identical loco in H0 - 1:87 -

1736970828190.png
 
I would imagine that the casting could be slightly over scale so personally I would not worry overmuch, looking at tac foley tac foley ‘s efforts they look very good. Your first use of them would hopefully give you an appreciation of what you think scale wise, possibly a small supply as a test?
I put together a small list of a number of the miniatures - totaling about $20. But when I went to check out, the shipping was calculated at $78!! Looks like I will have to try to find stuff locally! Or make do with other homemade versions.
 
I put together a small list of a number of the miniatures - totaling about $20. But when I went to check out, the shipping was calculated at $78!! Looks like I will have to try to find stuff locally! Or make do with other homemade versions.
That is unbelievable for postage, they sending on a Musk Spaceship via the Moon?
 
That is unbelievable for postage, they sending on a Musk Spaceship via the Moon?
Hahah! Yes, it's crazy. They seem to insist on courier services as opposed to mail. It's not as if I'm on another continent. Crazy price for a few tiny things. I have found this to be typical. When I find something on eBay or Etsy, the shipping costs are so much more than the price of the items.
 
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