Large Scale Central

Bachmann Locomotve Scales

The drivers on the 4-6-0 are 2" diameter, which scales to 45" in 1:22.5, prototypical for the Tweetsie 10-wheelers. There were very subtle size differences between the Tweetsie’s 10-wheelers, and I’m not sure which specific one they chose as a prototype.

With respect to the table, the C-19 and Climax scale out almost exactly to 1:20.3 when compared to published drawings. The “Centennial” 2-6-0 is likewise 1:20.3, being based on a Baldwin design which was identical to the 4-4-0 except being a 2-6-0. I believe there was a specific prototype for the Bachmann 2-6-0, which is where the diagonal cab supports and funky clamp-looking thing around the steamchest come from. I just don’t remember which specific prototype it was.

More to the point of this thread–interchangeable parts–it may be a bit more useful as a modeling resource to come up with a table of overall dimensions of various components in 1:1 measurements. For instance, the cab on the 4-6-0 is fairly accurate for its prototype in 1:22.5, but I’ve used that cab on my modernized 2-6-0 because it scales out very well in 1:20.3 for the cab on another (smaller) locomotive. However, if you took the 4-6-0 for a 1:20.3 model, it would definitely need a larger cab because there’s no way the crew could fit inside that cab around a boiler that large.

Later,

K

I agree that having actual dimension of individual parts would be useful.