Large Scale Central

Blending scales of railways

I know a lot of people who get tremendous pleasure in HAVING FUN with a multitude of different scales and gauges…all in what might be considered by some, as a “Confined space”.

There is no correct, or wrong way for each and everyone to find PLEASURE in this great hobby of ours.

Each of us sees life through a different pair of eyes…and as long as we aren’t hurting anyone else, in any way, we should look for how much fun we can all have, confining ourselves to CONSTRUCTIVE comments, if we care to take the risk of the rath of those that won’t allow themselves to accept such comments without bashing the innocent donor.

Fred Mills

interesting, how many different concepts turned up as “blending”.

for me - “blending” of scales is connecting a foreground with a background of different (smaller) scale.

for doing that, there must be respected some fundamentals:

both “layers” must tell the same story. - a 1:22.5 wild west layer does not combine with an Amtrack H0 background.

the bigger the difference in scales, the more pronunciated horizontal dividers (hedges, buildings, etc.) are needed.

an example: between the lower Large Scale layer and the higher H0 layer a single row of mountain or hills is not enough.

but a two inch broad hill with some bigger bushes at the front and some smaller ones at the (higher) far end, which is followed by a gap of an inch and then a mountainside, that is made similar (0-scale trees below in front, H0-scale trees up and back two inches behind) would do the job.

(if you got lots of space, some N-scale buildings or facades behind the H0 line would not hurt)

think theatre: you dont need to cheat the observers. they know, it is just a model. you just have to help their own imagination to the desired direction.

on a former, unfinished layout i had a station with freight depots, one could look through.

45mm track - 4" platform - 1:32 facades - forced perspective floor and freight - 1:45 scale posterior wall - 4" mainstreet - H0 scale facades a horsecart and some figures in H0.

the only problem with this kind of forced blending of scales is, to take in account different possible positions of the observers.

after many years and various data losses, i did find just one (very bad) pic that shows at least the 1:32 to 1:45 blending.

Korm Kormsen said:

interesting, how many different concepts turned up as “blending”.

Hmm, wonder what would turn up for the subtly different concept of bending scales of railways …

Korm Kormsen said:

interesting, how many different concepts turned up as “blending”.

for me - “blending” of scales is connecting a foreground with a background of different (smaller) scale.

for doing that, there must be respected some fundamentals:

both “layers” must tell the same story. - a 1:22.5 wild west layer does not combine with an Amtrack H0 background.

the bigger the difference in scales, the more pronunciated horizontal dividers (hedges, buildings, etc.) are needed.

an example: between the lower Large Scale layer and the higher H0 layer a single row of mountain or hills is not enough.

but a two inch broad hill with some bigger bushes at the front and some smaller ones at the (higher) far end, which is followed by a gap of an inch and then a mountainside, that is made similar (0-scale trees below in front, H0-scale trees up and back two inches behind) would do the job.

(if you got lots of space, some N-scale buildings or facades behind the H0 line would not hurt)

think theatre: you dont need to cheat the observers. they know, it is just a model. you just have to help their own imagination to the desired direction.

on a former, unfinished layout i had a station with freight depots, one could look through.

45mm track - 4" platform - 1:32 facades - forced perspective floor and freight - 1:45 scale posterior wall - 4" mainstreet - H0 scale facades a horsecart and some figures in H0.

the only problem with this kind of forced blending of scales is, to take in account different possible positions of the observers.

after many years and various data losses, i did find just one (very bad) pic that shows at least the 1:32 to 1:45 blending.

Some food for thought here which will now let me ponder a bit more.

Please keep the suggestions coming everyone.

Graeme Price said:

Please keep the suggestions coming everyone.

Just model Amtrak

Graeme, I’m picturing your G scale close to the viewer, and the HO higher up and further away.

For example, the G layout has a steep mountain in back of the track. And the HO layout appears here and there on the mountainside. To help the illusion, trees & buildings get smaller as they go up the hill.

Perhaps make a mainly G layout on one side, the higher HO layout on the other, with a mountain backdrop common to both, but the HO only poking into the G side occasionally.

Just random thoughts…

A very rough sketch to indicate what I had in mind…

Cliff, I see your logic, definitely forcing perspective…

But how I was thinking was that if you did this, the HO would be so far in the distance, you could not appreciate any of the detail of the locos and rolling stock.

That was how I came up with the reverse, putting the HO nearer the eye allows taking all that nice detail, but being smaller it needs to be closer. The G being larger, can “withstand” being further away.

That gave me more of a blend and still could enjoy the far away trains. Also, putting the G closest makes a loop pretty much impossible, the track needs to be pushed out to the limits of the shed.

Not arguing, just presenting my reasoning.

Greg

All good reasoning, Greg. I was mainly focusing on what the “forced perspective” in the OP, fwiw.

Graeme has lots of fun choices!

===>Cliffy

[edited to spell Graeme’s name right…]

Cliff Jennings said:

Graeme, I’m picturing your G scale close to the viewer, and the HO higher up and further away.

For example, the G layout has a steep mountain in back of the track. And the HO layout appears here and there on the mountainside. To help the illusion, trees & buildings get smaller as they go up the hill.

Perhaps make a mainly G layout on one side, the higher HO layout on the other, with a mountain backdrop common to both, but the HO only poking into the G side occasionally.

Just random thoughts…

Cliff,

Looking at the sketch that is what I was thinking of doing.

Greg

Your idea of having the HO closer also has merit.

Most of the G’s loop will be outside of the shed with only a small part of it running through the shed (the loop is going to be a type of dogbone with the one end in the shed and the rest outside.)

The main trackage inside the shed will be a marshalling yard so the track will have to be pushed back against the back wall which will leave only a small area for scenery.

Think its time for a mock up or 2 to see how it looks.

It’ time for me to do a mock up I think

I had a large g scale outdoor layout till 2004 and was viewable from 3 sides, and had several O scale buildings and cars in the center it gave a lot of depth to the scene

Or - as a completely different idea:

Since HO is very roughly 1/3 of G Scale, this 19" railroad is about HO size on a G Scale layout.

By my calculator HO is nearly 1/4 of G gauge. 1:87<1:22.5 G gauge is 3.86666666 larger than HO (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Joe Zullo said:

By my calculator HO is nearly 1/4 of G gauge. 1:87<1:22.5 G gauge is 3.86666666 larger than HO (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

IIRC

1:29 was touted as 3X HO.

Using the term “G Gauge” cornfuses the conversation, when you start talking about HO being 1:87 "Scale…

What is “G” gauge…mentioning GAUGE is only telling the distance between the rails…or which “Scale” running on “G” gauge track are you speaking of…

STOP mixing up SCALE and Gauge in a conversation.,…PLEASE

Fred Mills. said:

Using the term “G Gauge” cornfuses the conversation, when you start talking about HO being 1:87 "Scale…

What is “G” gauge…mentioning GAUGE is only telling the distance between the rails…or which “Scale” running on “G” gauge track are you speaking of…

STOP mixing up SCALE and Gauge in a conversation.,…PLEASE

I hear you, Fred, gauge and scale are very different animals. Ironically, the hobby of ‘G Gauge’ essentially has only one constant and that is 45mm gauge track that we use for all of our weird and varied scales. So ‘G Scale’ is not a technically correct term.

The 1:87 scale hobby runs standard gauge HO on 16.5mm and narrow gauge HOn3 on 10.5mm so their constant is scale. Virtually all the other scales do the same.

Sad that 45mm gauge got into such a strange web of nonsense.

Incidentally, I run almost 100% 1:24 trains on 45mm track. That is the equivalent of 42 inch narrow gauge which did exist in a limited number of places. I like 1:24 for several reasons:

  1. One of my first and still major hobbies was and is model cars and many of those are 1:24 (let’s don’t get into 1:25 discussions)
  2. Many buildings are 1:24
  3. My favorite rolling stock makers are Kalamazoo, Delton and Hartland - all 1:24

G Scale = GARDEN GAUGE …so there is no right or wrong!

Joe Zullo said:

By my calculator HO is nearly 1/4 of G gauge. 1:87<1:22.5 G gauge is 3.86666666 larger than HO (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Correct, Joe, I should have said VERY VERY roughly. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

David Palmeter said:

Joe Zullo said:

By my calculator HO is nearly 1/4 of G gauge. 1:87<1:22.5 G gauge is 3.86666666 larger than HO (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

Correct, Joe, I should have said VERY VERY roughly. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)

HO is x’s 3 for 1:29 VERY VERY roughly

(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-foot-in-mouth.gif)

Largescale, G scale - two of the most irritating denominations that are used in train modeling.
if we throw in gauge or “guage” (as many americans write) nearly everybody gets lost.
there is NO G-scale! nor any Largescale! these words embrace more than a handfull of scales and dozens of gauges!
the expression “rubbergauge” shows the average modeler’s helplessness, when confronted with scale and gauge.

the following is the European standard, established before WW1 and still valid in europe.
(other scales with other denominations (like N scale) were added later.)

scale = ratio - prototype - Gauge (in 1:1)

H0 = 1:87 - standard gauge - 16.5mm

0 = 1:45 - standard gauge - 32mm

1 = 1:32 - standard gauge - 45mm

2 = 1:22.5 - standard gauge - 64mm

3 = 1:16 - standard gauge - 89mm

4 = 1:11 - standard gauge - 127mm

the (in)famous “G-gauge” or “G-scale” from LGB mainly is a narrow gauge (meterspoor- 1,000mm) in Nr. 2 scale.