Hi all,
Yes, that’s how long ago I wrote that Feuilleton for the GARTENBAHNprofi
HJ in GBp6/03 said:
... [i]What do you mean “G” scale..!??[/i][color=#FF0000]“G” wie Gummi… [/color]
From time to time - most often after new product announcements - the discussion on scale will be re-activated. Positions will be taken, pleaded and defended.
But it is really very simple: Scale is the ratio (both for reduction as well as enlargement) between the original and the model. And when do we term the replica of an original a model? In my opinion when the model has a correct scale!
Most garden railroaders use 45 mm track gauge. This provides for some logical conclusions in regards to scale. We know that standard gauge track measures 1435mm between the rails. It therefore follows that the result of 1435:45 will be the scale in this case 1:31.88 or nicely rounded 1:32. The same applies to Meter gauge 1000:45= 22.222 or rounded 1:22.5.
One is allowed to assume that the designers at the Large Scale manufacturers are using the same method. But that’s where we go wrong. There are “models” which incorporate three different scales: one for the length, a second one for the width and yet another for the height. The deviations can be anywhere between a scale of 1:19 and 1:27. Serious model railroaders ask: What gives?
One could surmise that Large Scale manufacturing is still in its infancy. The technical aspects have progressed but the proportions are still missing. Many of us spent umpteen years in the model railroading hobby and remember the same ailments from the smaller scales, where it took many years til HO and N had a clearly defined scale. But the HO and N scale manufacturers improved tremendously not least because of the increasing competition.
And how are we doing with Large Scale? (I almost wrote “G”, but that’s for later). Much to our delight the same tendency can be noticed, albeit twenty years late. Some of the manufacturers make an effort to have a uniform scale. While it is true that the scale is still off i.e. the 1:29 to represent North American standard gauge, at least the scale is more or less uniform.
One also selects “better” prototypes, namely a model that had a number of different paint schemes and saw use on many different railroads. In short there is some movement. Yes, it was high time!The technology in the injection moulding field allowed for at least the past twenty odd years to produce scale models. Even the variety that could be squeezed through the R1 curves. Producing moulds for “to scale” models is no more expensive than producing moulds for caricatures, provided one picks the appropriate prototype. And scale models are just as easy to sell to the “non-modelrailroader”; children have no aversion to scale und enjoy playing just as much. Besides there is little likelihood of damage just because of the scale factor, which is not to be confused with Super-Detailing. The Large Scalers will be delighted with models that are to scale and have the right proportions, the super-detailing can be left to those who want it,even those who feel it makes sense in the garden. One thing is for sure: A properly proportioned model in a clearly defined scale will find more buyers than a product that is pure fantasy, apart from having the same colour scheme and the same lettering as some prototype. However if the route from prototype to design desk is detoured through the marketing department it is quite possible that scale gets lost along the way. Granted one can sell many a thing that isn’t to scale. But to repeat: One can sell a lot more if it is actually to scale. Creative distortion is certainly not the yardstick of the model railroader. What will help to cure the problem? In the first instance: selective buying, secondly scratch building and thirdly support of those manufacturers who pay serious attention to Large Scale model railroaders. Letters to the editor, comments in the various mailboxes that the manufacturers provide, participation in the fora on the Internet and the dialogue with the manufacturers at shows etc. will help to promote the “to scale” idea. We know that even the manufacturers who have no forum are busily reading elsewhere to keep their finger on the pulse. Those of you who spend more than just a moment on the Internet will have noticed that instead of the proper scale designations one reverts to “G” more and more often. Which isn’t all that surprising considering that a global term like “G” certainly is a catch all for the mix of different scales. I decided quite some time ago that “G” would best stand for “Gummi” (the German term for rubber). The material is the perfect fit for “G scale” where anything is possible. To call some of the “G” items models is certainly a stretch, being as they lack any semblance of uniform scale. What N, HO and O scale have taken for granted for many years — proper scale — can easily be expected in Large Scale items, both rolling stock and accessories.We waited long enough!
Hans-Joerg Mueller
Quite a few things have changed in the four intervening years. Some products got better - less Gummi - and others were “flexing on the spot”. In the Euro market there are also producers who looked at things very carefully and decided that “Scale” was not a bad thing.
Basically it’s still: “Selective buying, scratch building and supporting those manufacturers who pay serious attention to Large Scale model railroaders.”
It will be interesting to see what the situation is like in 2011. 
