A small scale friend used to say, “G is the gauge for people who don’t care about scale.”
He was visiting one day and showed me some new box cars he just got. He idly picked up a ruler and, horror of horrers, his HO cars were shortened and my G box cars were the correct length. What fun 
Tom Ruby said:
A small scale friend used to say, "G is the gauge for people who don't care about scale."He was visiting one day and showed me some new box cars he just got. He idly picked up a ruler and, horror of horrers, his HO cars were shortened and my G box cars were the correct length. What fun
Wellllllll, just because he knew that “G” is for people who don’t care about scale, doesn’t mean he went to the trouble of carefully selecting what he bought in HO. 
The “You should never assume!” maxime applies not just to “G”.
Tom Ruby said:
A small scale friend used to say, "G is the gauge for people who don't care about scale."He was visiting one day and showed me some new box cars he just got. He idly picked up a ruler and, horror of horrers, his HO cars were shortened and my G box cars were the correct length. What fun
Chris,
You’re right, I’m old enough to remember the “funky” HO stuff, way back when I had cars from Fleischmann, Rivarossi and Pocher - all of them “slightly too big” - to clash with the stuff from Märklin, Kleinbahn, Hag, Buco and Jouef, which also fell into the “Gummi” category.
And prior to that I had “the perfect scale”; WESA that was 1:100 but ran on 13mm track.
After 54 years of amusement with electric trains it isn’t the scale discrepancies which are hard to digest. It’s the convoluted thinking on how to explain the discrepancies; along with the “Suitable for G” statements and the lack of scale info on the packaging from too many mfgs.
And to really get someones panties in a twist…Why must the track rule scale…I think all track should be regauged!
Marc Bergmueller said:
And to really get someones panties in a twist…Why must the track rule scale…I think all track should be regauged!
Marc, I couldn’t agree more!
Marc Bergmueller said:To 84-1/4" scale-inch gauge, and be scale-size bridge rail bolted to scale-size longitudinal baulks with scale-size fang bolts using scale-size spanners. :D Oh well, my knickers remain untwisted. Long live the Iron Duke!
And to really get someones panties in a twist...Why must the track rule scale...I think all track should be regauged!
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
Chris,You’re right, I’m old enough to remember the “funky” HO stuff, way back when I had cars from Fleischmann, Rivarossi and Pocher - all of them “slightly too big” - to clash with the stuff from Märklin, Kleinbahn, Hag, Buco and Jouef, which also fell into the “Gummi” category.
And prior to that I had “the perfect scale”; WESA that was 1:100 but ran on 13mm track.
After 54 years of amusement with electric trains it isn’t the scale discrepancies which are hard to digest. It’s the convoluted thinking on how to explain the discrepancies; along with the “Suitable for G” statements and the lack of scale info on the packaging from too many mfgs.
Chris Vernell said:Chris, this was all started with scale sized intelligenceMarc Bergmueller said:To 84-1/4" scale-inch gauge, and be scale-size bridge rail bolted to scale-size longitudinal baulks with scale-size fang bolts using scale-size spanners. :D Oh well, my knickers remain untwisted. Long live the Iron Duke!
And to really get someones panties in a twist...Why must the track rule scale...I think all track should be regauged!
Ah, but I have had more fun the last couple of weeks…scale…what a concept.
I got my Uncle’s John A. English 0-4-0 Yardbird from out of the basement after I found a guy who had parts…this 50+ year-old relic with no RP-25 flanges runs again…so I started on our original Mantua type two Mikado…it now runs again…repainted and all…next was the Uncle’s all-metal Varney F-3, always missing that spring drive belt (muiltiple-sheave pulleys for changing from fright to passenger speeds…) got the belt, re-worked the mechanics, runs fine…so I did an old Penn-Line mini-dismal…runs again, in new paint, no less…last night I got back my 35-year-old Mantua Big Six, beaded that and re-painted it, runs fine again…and found in the box a cast Mantua 0-4-0 Shifter, missing one croshead giude (en-route), cleaned up the mechanics, runs fine…did my Uncle’s cast Varney Docksider, runs fine…found ANOTHER Varney Docksider, bad shape, parts coming next week, early, early unit, pickup on one rear wheel, gonna upgrade to the 2-wheel pickup…now there was cale and bullet-proof mechanics…
Gotta get a whole new disply case so folks can see them again…hang a magnifying glass next to it…
The Lone Railroader said:
… Geez all of that thinking about them and measuring them and then complained about them…Well, it just gets into the runnin’ & drinkin’ time…so I don’t do it.
Sheesh Marvin, I didn’t know you were drinking!?! But I can see the advantage; have enough of the stuff and scale, as a concept, will be totally irrelevant. Till the morning after, when the Large Scale headache hits.
Which reminds me, looking at some of the “models” leads to the “What have they been smoking/drinking?” query.
Ahhh, yes;
I was going to telephone young David this evening......if he's hitting the bottle; he must have run ito another twit again....!!!!!Tom Ruby said:I would rather say G is for people who've just learned not to worry much about it.
A small scale friend used to say, "G is the gauge for people who don't care about scale." :D
Why worry about scale…most of us can’t see it anyways…too old…or too drunk…
Scale…oh that thing on the bathroom floor that some fool said I should stand on to find out what my weight is.
Trouble is; it was designed for women or anyone trying for a part in a skinny persons' opera.
I still say, that I'm "Pleasantly plump"; meaning that I can be pleasant and am fat.
At least I'm not sickly, and can go without several meals without fading into the scenery.
Scales.......hmmmmm not much use as far as I'm concerned, other than those in a rail yard.Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
The Lone Railroader said:
… Geez all of that thinking about them and measuring them and then complained about them…Well, it just gets into the runnin’ & drinkin’ time…so I don’t do it.Sheesh Marvin, I didn’t know you were drinking!?! But I can see the advantage; have enough of the stuff and scale, as a concept, will be totally irrelevant. Till the morning after, when the Large Scale headache hits.
Which reminds me, looking at some of the “models” leads to the “What have they been smoking/drinking?” query.
HJ If you are requesting that I share a case of the elixir with you…the answer is NO! I have enough headaches getting contractors to follow the bloody prints…I really don’t need to have worries on the fact that my Biggie Size Train car or loco may be a bit too long or tall or short…I separate work from play and put it into a proper perspective…I make money in one…and use the money I make to buy the trains I want…No problems…No worries! Gauge measures the rain fall amount…as as Fr. Fred stated, scales measures the poundage for those that want to know…I have “Is I dead yet check-ups” every six months…at each one, the doctor weighs me…I’m sure the reason is to add a fee to my bill to pay for the fancy digital scales that stand in the corner of his office. Remember I said, Find your niche and have fun…Yours appears to be a preoccupation with accurate scale & gauge in Biggie Size Trains…As mine is not…but I do hope you have fun in the New Year. The Lone Railroader
It has to be said that my experience of those who would decry non scale stuff is that they wish to publicly air their feeling of superiority in recognising that something is not to scale . I get the impression also that their sneering talk of non-scale stuff is tinged with envy at the fun us scaleless ones get out of our off the shelf thingies .
But , I also make true scale models , I recognise that there is a place for them , and it is not that place half way between mouth and oesophagous .
Chacun a son gout , et honi soit qui mal y pense . And other unwritable sayings which my keyboard cannot cope with . No cidillas , you see .
Mike
The Lone Railroader said:
.............................................Remember I said, Find your niche and have fun…Yours appears to be a preoccupation with accurate scale & gauge in Biggie Size Trains…As mine is not…but I do hope you have fun in the New Year.
The Lone Railroader
… all I’m asking is: why would the concepts of “Scale” and “Gauge” change when applied to “Biggie Size Trains”? Large Scale doesn’t mean reinventing/bending/fudging what those terms stand for.
Still being involved with technical things in both my business and my hobby - oh after all these years - I have no problem with people buying whatever they like, they do that anyway.
OTOH I like to see/check if things are up to snuff, comparing “models” to the originals, write it up, tabulate it,publish the results and then let people decide if it suits them.
The only people who get annoyed with that are those who thought the “product” was close to perfect and then read it really isn’t.
And… I’m having lots of fun! Almost all of the time!
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:The Lone Railroader said:
.............................................Remember I said, Find your niche and have fun…Yours appears to be a preoccupation with accurate scale & gauge in Biggie Size Trains…As mine is not…but I do hope you have fun in the New Year.
The Lone Railroader
But Marvin…… all I’m asking is: why would the concepts of “Scale” and “Gauge” change when applied to “Biggie Size Trains”? Large Scale doesn’t mean reinventing/bending/fudging what those terms stand for.
Still being involved with technical things in both my business and my hobby - oh after all these years - I have no problem with people buying whatever they like, they do that anyway.
OTOH I like to see/check if things are up to snuff, comparing “models” to the originals, write it up, tabulate it,publish the results and then let people decide if it suits them.
The only people who get annoyed with that are those who thought the “product” was close to perfect and then read it really isn’t.And… I’m having lots of fun! Almost all of the time!
I used to teach math to 8th graders. Sometimes when a student’s project didn’t “scale up” right, we decided to use “rounding error” and applied the 10ft. rule with scales that worked better. Isn’t that what the manufacturers are doing?
JimC.