Yo Warren - I can and do run my Gauge 1 stuff on ANY Gauge 1 track anywhere in UK, Germany, Switzerland, France, The Netherlands, Denmark, Canada and even Japan.
All of my G1 rolling and locomotives couple up with everybody else’s G1 rolling stock and locomotives, and run on everybody elses G1 track without falling off the track or smacking expensively into switches. I have British freight cars made in Canada and German locomotives made in Japan. ALL work together.
Every time.
Sadly, Aristocraft and USA Trains are not made to G1 standards, as we know. Even MTH, who generally follow G1/1/32nd scale dimensions, do not make their couplings to suit the accepted international G1 standards. They are all American companies. The recently-arrived AMS/Accucraft 1/32 scale box-cars are an unknown quantity here in Europe - nobody I know has seen one yet, so I cannot comment on their corrdectness or otherwise ,
ASTER, a Japanese company who make predominantly G1 in 1/32nd scale, do make couplings to the G1 standards laid down in the widely-accepted G1MRA ‘policy’.
So do Huebner, Bockholt, Wilag, Spring, Wyko - in fact, every major manufacture [all German, please note] except Marklin, who stick to their own very effective ‘claw’ couplings. This because most recognise that folks will buy other makes of G1 and try to run them together.
But here is the clincher.
With the exceptions of Marklin and their tinplate G1 trains - the Maxi-train system - and ASTER - who occupy a very rarified part of the market - none of the German companies make a single item of US equipment. It is ALL continental European. Here in UK, G1 having a rather more British than most following means that British practices of the three-link hook coupling prevail everywhere G1 is seen.
Aristo, USAT and MTH are American-based, and it is a well established fact that the US likes to go its own way with things. You invented the ‘wow-factor’ 1/29th stuff…not the rest of the world, for whom 1/32 scale US stuff seemed quite big enough, thank you.
Please note that I have so far omitted to mention any other scale other than G1. Again, Bachmann, Accucraft/AMS, Hartland - all in larger-than-G1 scales - remain totally incompatible for a number of reasons. Of them, Accucraft appears to be the only one to have have adopted scale couplings for their F-scale/1/20.3 models. Strangely enough, their G1 models like the GS4 and the S-12 switcher - as well as the long-awaited CP Royal Hudson - also have true G1-dimensioned and standardised knuckle couplers for those who use them. As I noted earlier - maybe their 1/32nd scale boxcars have correct couplings and wheel standards compatible with G1, but i do not yet know this to be a fact.
LGB’s hook and loop couplings are designed to be used by children, and cannot be considered as in any kind of scale.
There already ARE a full set of standards for G1 - track, wheels and couplings and so on.
Sooooooooo…
There need to be similar sets of standards for true-scale 1/24th scale models, such as they are these days…
and for true-scale IIM/or 2m as H-J calls it - in 1/22.5 scale - note that here in UK that standards for standard gauge models in 1/22.6 scale - known as G3 [which runs on 64mm gauge or 2.5" gauge track], have existed since the mid-1920’s.
and for true-scale 1.20.3 scale models - this time in both narrow AND standard gauges.
and for true scale 1/19th/16mm models.
and for true-scale 7/8th models.
All will therefore end up totally incompatible with each other.
A bit like now, really.
tac
Ottawa Valley GRS
