I’m starting into G and have become a little confused. My understing from what I read on another site is that LGB trains are scaled to 1:22.5. The reason I bring this up is I am looking at purchasing a Piko Taurus engine. I really like the way they look and the price is right too. However, upon reading a review from GARTENBAHNprofi 6/2006 Pre-View Copy, the scale indicated in there was more along the lines of 1:27, unless I’m reading this wrong. I am trying to model Swiss narrow gauge lines and am wondering if these engines would be correct and how they would look with passenger/freight cars available from LGB? Any help is appreciated.
Hi Phil,
As reported in the GARTENBAHNprofi some people changed the paint job and a few other things on the Taurus to convert it to a RhB electric (strictly fictional type designation!).
Looks close enough for those who accept “close enough” with a larger tolerance factor. 
Hans,
Just who I was hoping to hear from. I just don’t want the engine looking small compared to the coaches or freight cars. It sounds like it scales “close enough.” While on the subject, am I correct with LGB scaling to 1.22.5?
“am I correct with LGB scaling to 1.22.5”
Sometimes. We call LGB the “rubber gauge” as the scale may vary from item to item. However somewhere around 1.22 is the general scale norm.
I thought the Piko line was standard gauge models, not narrow gauge?
BTW the Tarus is a big loco, about 24" long?
Does look like a nice loco. I would like one of the Piko diesels to play with myself.
Jeff
WOW!! that big. Did not realize that. I was comparing it to some of the LGB engines I have seen which are smaller. That may be a little too large after all. I am re-figuring my layout plans and am going with larger curves but I think I would have to go with 18000’s to get this thing to look right. Might have to rethink this a little. Right now I had plans for just using 2 axle cars but keep getting pulled into the way the Swiss trains look (been watching alot of videos on line). Now I’m thinking I better stick with original plans. I’m thinking that 1500 curves with train-li R2 and R3 switches will work best. Already tried some LGB 1200 series switches and did not like the way the cars look when crossing over. I do have a train-li R2 switch, which I like and cars look nice going through it. I need to get a R3 and related curves to see what that looks like I guess.
Piko took a page out of Aristo’s playbook, and is scaling standard gauge prototypes to match the general size of LGB’s line. Since the loading gauge of European railroad equipment is smaller than their US counterparts, that results in a slightly larger overall scale, around 1:27 instead of Aristo’s 1:29. If it works in the US, why not the EU, eh?
I’ve had a few Piko locos cross my workbench for review, including the Taurus. (Actually, the Taurus had already been reviewed, but I played with it anyway. ) It’s a very impressive loco, and something of a stump puller to boot.
I don’t know if Piko is actually doing any European narrow gauge prototypes or not. The US caboose they produce is actually a 1:24 model of a US narrow gauge caboose. The US freight cars are 1:32. All their US rolling stock comes from the old MDC/Roundhouse molds. The US 0-6-0 is new tooling. Not one of my favorites, but not too bad in the generic sense.
BTW, for those who remember the old MDC trucks and how weak they are, the Piko trucks are a vast improvement. My 7-year-old neice sat on the caboose, and the trucks stayed soundly in one piece. (As did the rest of the caboose.)
Later,
K
Phil Kaiser said:
Hans,Just who I was hoping to hear from. I just don’t want the engine looking small compared to the coaches or freight cars. It sounds like it scales “close enough.” While on the subject, am I correct with LGB scaling to 1.22.5?
Hi Phil,
Sometimes LGB scales to 1:22.5, but not that often. Especially when it comes to keeping the consistency in all three dimensions. 
Haven’t worked on the scale comparisons for a while, but for what it’s worth there are quite a few of the RhB items on my hobby website.
Jeff Phistner said:
"am I correct with LGB scaling to 1.22.5"Sometimes. We call LGB the “rubber gauge” as the scale may vary from item to item. However somewhere around 1.22 is the general scale norm.
I thought the Piko line was standard gauge models, not narrow gauge?
BTW the Tarus is a big loco, about 24" long?
Does look like a nice loco. I would like one of the Piko diesels to play with myself.
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
Yep “G wie Gummi” has really caught on, both my slogan :D, as well as the proliferation of “models” following that line.
And with the “Harz Kamel” PIKO is producing the first engine that runs on 1000mm track in real life.
BTW TrailLine45 has HSB coaches in development, along with an open platform RhB coach.
I’d add to H-J’s comment that the ‘Harz Kamel’ looks ENORMOUS against the other metre gauge stuff. It really does look like a standard gauge loco on meter gauge trucks…
See - http://www.23hq.com/M-Photography/photo/5043203
tac
www.ovgrs.org
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund
That thing is HUGE! Its hard to tell size of some of this stuff but this one is easy when compared to the passenger car in back of it.