CMP Brass Coaches. It's a Matter of Scale.

JohnSol

JohnSol

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This is the third engine that I've coupled to this coach of ambiguous scale. Coupled to this Bachmann 2-6-0, the scale looks correct. The coach also looked correct when coupled to an LGB Fortney, but under scaled when coupled to an Accucraft C&S 60 2-8-0. The question I have is, were all Jackson & Sharpe passenger cars all the same height? Perhaps cars built in the early 19th century were smaller to accommodate the smaller people of that age. Bachmann 2-6-0 with CMP Coach.4.JPG
 
The Bachman 2-6-0 is a very small in comparison sized loco, the Thorney being LGB could be any scale as could the coach as you say. The Accy loco likely to be 15mm (1:22.5?) to the foot for exact scale on 45mm track at 3ft gauge, not sure but someone State side must produce correct scale cars.
 
Software Tools said:
That loco is 1:20.3 scale so overall larger the other locos you mentioned. Welcome to the crazy world of "G Scale" trains! :eek:
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The Mogul in the picture is also 1:20.3 but, as dunnyrail dunnyrail said, some of the old-time locos were smaller.

However, the question is also whether the coach is actually a representation of a Jackson Sharp. One of the other major manufacturers of narrow gauge equipment was Carter Bros, whose reputation was that they turned up, and built virtually a complete railroad (less locos and rails) from the timber around them. So, arguably, the Carter Bros coaches could vary in size to suit the circumstances.

It is the fact that the coaches were almost all wooden, that causes the window drop-lights to open upwards - the coach side below the windows was constructed as a warrren girder truss in timber :nerd::nerd:
 
dunnyrail said:
The Bachman 2-6-0 is a very small in comparison sized loco, the Thorney being LGB could be any scale as could the coach as you say. The Accy loco likely to be 15mm (1:22.5?) to the foot for exact scale on 45mm track at 3ft gauge, not sure but someone State side must produce correct scale cars.
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All of Accucraft's NG - and Bachmann's so-called Spectrum grade models - are 1/20.3 scale. This makes the 45mm gauge track we use equal to the American 3 foot gauge. LGB's Forney is way over-scale for the two-foot Maine loco it represents. However, most of the Maine 2-foot passenger cars are HUGE by comparison.

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tac foley said:
All of Accucraft's NG - and Bachmann's so-called Spectrum grade models - are 1/20.3 scale. This makes the 45mm gauge track we use equal to the American 3 foot gauge. LGB's Forney is way over-scale for the two-foot Maine loco it represents. However, most of the Maine 2-foot passenger cars are HUGE by comparison.

View attachment 332759
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My first assumption for the location of this Forney was northeastern USA.
Correction:
The Rhode Island Loco Works Forney and car in the attachment are part of the Lake Street Elevated Railroad, Chicago, Illinois, USA. It's a standard gauge railroad (4'-8 1/2")
 

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Rhinochugger said:
The Mogul in the picture is also 1:20.3 but, as dunnyrail dunnyrail said, some of the old-time locos were smaller.

However, the question is also whether the coach is actually a representation of a Jackson Sharp. One of the other major manufacturers of narrow gauge equipment was Carter Bros, whose reputation was that they turned up, and built virtually a complete railroad (less locos and rails) from the timber around them. So, arguably, the Carter Bros coaches could vary in size to suit the circumstances.

It is the fact that the coaches were almost all wooden, that causes the window drop-lights to open upwards - the coach side below the windows was constructed as a warrren girder truss in timber :nerd::nerd:
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Does anyone know if Carter Bros. built coaches that looked like Jackson & Sharpe coaches with their classic rectangular windows?
 
Fred2179G said:
The Accucraft Jackson & Sharp coaches tower over the Bachmann Spectrum 4-4-0 and 2-6-0. The CMP advertising suggested they were Fn3, but who knows.
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I think that could be due to making things ‘G’ which is not so much a scale but more a size to match with LGB thus ‘elastic ruler’ ruled. We have the same problem with odd mfg’s making Irish stock to 16mm scale so the size matches, aggravating 15mm modellers like me in the past.
 
These same issues about the CMP JS cars seem to have come up regularly, over the years. They are a bit lower and shorter (as in lack of windows) that might be expected, if comparing to bona fide 3ft gauge D&RGW (and associated RR's) JS's by Accucraft, plastic or brass, I have both.

The Bachman 2-6-0 is true to 1:20.3 scale, these were small locos in reality. I have seen pictures of them with D&RGW JS cas in period, they look tiny in comparison. Unlike with a C-19 or K-26. C&S, I have one of Accucraft's 1:20.3 C&S 2-8-0's, and C-19, K-27 & 26, and it is large compared to a 2-6-0. Carter bros cars, as mentioned here, have distinctive features like window shape and roof ends. At least as generally depicted in model terms.

However, JS made cars for all gauges and their proportions vary to suit the loading gauge of the purchasing RR. So, the CMP cars may represent a JS style car on some RR's, but they might be considered "freelance" in their proportions without evidence of the prototypes they represent. In the end, if you are happy with how they look with your locos and other stock then why worry ? If your inner rivet counter (sounds painful) cannot cope then move them on, if you must. By all accounts they were well made but missed the mark for the reasons you and others discoved. Max.

Regular length Accucraft plastic JS car at bottom (converted to Pagosa combine, using Rio Grande Models UK trans'kit) others are Accucraft brass, a San Juan set. Shows there were different car constructions and lengths within the same RR using JS's.

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