Mixing Brands

[3Bird]

I'm new here, and I'm embarking on a project to expand my small collection of 46-year old LGBs. My question is about how well other G scale brands mix in with LGBs. For example, I'm looking at an Aristocraft gondola (4103) and a USA Trains refrigerator car (R16520). Will these fit in with my LGBs? Overall, is there a hierarchy of brands? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? Thanks in advance for any assistance/insights.

 

[Neil Robinson]

Simplistically, whatever you think looks O.K.
Regarding scale LGB is renown for mixing scales, sometimes even on the same model!
Practically I'd try and standardise on couplings. The choice would seem simple, LGB hook and loop or knuckle. However LGB do knuckle couplings that are a bit bigger than others. In my experience mixing brands of knuckle couplers may cause occasional accidental uncoupling.

 

[3Bird]

Simplistically, whatever you think looks O.K.
Regarding scale LGB is renown for mixing scales, sometimes even on the same model!
Practically I'd try and standardise on couplings. The choice would seem simple, LGB hook and loop or knuckle. However LGB do knuckle couplings that are a bit bigger than others. In my experience mixing brands of knuckle couplers may cause occasional accidental uncoupling.

Thanks. That helps a lot. I'm a complete noob, so I'm not even sure what questions to ask as I begin to grow my collection. It's harder still when looking at potential purchases online and trying to figure out if they will fit in or look okay together with my existing cars. I know coming from the world of miniatures that some brands work better at mixing with others even when they are supposedly the same scale, so I was wondering if the same hold true amongst G scale.

 

[PhilP]

Think more what you want YOUR railway to represent.. Then you will buy less that will not 'fit' with your chosen location/style of railway.

Do you want:
Long sweeping trains, with American outline diesels?
A bucolic English country branch-line?
A narrow gauge logging line?

If you can come up with a theme, and possibly invent a back-story for the line's existence, you will buy less which does not 'belong'.

 

[3Bird]

Think more what you want YOUR railway to represent.. Then you will buy less that will not 'fit' with your chosen location/style of railway.

Do you want:
Long sweeping trains, with American outline diesels?
A bucolic English country branch-line?
A narrow gauge logging line?

If you can come up with a theme, and possibly invent a back-story for the line's existence, you will buy less which does not 'belong'.

I agree wholeheartedly, and I've already started down that road. As an example, I live in Maine, and I want my railway to reflect some of the history of Maine's railways. I know I'm interested in American diesels pulling freight (although I LOVE the idea of a narrow gauge logging line!). I'm still struggling however with looking at a freight car online, knowing that it fits my theme, but not knowing how it will look/work side-by-side with my existing equipment. Neil Robinson helped me to begin to think in terms of functionality (e.g., compatible couplings), but I'm also thinking about scale. In other words, from a scale perspective, will a G scale USA Trains 16520 G Boston & Maine 40' Refrigerator Car look okay coupled to an LGB 4067 State of Maine Box Car coupled to a Aristocraft REA-41003 Prime Mover for Maine Industry Mill Gondola. I know they all generally fit my theme, but without being able to see them in person before purchasing, are there any rules of thumb by which to go? It sounds maybe like there are not given Neil's comment about LGB's renown for mixing scales.

 

[maxi-model]

Manufacturers like LGB/USAT/Aristocraft/Piko & Bachmann's Big Hauler range tend to make their standard gauge US outline offerings around the 1:29 scale, save a little jiggery pokery on proportions to get them to go round tight curves. Accucraft's premium "Mainline" range is scaled at 1:29 too. When depicting US outline narrow gauge locos and stock, 2ft - 3ft in real life, they tend to go for something around 1:22.5. Big difference when matching things up.

There are a couple of exceptions to the above "rules" - Bachmann and Accucraft use the larger 1:20.3 (F) scale for their 3 ft gauge based "Spectrum" & "AMS" narrow gauge ranges respectively. And MTH and Accucraft, with their AMS branded range, use the smaller 1:32 scale (Gauge 1) for their US standard gauge items compared to the others. Some items out there are 1:24 too, e.g the USAT work train series. But the above all runs on the LGB type 45mm gauged track.

As mentioned above, you need to standardize on a coupler type. The only ones, knuckle that is, that gave me trouble working together with all the others were from the Bachmann Big Hauler range. Hook and loop are very forgiving but never look right to my eyes. Somewhere down the line though, if you decide to go with the knuckle type, you might want to look at the Kadee coupler make. You can standardize on them throughout or use ad hoc to iron out any anomalies you encounter. Well that's what I did. Max

 

[Gavin Sowry]

Mixing brands, why not. Here we have Aristocraft, USA Trains, LGB, and Bachmann. They all look OK, because we have a 'theme'. Coupler issues were solved by either swapping over to LGB, or making up adapter cars.
Now, if I were to chuck in some LGB Feldban, and Thomas series cars... that would look damned stupid. I do have said stock, but it remains running with compatible cars.

 

[PhilP]

You will find differences in size, but then that happens in the prototype as well..
As long as you do not put a really small example in the middle of your largest stock, you will find the eye is very forgiving.

 

[Neil Robinson]

Mention of scale and Maine's railways reminded me of this film on YouTube. In particular the bit around 1 min 40 sec,

 

[ARIA31]

I shared the question in 2:

a) I mix LGB, USA trains Piko , having all hook and loop. This works without issue.
However about scale there are differences in between brands. I have 1:22.5, 1:24, 1:29 !!

b) I kept all my Bachammn rolling stock with their knuckle couplers.
However I install a Bachmann knuckle coupler on my LGB Uintah.
All this is related to what I call my "western style" rolling stock.

 

[dunnyrail]

I have hung back a little from this as it is important to truly understand what you are seeking. Looks like you are going for a Maine interest but NG or SG? If NG then 2ft would be the likely choice but on 45mm not perfect but many ignore the difference and use the varying LGB and other stock. Rule 1 it is your railway.

Best option is to try to keep sizes similar and in this respect both LGB and Piko have elastic rulers that keep things pretty well the same size. This is also true about other mfgs, however Bachmann for instance have done true to scale 1:20 something scale 3ft gauge prototypes which towers over most other stock in terms of width. A good plan if you buy at swopmeets and shows may be to do a cardboard. End profile so that you can compare height and width (include wheels in the size) thus ensuring that you are not buying things that do not match.

As for couplings, if I was doing USA Prototypes I would certainly be using KD couplings. The alternative types (KD lookalikes) are in my view totally unreliable and inadequate. If money is a big issue then LGB hook and loop take a lot of beating for reliability and likely that pretty well most you buy will have these fitted. Should you choose to go KD, you can do it in bits with whatever you can afford with some wagons in a set having wagons with alternative couplings at each end. Eventually you would reach criticle mass and all would be KD.

 

[Neil Robinson]

Another interesting system not a million miles from Maine was that on the island of Newfoundland. Towards the end of its existence it used some rebogied standard gauge box cars. These were easy to spot in a mixed train due to their larger size.
Have a look at this YouTube film from around 2 mins 30 sec.

 

[dunnyrail]

Another interesting system not a million miles from Maine was that on the island of Newfoundland. Towards the end of its existence it used some rebogied standard gauge box cars. These were easy to spot in a mixed train due to their larger size.
Have a look at this YouTube film from around 2 mins 30 sec.

Was that line 3ft gauge?

 

[Neil Robinson]

Was that line 3ft gauge?

No, 3ft 6in.

 

[ARIA31]

I read again the very first post of 3Bird, and I can add :
The Piko range is quite big , a priori , it is 1:22.5 but it looks often quite bigger than LGB hardware.

Then my USA trains locos looks really smaller than LGB or Piko ones .
I have currently interest in an MTH engine but with 1:32 I fear it would be really too small in the middle of all my other rolling stock.

At last I make trains with USA train american series and LGB (american shape) and do not see any issue.

 

[3Bird]

I read again the very first post of 3Bird, and I can add :
The Piko range is quite big , a priori , it is 1:22.5 but it looks often quite bigger than LGB hardware.

Then my USA trains locos looks really smaller than LGB or Piko ones .
I have currently interest in an MTH engine but with 1:32 I fear it would be really too small in the middle of all my other rolling stock.

At last I make trains with USA train american series and LGB (american shape) and do not see any issue.

Very helpful. Thanks. That's exactly the sort of experience for which I was looking.

 

[3Bird]

Another interesting system not a million miles from Maine was that on the island of Newfoundland. Towards the end of its existence it used some rebogied standard gauge box cars. These were easy to spot in a mixed train due to their larger size.
Have a look at this YouTube film from around 2 mins 30 sec.

That's great! Thanks.

 

[3Bird]

I have hung back a little from this as it is important to truly understand what you are seeking. Looks like you are going for a Maine interest but NG or SG? If NG then 2ft would be the likely choice but on 45mm not perfect but many ignore the difference and use the varying LGB and other stock. Rule 1 it is your railway.

Uh-oh. What's NG and SG? Remember, total noob here. ;-)

 

[3Bird]

Mention of scale and Maine's railways reminded me of this film on YouTube. In particular the bit around 1 min 40 sec,

That's great! Thanks. I've fished the Sandy, and I know exactly where that is.

 

[PhilP]

Uh-oh. What's NG and SG? Remember, total noob here. ;-)

SG - Standard Gauge 4' 81/2"
NG - Narrow Gauge (anything less than Standard Gauge)