What is British G Scale

[dunnyrail]

Rik,

Up until 23rd December the idea of a garden railway was but just a dream for the future, until we found a new property my beloved and I could agree on.

My interest in the larger scales/gauges is very new and until two weeks ago was always intended to be 15mil scale based on the Manx Northern Railway. In January and then February I picked up two G gauge trams on flea bay.

My question was simply to understand what was meant by british G scale, is it a thread for people modelling G gauge in britain, is it a thread for people modelling british prototypes on G gauge, I was just trying to understand the thread title and if it could be one for me to add to the watch list.

Since joining this group I suspect my modelling path will be a tramway one rather than railway, my interest in british trams is limited with the exception of the Isle of Man, why I don't know but something about the island appeals, my other tramway interest lays mainly with the Ringhoffer trams which I discovered about 10 years ago.

So I am a predominantly a tramway modeller living in Scotland with a british interest for an island i haven't been to for about 35 years.

If you can un-scramble that lot can you please explain to me whether I am a british Gauge scale/gauge modeller I just plan to model things which appeal.

David

Certainly if you model IOM cars at a scale of 15mm to the foot on 45mm track they will look just fine next to LGB, Bachmann and Occre kits. I reckon that IOM bogie cars, particularly the so called winter cars should be an easy build being somewhat square in section. Power by USA a Locomotive Bogie would be a fine option for battery control. Trailers may be a bit trickier being I think mostly more rotund and of course cross bench. However cheeply sourced non working Bachmann Cross Bench and Enclosed Cars could be nicely hacked to make IoM Bogie Trailers.

Link to the USA bogies, only 1 needed per car. Have not measured up how they would be for size but would be a good start.

Replacement Motor Truck NW-2/S4 | Garden Railway Specialists Tel:01844 345158

www.grsuk.com

 

[DafyddElvy]

Certainly if you model IOM cars at a scale of 15mm to the foot on 45mm track they will look just fine next to LGB, Bachmann and Occre kits. I reckon that IOM bogie cars, particularly the so called winter cars should be an easy build being somewhat square in section. Power by USA a Locomotive Bogie would be a fine option for battery control. Trailers may be a bit trickier being I think mostly more rotund and of course cross bench. However cheeply sourced non working Bachmann Cross Bench and Enclosed Cars could be nicely hacked to make IoM Bogie Trailers.

Link to the USA bogies, only 1 needed per car. Have not measured up how they would be for size but would be a good start.

Replacement Motor Truck NW-2/S4 | Garden Railway Specialists Tel:01844 345158

www.grsuk.com

Thanks for the link, my plan is to use the Appletree Railways traction motors.

David

 

[Steve Manners]

As others have pointed out above, the garden railway scene in the UK is dominated by 16mm scale/32mm gauge which well suits small British 2' gauge rolling stock in small British gardens. There is an absence of suitable (non-tramway) prototypes on 3', metre or 3'6" gauge in the British Isles. The glaring exception is of course the Irish 3' gauge lines which seem to have a very limited following in this size, surprising considering the abundance of very attractive prototypes and the extensive trade support for IoM railways. However, the British built many railways outside these shores, and a great number of these were narrow-gauge. This includes enormous metre-gauge networks in India, East Africa, Argentina and Brazil, and Cape gauge systems in Southern Africa, New Zealand and Australia. Even in Europe, there were substantial British owned narrow gauge operations - the Rio Tinto railway had a roster of 150 steam locos including two Garratts.
So there is a huge number of British prototypes suitable for G "scale" from the drawing offices of Beyer Peacock, North British, Vulcan Foundry and the rest, plus an amazing variety of rolling stock. As a bonus, 45mm gauge is spot on for 3'6" prototypes at 1:24 scale, so it's very easy to translate imperial measurements from drawing to model.

Hi, I work in 1/24 ish scale most of the time on 45mm track, but like most people I drift towards other ratios for a variety of reasons, hence I class myself as a scale muddler. The first thing to remember when you are adapting or scratchbuilding is that you are modelling. You are sometimes Gulliver and looking down on things from a great height, and that produces some scale anomalies straight away. Other times you are closer to a normal eye level because you are seated, or the layout is raised up. Then you can compress perspective, a trick used by film makers and modellers for a very long time. For instance I have some 1/25 vehicles which I place to the back of my layouts, the true 1/24 ones go in the foreground. When it comes to figures the cheapo Chinese ones ( often crude versions of Preiser ) are marketed as 1/24 or 1/25 and are available in larger scales too. You can mix figures in different scales a bit here, because people vary in size quite a lot even without age differences. I chop and change the heads, sometimes using slightly larger ones on smaller bodies and puttying flat caps on. My layouts are basically British mainline toy train sets. I can set them up in the garden when it's fine, or in an empty shop window to amuse the passers by. I use Bachmann Thomas stuff for the bigger engines and rolling stock and Playmobil motor blocks for contractors locos and small shunters. The discrepancies in wheel size and spacing are ignored as long as they are somewhere near.
Scale, as they say in Pirates of the Caribbean, is not so much a set of rules, more a set o' guidelines! And that brings me to my final point. A lot of large scale rail modellers are making their own video films now and using all the tricks of the movie trade to entertain us. My particular favourites are Rik's PLR, Steve and Pat Atkinsons Foamex brick wonderland, Dave Skertchly's Vale of Weedol, and the sadly missed Duck End railway. I don't even think about scale when I am watching them, they are almost as real as the Simpsons. Anyway, thanks to them for their film work, blogs and magazine articles, much appreciated. Steve M.
Oh not forgetting Penphyl Halt, a great layout that takes the kids approach, if it's colourful, noisy and moves, in it goes!

 

[PhilP]

Well that is my Sunday sorted..

I have not come across some of those lines..

 

[idlemarvel]

Hi, I work in 1/24 ish scale most of the time on 45mm track, but like most people I drift towards other ratios for a variety of reasons, hence I class myself as a scale muddler. The first thing to remember when you are adapting or scratchbuilding is that you are modelling. You are sometimes Gulliver and looking down on things from a great height, and that produces some scale anomalies straight away. Other times you are closer to a normal eye level because you are seated, or the layout is raised up. Then you can compress perspective, a trick used by film makers and modellers for a very long time. For instance I have some 1/25 vehicles which I place to the back of my layouts, the true 1/24 ones go in the foreground. When it comes to figures the cheapo Chinese ones ( often crude versions of Preiser ) are marketed as 1/24 or 1/25 and are available in larger scales too. You can mix figures in different scales a bit here, because people vary in size quite a lot even without age differences. I chop and change the heads, sometimes using slightly larger ones on smaller bodies and puttying flat caps on. My layouts are basically British mainline toy train sets. I can set them up in the garden when it's fine, or in an empty shop window to amuse the passers by. I use Bachmann Thomas stuff for the bigger engines and rolling stock and Playmobil motor blocks for contractors locos and small shunters. The discrepancies in wheel size and spacing are ignored as long as they are somewhere near.
Scale, as they say in Pirates of the Caribbean, is not so much a set of rules, more a set o' guidelines! And that brings me to my final point. A lot of large scale rail modellers are making their own video films now and using all the tricks of the movie trade to entertain us. My particular favourites are Rik's PLR, Steve and Pat Atkinsons Foamex brick wonderland, Dave Skertchly's Vale of Weedol, and the sadly missed Duck End railway. I don't even think about scale when I am watching them, they are almost as real as the Simpsons. Anyway, thanks to them for their film work, blogs and magazine articles, much appreciated. Steve M.
Oh not forgetting Penphyl Halt, a great layout that takes the kids approach, if it's colourful, noisy and moves, in it goes!

Not sure what someone found to disagree with in your post but anyway S Steve Manners do you have a link to the "foamex brick wonderland" site as I couldn't find that on YouTube. Thanks.

 

[Paul M]

Click to expand...

Not sure what someone found to disagree with in your post but anyway

Many, many apologies, that seems to have been me. Not sure what happened, but I certainly didn't mean to disagree with anyone, least of you Steve.

 

[Steve Manners]

Not sure what someone found to disagree with in your post but anyway S Steve Manners do you have a link to the "foamex brick wonderland" site as I couldn't find that on YouTube. Thanks.

Hi, the foamex brick wonderland is my description, not an official one. You will probably find it on You Tube by putting in 16mm scale buildings. You could also try Steve Atkinson watermill model build in 16mm. I have looked at his stuff that often I have forgotten how I originally found it. He's obviously an engineering type of bloke so he makes simple stuff like buildings look easy. Don't be fooled though he's really good at it and does brilliant demo videos. His wife Pat does most of the painting and she's definitely a dab hand at that. I think they came from Hull originally and some of their lineside buildings are obviously based on Hull prototypes. I think they live near Clementhorpe now and they run the Clementhorpe light railway. That might be another way to find them on YT. If you still can't find it get back to me and I will get a more definite way in for you next time I am on YT.

 

[mike]

British g scale, its having fun,while making stuff ,mates taking the mick,and enjoying the banter.its not counting the scale of measurement but the joy of building it

 

[Steve Manners]

British g scale, its having fun,while making stuff ,mates taking the mick,and enjoying the banter.its not counting the scale of measurement but the joy of building itView attachment 283269

Hi, just looking at the photo of your layout. You seem to have the addiction to bricks most of us have. Your brickwork looks great. Is it laser cut, moulded or do you scribe it into foamex? When you post photos on GSC do you need to compress them or put them into JPEG or something? I am a novice at sending pictures.

 

[Hal Farsed]

British g scale, its having fun,while making stuff ,mates taking the mick,and enjoying the banter.its not counting the scale of measurement but the joy of building itView attachment 283269

Good Lord. Replace the train with a gauge1 Jinty and a few 16 tonners, and you got the set for the next Peaky Blinders! <ahem, on topic> I sort of do British G Scale, but its freelance and I could quite easily say it was Fn3. One of the reasons I kept 45mm and didnt go to 32mm is an Accucraft Caledonia, that I was not, and am not, prepared to get rid of!

 

[Flying15]

British g scale, its having fun,while making stuff ,mates taking the mick,and enjoying the banter.its not counting the scale of measurement but the joy of building itView attachment 283269

I like Mikes summing up of G scale particularly the fun side
I tend towards rivet accountancy in smaller scales
I made the mistake of Stirlingizing Bachmanns Emily and journeying down a cul de sac of 1/24 (ish) standard gauge locos on 45mm track
Below is the latest almost finished build
It ll (just) traverse 4’ rad curves
It’s based on Maunsells proposed freight version of the Lord Nelson class

 

[dunnyrail]

I like Mikes summing up of G scale particularly the fun side
I tend towards rivet accountancy in smaller scales
I made the mistake of Stirlingizing Bachmanns Emily and journeying down a cul de sac of 1/24 (ish) standard gauge locos on 45mm track
Below is the latest almost finished build
It ll (just) traverse 4’ rad curves
It’s based on Maunsells proposed freight version of the Lord Nelson classView attachment 283375

Yup that would be G for Gargantuan.

 

[Steve Manners]

I like Mikes summing up of G scale particularly the fun side
I tend towards rivet accountancy in smaller scales
I made the mistake of Stirlingizing Bachmanns Emily and journeying down a cul de sac of 1/24 (ish) standard gauge locos on 45mm track
Below is the latest almost finished build
It ll (just) traverse 4’ rad curves
It’s based on Maunsells proposed freight version of the Lord Nelson classView attachment 283375

Hi, I am considering "Stirlingising" an Emily. What are your concerns about doing it?

 

[mike]

Hi, just looking at the photo of your layout. You seem to have the addiction to bricks most of us have. Your brickwork looks great. Is it laser cut, moulded or do you scribe it into foamex? When you post photos on GSC do you need to compress them or put them into JPEG or something? I am a novice at sending pictures.

Thank you , it's all by hand,scribed in, wire brush and paint..
To add photos ..
5 th along the top of the replie box ,,looks like hills in a picture frame,click on it ..then this pops up...

 

[mike]

Good Lord. Replace the train with a gauge1 Jinty and a few 16 tonners, and you got the set for the next Peaky Blinders! <ahem, on topic> I sort of do British G Scale, but its freelance and I could quite easily say it was Fn3. One of the reasons I kept 45mm and didnt go to 32mm is an Accucraft Caledonia, that I was not, and am not, prepared to get rid of!

Nailed it...

 

[Flying15]

Hi, I am considering "Stirlingising" an Emily. What are your concerns about doing it?

Hi Steve
I guess the first hurdle to overcome is to take a tool and start removing the moulded on handrails
That’s the point of no return
I used the Smallbrook kit for some parts
On the smoke box I extended the straps
I didn’t use the splasher as my model represents one of the final build/batch
These had cabs similar to Emily
However with hind sight I should have gone further and cut away a larger cut out
On the tender I picked a loco which had a tender with just two coal rails as I think this type looks better
Below are a few images
I’ve gone on to use Emily to create a Dean Single and a Midland Spinner
These involve complete new loco bodies
Both are briefly described elsewhere here
Good luck
Chris

 

[Steve Manners]

Hi Steve
I guess the first hurdle to overcome is to take a tool and start removing the moulded on handrails
That’s the point of no return
I used the Smallbrook kit for some parts
On the smoke box I extended the straps
I didn’t use the splasher as my model represents one of the final build/batch
These had cabs similar to Emily
However with hind sight I should have gone further and cut away a larger cut out
On the tender I picked a loco which had a tender with just two coal rails as I think this type looks better
Below are a few images
I’ve gone on to use Emily to create a Dean Single and a Midland Spinner
These involve complete new loco bodies
Both are briefly described elsewhere here
Good luck
ChrisView attachment 283425View attachment 283426

Thanks Chris, when I finally get round to it your pictures will be a great help. I have some of the Smallbrook bits to ponder with. My Stirling will be on loan to my "Hull Barnsley and North Eastern Heritage railway". The original Hull and Barnsley had Matthew Stirling as its chief engineer before the NER took it over so that's the excuse for a loan from a relative. As it's a modern heritage railway I can do pretty much what I please! Should I paint it green ( what shade ) or drop black?

 

[Paul M]

Thanks Chris, when I finally get round to it your pictures will be a great help. I have some of the Smallbrook bits to ponder with. My Stirling will be on loan to my "Hull Barnsley and North Eastern Heritage railway". The original Hull and Barnsley had Matthew Stirling as its chief engineer before the NER took it over so that's the excuse for a loan from a relative. As it's a modern heritage railway I can do pretty much what I please! Should I paint it green ( what shade ) or drop black?

Green

 

[tac foley]

As others have pointed out above, the garden railway scene in the UK is dominated by 16mm scale/32mm gauge which well suits small British 2' gauge rolling stock in small British gardens. There is an absence of suitable (non-tramway) prototypes on 3', metre or 3'6" gauge in the British Isles. The glaring exception is of course the Irish 3' gauge lines which seem to have a very limited following in this size, surprising considering the abundance of very attractive prototypes and the extensive trade support for IoM railways. However, the British built many railways outside these shores, and a great number of these were narrow-gauge. This includes enormous metre-gauge networks in India, East Africa, Argentina and Brazil, and Cape gauge systems in Southern Africa, New Zealand and Australia. Even in Europe, there were substantial British owned narrow gauge operations - the Rio Tinto railway had a roster of 150 steam locos including two Garratts.
So there is a huge number of British prototypes suitable for G "scale" from the drawing offices of Beyer Peacock, North British, Vulcan Foundry and the rest, plus an amazing variety of rolling stock. As a bonus, 45mm gauge is spot on for 3'6" prototypes at 1:24 scale, so it's very easy to translate imperial measurements from drawing to model.

You missed out Japan, whose mainline trackage - thanks to the British railway engineers - is the Cape Gauge of 3ft 6in. Only the Shinkansen is to standard gauge of 4ft 8.5in.

 

[tac foley]

As others have pointed out above, the garden railway scene in the UK is dominated by 16mm scale/32mm gauge which well suits small British 2' gauge rolling stock in small British gardens. There is an absence of suitable (non-tramway) prototypes on 3', metre or 3'6" gauge in the British Isles. The glaring exception is of course the Irish 3' gauge lines which seem to have a very limited following in this size, surprising considering the abundance of very attractive prototypes and the extensive trade support for IoM railways. However, the British built many railways outside these shores, and a great number of these were narrow-gauge. This includes enormous metre-gauge networks in India, East Africa, Argentina and Brazil, and Cape gauge systems in Southern Africa, New Zealand and Australia. Even in Europe, there were substantial British owned narrow gauge operations - the Rio Tinto railway had a roster of 150 steam locos including two Garratts.
So there is a huge number of British prototypes suitable for G "scale" from the drawing offices of Beyer Peacock, North British, Vulcan Foundry and the rest, plus an amazing variety of rolling stock. As a bonus, 45mm gauge is spot on for 3'6" prototypes at 1:24 scale, so it's very easy to translate imperial measurements from drawing to model.

There is an ever-growing following of Sarth Efrican Cape Gauge in 1/24th scale, thanks to keen folks in RSA and here in UK, like Andrew Giffen, who builds 1/24th scale Beyer-Garratts of the most humungous dimensions, as well as the beautiful Walmer line narrow gauge Pacific tank locos in 1/19th scale live steam. David Williams - Resurgam Models - over in North Wales, makes a ever-increasing range of rolling stock kits in 1/19th scale. And Riekus back down in RSA batch-builds a small range of SAR diesels of astounding quality [and price] in 1/24th.