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Scale of the new Thomas kine

Started by Loco Bill Canelos, March 12, 2009, 10:27:22 AM

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Loco Bill Canelos

Bachman,

I was asked about the scale of the new Thomas line, but do not know the answer

Will the Thomas be 1:22.5 or 1:20.3?

Thanks
Loco Bill,  Roundhouse Foreman
Colorado & Kansas Railway-Missouri Western Railway
Official Historian; Bachmann Large Scale
Colorado RR Museum-Brakeman-Engineer-Motorman-Trainman
There are no dumb or stupid questions, just questions!

Joe Satnik

Dear Bill,

Trick question.

I'd ask 1:32 or 1:29 scale (Standard Gauge).   

My money, though, would go on "Rubber" Scale/Gauge.

Win: Rubber Scale - 45mm
Place: 1:32 - 45mm
Show: 1:29 - 45mm

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

If your loco is too heavy to lift, you'd better be able to ride in, on or behind it.

charon

Look at the size of the loco compared to the size of the rails and the ties in Bachmann's photo under their new products.  It appears that it might be close to 1/48th scale sitting on a G gauge track!
Chuck
Mesquite Short Line

Wade Colyer

Hi All:

Since most of the items were already done by Lionel, I wonder if they are the same tooling? Does anyone know if Kader did the Lionel items?

Wade

PS: Hi Bill. I'll see you at York.

Loco Bill Canelos

Hi Wade!! 

Where have you been??  I emailed you a couple of times, but got worried when I didn't hear from you!! Thought you were sick maybe.   I can't make it to York this spring due to family needs, but am planning to come in the fall.   Hopefully we can get together then. 
Loco Bill,  Roundhouse Foreman
Colorado & Kansas Railway-Missouri Western Railway
Official Historian; Bachmann Large Scale
Colorado RR Museum-Brakeman-Engineer-Motorman-Trainman
There are no dumb or stupid questions, just questions!

the Bach-man

Hey, Bill!
My info is that they'll be scaled to look "right", vis-a-vis the animated characters, and that no particular scale will be used. Consider the HO series: many cars are based on British Outline equipment, but when you compare our Thomas to Hornby's. there's a distinct difference. Perhaps the Troublesome Trucks will give us a clue...
Have fun!
the Bach-man

Loco Bill Canelos

Thanks Bachmann,

I guess as a Large Scale item I will need to include them in the historical database.
Loco Bill,  Roundhouse Foreman
Colorado & Kansas Railway-Missouri Western Railway
Official Historian; Bachmann Large Scale
Colorado RR Museum-Brakeman-Engineer-Motorman-Trainman
There are no dumb or stupid questions, just questions!

altterrain

Here is a good site on the prototypes and original models -
http://www.pegnsean.net/~railwayseries/index.html

-Brian
President of

Hagen

#8
I saw some prototype phots on this site today, and if they are scaled right they will look fabulous behind even the Bachmann Brassworks range.
There is a potential for lots of European customers on this range, both Thomas fans and others.
The troublesome trucks will even look right behind the class 66!

If they scale out to 1/32 I will be mighty pleased, but even 1/30 will do if the production run is half as good as those prototypes.

But please, do make it an option to run without faces  :D

By the way, the Bachmann range is the best Thomas range in H0.
Hornby has faces on the originals it seems, that way their Thomas appears much longer than the Bachmann one.

scottychaos

#9
How can fictional locomotives have an exact scale?
there is no real prototype! ;)

yes I know they are based, loosely, on real locomotives..
but the Thomas engines are not models of those real locomotives..
they are caricatures of them..

so IMO there really cant be a specific scale..because there is no 1:1 scale prototype to scale them from..

the Thomas trains will probably be simply "generic G-gauge"..
and will usually be run only in sets of Sodor locos pulling Sodor rolling stock..in which case everything will look perfectly fine..
they probably wont mix much with non-Sodor trains..and if they do, how will you know how they are supposed to look with the non-Sodor trains?   ;D

Scot

Bucksco

Scot,

Are you saying Thomas has no rivits to count?!?  ;)

Hagen

#11
Quote from: scottychaos on April 20, 2009, 10:59:15 PM
yes I know they are based, loosely, on real locomotives..
Indeed, but the wagons are not loosely anything, they are and have always been scale models. And in the shows they where 1/32 scale models  ;D
From the pictures of the prototypes it appears that Bachmann has got them about right  :)

The idea was that if they made the wagons to scale, and the locos to fit, then the wagons will have a much, much bigger market than a 'Generic G' approach (that lionel went with)

tac

Rune - the original 'Thomas' TV series, using 'real' models, rather than the newest CGI version I'm watching this minute here in UK with my grandyeb were all built using Maerklin Gauge 1 equipment, suitably modified and rebuilt - this is according to the article in 'Railway Modeller' about ten years ago.

I agree that if the new Bachmann models turn out to be 1/32 the then market for the freight cars will go berserk.  Right now such models cost a small fortune - Northern Finescale in Ontario makes them in 10mm scale [1/30th] at around £45 each as kits, or ready-made from another supplier in 1/32nd at around the same price...

best

tac
www.ovgrs.org

Hagen

Excactly
And I will also welcome a Thomas with closer spaced drivers than the Annie, one for use as Thomas, and several for 'rebuilds'.
Not many standard gauge locomotives has axle spacing like that (with that size driver wheel)

James Thomas

Bucksco,

Perhaps you mean "rivets" -- but who"s counting.

JRT