Friday, March 18, 2011

UK vs US rolling stock

Uk vs US Stock 2

While I'm doing this HO scale thang, I couldn't resist posting pictures of the UK Ruston 165DS locomotive coupled to a US bogie reefer. The contrast in size between the two items of rolling stock is very interesting.

While I'm not an expert, I think this is a pretty standard wagon on American railways. It towers over the locomotive though. The difference in volume, allowed by thier more generous loading gauge, shows why in the old days you could fit a motor into a 3.5mm scale American loco wheras to do the same with a UK one, we had to blow the scale up to 4mm to the foot whilst retaining the same gauge.

Of course, nowadays we have nice little motors and sophisticated gearboxes which will fit. But it's too late to alter the most popular scale. Anyway, if you've ever built a locomotive with waggly bits on the otside, you'll have appreciated the extra space 'twixt wheels and footplate edge.

Uk vs US Stock 1

4 comments:

Colin 't Hart said...

And that's just a small transition-era boxcar! A modern 89' autorack is over twice as long and almost twice as tall!

Phil Parker said...

Really ? !?!

As da Kidz say: OMG !

John Teal said...

you picture makes the loco look small .Its when you start thinking the boxcar is 1:87 and the loco is 1:76 you realise that in "real life" American stock is massive compared to ours.

silentwarrior said...

protoype example english loco aud US rolling stock:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=314109&nseq=10