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Welcome to the resource centre for 1/32nd scale railway modelling, your gateway to the rewarding world of true scale railway modelling in "Gauge One". June 2008 A few observations about the state of Gauge One modelling as it currently stands. Politics Some five years or so after I first created this web site, the world of Gauge One railway modelling here in the UK has perceptibly changed. 1/32 scale is now broadly accepted as being the norm rather than the exception for future development and all significant plans and products from manufacturers both large and small are now being made in this more correct scale. I flatter myself that this website and my occasional letter writing has helped to bring 1/32 scale to the fore, although such a change within Gauge One has been a logical development for many years before any involvement of mine. To quote the great Stuart Hine from the July 1975 issue of "Model Railways"; can anyone tell me why the Gauge 1 fraternity stick to such an insanely unmanageable scale as 10mm/ft when 3/8"/ft (1/32) is almost exactly correct for the track gauge and vastly easier to work in when using prototype drawings. In June 2008 Dick Moger, past and potentially future chairman of G1MRA and an accomplished builder and operator of (10mm scale) steam locomotives, wrote on the G1MRA yahoo group; It would seem clear that 1/32 scale is set to dominate in the future. Standards With that accomplished, the next hurdle is a general improvement of the track and wheel standards used in Gauge 1. There are now three standards to choose from: Standard, Fine and ScaleOne32. ScaleOne32 is what I am eneavouring to use and has been devised (by Simon Dunkley and myself) to be "backwards compatible" with the "Fine" standard. Unfortunately the vast majority of Gauge 1 utilises "Standard", which apart from looking coarser than it needs to also gives rise to excessive slop and wheels dropping into gaps causing hammering at crossing noses. Slaters have pragmatically reduced the back to back measurement of their "Fine" standard wheels to 41mm in order that they will run on Peco track, but precluding their use (without increasing the back to back) on "Fine" standard trackwork - a fourth "de facto" standard? Other manufacturers producing stock do their best with back to backs and flange depths reportedly deviating from "Standard" towards "Finescale" as they struggle with the conflict of aesthetics and the demands of the existing G1MRA market. Someone somewhere ought to be trying to pull this all together and make sense of it, this is bound to be a thorny issue but is vital to the further development and dare I say improvement of Gauge One. It is a task which is ideally suited to the collective wit and experience of the G1MRA comittee and is an issue which we certainly ought to be at least discussing. Products Even since the begining of this year there have been further developments with more new products being announced by Tower Models, Sang Shen, Accucraft UK, Trevor Taylor and Bachmann. The latest "sensation" is the announcement of competing electrically powered "Black Five" models by both Accucraft and Bachmann, whilst in the meantime rumours circulate about who will be the first to bring a Ready to Run Mk 1 coach to the market at less than £200 apiece and make themselves a fortune in the process. I have to admit that this potential whirlwind of Chinese produced "out of the box" production and concern for the price of everything leaves me feeling a little cold. Don't get me wrong, I will be a customer for some of it (so long as it's the correct shape), but I do worry that it will take away from the potential enjoyment to be had from creating models in this most satisfying of scales and drive the "craft" element of Gauge One to the sidelines. Whilst I am probably seen by many as being overly critical of G1MRA, what it does achieve brilliantly is a very high proportion of original and creative engineering and modelling. This is something which it seems to me is rapidly evaporating from the small scale modelling scene as we swamp and gorge ourselves on containerloads of endlessly detailed models from the Far East. For this reason I am going to try and highlight and give information on the smaller and craft elements of Gauge One 1/32 modelling whilst at the same time keeping a watching brief on more "train set" developments. Personal trains I managed to get "Pomparles Siding" in a sufficiently ready state to exhibit it at the Thornbury show back at the beginning of May. I had a great time shunting up and down and talking to visitors and apart from one or two initial problems on the drive train of the 48DS it all worked very well. Before concentrating on the layout I managed to finally complete my "Toad" brake van which had become a bit of a "mental block" over the previous four years, and this took its place on the layout alongside my other stock. I entered it into a competition and was pleased and flattered to win the "Moorcroft Challenge Bowl" for models over 7mm scale with it. A picture (apologies for quality) of the layout at Thornbury appears below.
I am currently working on a set of 1/32 scale etchings in order to produce a small turn of the Century Peckett for Pomparles Siding. A small batch were produced by Agenoria through the good offices of John Taylor, who is also constructing one. It is quite a challenge as there are no turnings or castings with it, although Slaters have produced suitable driving wheels and are working on Peckett buffers too. I will post some pictures when I am feeling more confident about the outcome.... As the information available to be put on this website grows I have now added an "archive"section where old pages can be placed for future reference. I am continuing to work with resin and details of the results plus build up information on my Toad may be seen on the my models page of the virtual library. If you know of any product or information which should be added to this site, then please let me know. | |||||
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The ultimate diesel model.. Rob Mabbett's utterly believable model of class 22 number D6320, as running around Gloucester in the late sixties. Built from one of Fred Phipps' superb kits, see "Diesel hydraulics" for further photographs of stupendous modelling and painting. |
Seized up in the sidings.... Accurately scaled kit for the diminutive Ruston and Hornsby 48 horsepower shunter. Louvres mastered by Fred Phipps, detailed drawing work currently ossified. Continuing apologies, hope to get this project going again one day - I am no kit manufacturer. A detailed constructional article on my model is however featured in the April 2007 issue of "Railway Modeller"
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A Yahoo group to foster interest in modelling in this scale. Join below. | |||
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The intention of this site is to build a point of reference and centre of information for all individuals with an interest in 1/32nd scale standard gauge modelling. The fact that most prototypes discussed are British reflects the author's first interest and that outside of the UK Gauge One is generally practised at 1/32nd scale already. The author of this site is Simon Castens, who takes responsibility for all opinions expressed and any mistakes that might have escaped his attention. If you would like to comment on anything written here, then please do so! Last updated 27th June 2008. "ScaleOne32" standards, published 7th January 2006. | |||||
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