TRIX OO Scale products?

This week saw the anniversary of the battle of the Somme. I had not realised that we were to have a re-enactment disguised as Hun HO v Brit OO. When do we get the poison gas?

When the war ended (1945) , I was lucky enough to get my Hornby Duchess. Even at 8 y.o. the O gauge stuff( of all marques) was regarded as crap. Triang was just another swear word. My Dad's boss, a Swiss, regularely bought his grandson Marklin and German Trix trains which I was summoned to put into service. I was not impressed with them. Despite the enormous step change to HD we, the discerning and adoring fans were seeking better both in quality and fidelity.

Nevertheless, we had to order each item in a rationed list of customers and often accept something different. The waits seemed interminable - certainly into months. With such restrictions applied to this "non-essential" manufacturing it is no surprise that no-one rushed to change their tooling. In any case, the relative size of one scale models would make the brits diminutive so as it is, those so inclined can mix and match with impunity. I like OO.

Regards

Peter A

"kim" wrote

The Ringfield motor was a load of pooh in my opinion - it certainly did nothing for the appearance of the Hornby models and I didn't really see any improvement in performance or reliability.

I was just grateful that I'd got a pre-Ringfield 8F and a Castle and didn't want one of those silly West Country thingies.

And it didn't get any better after the Margate Mafia got hold of the product range, and even today their marketing people don't appear to listen to what the market wants, even though they claim popular demand for some of their decisions.

John.

SMP is alive and well and trading from 149 Landor Rd, Whitnash, Leamington Spa, CV31 2LF.

It is the same people who had the Train Shop in Warwick, just moved elsewhere when the shop closed.

"John Shelley" wrote

Thank you, that information is useful.

John.

According to the UK Model Shops website their telephone number is 01926 428530 and the catalogue is £1.00 post free

There is a new train shop in Warwick now. Forgotten the address, sorry.

MBQ

Thanks all, that's reassuring.

I remember PC coach wheels. Very nice for static models :-(

I use asymmetrical flangeways. The crossing/wing rail gap on my 00 points is

1.15 mm (standard SMP aluminium gauge) and the stock rail/check rail gap is 1.50 mm (standard PCB sleeper). Check gauge is thus 13.85 mm, check to crossing is 15.00 mm and I use a back to back of 14.5 mm. I have nothing finer than 1 in 8 crossings.

Works for me, as they say.

My cousin used to run a nursery (garden centre) in Whitnash.

Would I be corect in thinking that phosphor bronze track was completely rigid thus requiring compensated suspension?

(kim)

No.

I think you have made a typo error, check gauge 13.85mm?? Your check gauge must be larger than your wheel back to back.

Terry Flynn

HO wagon weight and locomotive tractive effort estimates

DC control circuit diagrams

HO scale track and wheel standards

Any scale track standard and wheel spread sheet

The Eureka 60 is a r-t-r model. There are thousands being manufactured. Same factory as many of the current 00 r-t-r models comes out of.

True, on some track geometry's using Peco track there is noticeable wheel drop (usually slips and the outside leg of curved turnouts. It runs on Peco code 100 or 75 track just fine, no derailments.

True.

Correct about the track, incorrect about some H0 r-t-r locomotives and carriages.

The standard for r-t-r is getting finer with every new model being produced. The toy train market is basically Tomas and friends. Today's main market produces scale models for us, and technology now produces scale width H0 steam locomotives r-t-r. The Eureka NSWR 60class Garratt proves this. Other than a small initial market, there is no technical reason why you could not produce r-t-r EM models for the same price as current 00.

I disagree, a gauge of 15mm is to far from a visual perspective, the original 15.8mm was the better choice for 3.5mm/ft scale.

I fully agree with you on the opinion that H0 is not the answer for the UK. And that is from someone who models in H0. I also fully agree with you about track gauge not being the be all and end all. Because so called experts within the NMRA and DOGA insist on 16.5mm for the minimum track gauge their respective standards are coarser than necessary and no easier to make compared to finer standards.

Terry Flynn

HO wagon weight and locomotive tractive effort estimates

DC control circuit diagrams

HO scale track and wheel standards

Any scale track standard and wheel spread sheet

Terry, I was referring to the distance between the outside faces of the wing and check rails. 1.5 + 13.85 + 1.15 = 16.5. Perhaps that's not the check gauge.

Hi John,

No, that's usually called the check span.

The check gauge is from one running rail face to the outer face of the opposite check rail. This is the most important track dimension to ensure good running. The actual track gauge can go wider on sharp curves, but the continuous check rail flangeway gap should widen by the same amount so that the check gauge remains constant.

If you use different dimensions for the check rail gap and the wing rail gap it can lead to problems. For example, quite often in a crossover the wing rail of one crossing (frog) is extended to form the check rail of the other crossing (frog). If you use different gap dimensions this rail will need a kink in it, and running of wheels against it will be rough. Also there are cases where crossings (frogs) sometimes come opposite one another, for example in a 3-throw symmetrical 3-way Y-turnout. In that case the check span will be measured across two wing rails, instead of one wing rail and one check rail.

If you want to improve on the existing 00 gauge finescale standards the answer is simple -- use 00-SF or "EM minus 2". Track gauge 16.2mm, all flangeway gaps 1.0mm. This will accept all current r-t-r models unmodified and provide much improved running, and look much better too with the narrower gaps. For sharp "train-set" curves widen the gauge back to 16.5mm.

regards,

Martin.

---------- email: snipped-for-privacy@templot.com web:

Martin -

Thanks for the clarification. That means my check gauge is 15.0 mm.

I see your point about wing rails that become check rails or vice versa, but I haven't got any of those. Neither do I have any symmetrical three way points, although I have an asymmetrical tandem which is not a problem, and I don't have train set curves either - minimum radius is 30 inches.

00-SF sounds interesting. Are there any roller type gauges available for that? Will standard Romfords, Jacksons, and (shudder) Lima run all right? All are set to 14.5 mm back to back.

Thanks.

There is *no way* that the Lima, Fleischmann, Rivarossi & Playcraft mopdels were to HO scale. All of them were badly distorted. The Trix or Liliput models at least were to a consistant 3.8mm to 1 ft scale.

But they failed because they were *perceived* as being underscale for 00, not because they were overscale for H0.

(kim)

WTF? Perhaps it was because they were nothing as a result of them not being to OO, HO or in fact any consistant scale at all? What makes you think that any were to HO scale? You and/or John said thay *were* more or less to HO scale, I've certainly not set eyes on one that is.