nkp174
Active Member
I was curious if anyone here has dabbled in Proto:87.
For those that aren't familiar with it:
HO scale track isn't exactly scale. The wheels, flanges, and clearances are all oversized. Some super serious modelers have switched to essentially scale size wheels and it looks very nice. This is a similar compromise to the OO scale popular in Britain in which the trains are built to 1:76 instead of 1:87.1 (HO), yet still use HO track as it was considered to be easier to manufacturer the engines.
O scale also has an equivalent, Proto:48, which is even more difficult as O scale track is actually around 5' gauge instead of 4'8.5"
Such scales are known as Finescale. Frequently, narrow gauge trains are finescale except HOn30 and On30.
The biggest limitation on Proto:87 is that steam engine drivers are hard to come by.
I ask this as I've been fascinated by this for a long time, and I'd eventually like to look into a Proto:87 NKP layout.
For those that aren't familiar with it:
HO scale track isn't exactly scale. The wheels, flanges, and clearances are all oversized. Some super serious modelers have switched to essentially scale size wheels and it looks very nice. This is a similar compromise to the OO scale popular in Britain in which the trains are built to 1:76 instead of 1:87.1 (HO), yet still use HO track as it was considered to be easier to manufacturer the engines.
O scale also has an equivalent, Proto:48, which is even more difficult as O scale track is actually around 5' gauge instead of 4'8.5"
Such scales are known as Finescale. Frequently, narrow gauge trains are finescale except HOn30 and On30.
The biggest limitation on Proto:87 is that steam engine drivers are hard to come by.
I ask this as I've been fascinated by this for a long time, and I'd eventually like to look into a Proto:87 NKP layout.