O-Scale

[traction]

I built a couple of the Smallbrook Studios narrow gauge resin kits and while tidying up found them again.

I really want to use this on a layout of some description.

I looked around and the NG layouts I've seen have been stunning, I looked at some of the buildings you can buy and they are very expensive.

 

I wanted to see if I could use the Scalescenes kits I've already bought for the NG layout.

 

In the Narrow gauge topic I posted how I enlarged the Small Goods Shed kit to give O-scale.

Basically by enlarging them by 176% link to the post below:-

 

http://www.rmweb.co....auge-buildings/

 

I did the small goods shed and being on a roll went for the narrow boat.

If I had the detail parts I would use real tarpaulin for the covers and any brass fittings that you could buy, but I don't think it's turned out too bad just using the kit as supplied.

 

The N-scale narrow boat is shown along with the 300mm steel ruler to give some indication of how big the boat has turned out.

I actually had some free software that came with a printer which enables me to select the components off the kit then save them to a word file, takes a very long time and lots of paper to print out on!!

 

Some of the components for the boat are actually too long and I had to join two lengths together, I think if I had an A3 printer the components would actually fit onto that size, as it is joining them hasn't turned out too bad either.

 

I'm actually waiting for a copying company to get back to me on how much it would cost to print out a kit at 176%, will post any information I get on here.

 

Any questions just ask.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As can be seen, I don't think the Boat looks too out of scale with the Loco.

It's odd some things look too big and others look OK.

Still looks like this has worked, need to do the small terraced house kit now and then should be able to produce a very small inglenook type of affair.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

[Scalescenes]

Thanks Traction! I love the way you always push my kits to their outer limits (in the best possible way). Amazing stuff! Maybe its time to get the O range up and running...

[MiDAS]

yes please.

Terry

[RedgateModels]

Thanks Traction! I love the way you always push my kits to their outer limits (in the best possible way). Amazing stuff! Maybe its time to get the O range up and running...

 

Oh yes, you can start with the harbour walls for me

[Boris]

I'm curious now, I have a couple of scalescene bits on my PC and now I know the ratio I think I may try feeding them into the very handy A3 colour copier at work to see what comes out. Incidentally, to me that narrow boat doesn't look out of scale at all compared to the loco.

[traction]

You will still ned to print out at 176%.

 

If you just print out to fit page that will only enlarge the kit by 141%.

 

It makes it easier though using an A3 printer.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

[chriswright03]

All of this scale stuff baffles me. If you print them at 176% doesn't that mean that they are one and three quarters (or thereabouts) times bigger than OO gauge? Is that right?

 

Ian did you ever receive a price for the A3 printing? I would be interested in enlarging the diesel shed that I bought some time ago for my O gauge layout. I have used a number of John's products in the past (if I can still find them on the computer or a disc) so would be very interested in the viability cost wise.

 

Chris

[Pinkmouse]

All of this scale stuff baffles me. If you print them at 176% doesn't that mean that they are one and three quarters (or thereabouts) times bigger than OO gauge? Is that right?

 

Yup, if you think about it, 7mm is times one and three quarters bigger than 4mm. Remember your fractions from school?

[traction]

Just had a phone call from Alphagraphics and Liz is working out some prices for printing the kits out at O-scale.

A lot of people at Warley did ask about O-scale as well.

 

When I get some prices will let you know.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

[chriswright03]

Yup, if you think about it, 7mm is times one and three quarters bigger than 4mm. Remember your fractions from school?

 

Well I was rubbish at maths at school and quite frankly not much better now. You see to me my logic tells me that 2 x 4mm would equal 8mm and that would be 100% bigger. Don't understand it, really I don't. I don't consider myself to be thick and have managed to fuddle through life quite well without understanding all of this. I use mental arithmetic all of the time in my day job and keep on top of finances at home without a problem but this sort of thing baffles me. Hence why I asked.

 

 

 

Ian thanks for that.

 

 

Chris

 

 

 

[RedgateModels]

Ian, when you did the small goods store what thicknesses of card did you use, did you "double up" the OO thickness, or by a factor of 175% ???

 

or did you just bump up to the next level, so where it says light card use medium etc????

[shortliner]

Well I was rubbish at maths at school and quite frankly not much better now. You see to me my logic tells me that 2 x 4mm would equal 8mm and that would be 100% bigger. Don't understand it, really I don't. I don't consider myself to be thick and have managed to fuddle through life quite well without understanding all of this. I use mental arithmetic all of the time in my day job and keep on top of finances at home without a problem but this sort of thing baffles me. Hence why I asked.

 

Ian thanks for that.

 

Chris

 

 

Chris - look at it this way - 4mm+4mm = 8mm is now 200% - ie your original was 100% and the second is another 100% = 100%+100% = 200"% .Now 7mm is 3/4 bigger and that is 100% =75%, so 7mm =100%+75% = 175%

Hope that makes sense

Jack

[Enterprisingwestern]

Chris - look at it this way - 4mm+4mm = 8mm is now 200% - ie your original was 100% and the second is another 100% = 100%+100% = 200"% .Now 7mm is 3/4 bigger and that is 100% =75%, so 7mm =100%+75% = 175%

Hope that makes sense

Jack

 

Chris, I'm with you on this one.

4mm + 4mm is now 100% more, 200% more is 12??

[RedgateModels]

or look at it another way ...

 

the scale factor is the larger scale divided by the smaller then multiplied by 100 to give you a percentage

 

so 7(mm) divided by 4(mm) = 1.75

 

multiply by 100 to get a percentage gives you 175%

 

I think part of the confusion is the assumption that 100% enlargement makes it twice the size. When enlarging something on a photcopier or printer 100% means full size, no enlargement at all.

 

To enlage an an A4 image to fit onto a piece of A3 paper you need to enlarge by 141%

 

It is tricky to get your head round especially if you have the mindset that you can't have more than 100%, but in this context, you can

[Enterprisingwestern]

or look at it another way ...

 

the scale factor is the larger scale divided by the smaller then multiplied by 100 to give you a percentage

 

so 7(mm) divided by 4(mm) = 1.75

 

multiply by 100 to get a percentage gives you 175%

 

I think part of the confusion is the assumption that 100% enlargement makes it twice the size. When enlarging something on a photcopier or printer 100% means full size, no enlargement at all.

 

To enlage an an A4 image to fit onto a piece of A3 paper you need to enlarge by 141%

 

It is tricky to get your head round especially if you have the mindset that you can't have more than 100%, but in this context, you can

 

That's the problem, to us old ###### you can't have more than 100%, cos 1% is 1/100th of something.

Off for a lie down, headache pill and a read of my logarithm book.

[traction]

Ian, when you did the small goods store what thicknesses of card did you use, did you "double up" the OO thickness, or by a factor of 175% ???

 

or did you just bump up to the next level, so where it says light card use medium etc????

 

 

Hi Ian,

 

I doubled up initially, but it's way too thick, the narrow boat I increased the card thicknesses by 176% and that worked out quite well.

Needs a bit of laminating card together to give the approx thickness.

The worst thing is when you have to glue the components together in a block, if each card layer is too thick or too thin it does add up to quite a difference when glued together.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

[RedgateModels]

cool, I've printed out Johns first freebie the platform waiting shelter on 8 bits of A3 at 175% and have a stock of card at work, might have a play at lunchtimes .....

[RedgateModels]

Here's an O gauge waiting shelter from my fair hands

 

 

Pretty pleased, despite my intial error with the printer at work enlarging it by another 141% when I selected A3 paper.

 

Dumping it out 175% onto A3 worked pretty well, only the back wall and the roof cover layer ended over the join.

 

I'll give it a couple of coats of matt varnish sometime.

 

Got through a LOT of Pritt-Stik though

[traction]

Nice one Ian

 

It's nice to work in that size, although it's quite surprising just how big things get!

 

So come on you've started, I want to see the low relief high street now

I've printed out one side of the church tower at 176%......that is huge, I don't have an A3 printer so had to join two sheets of A4, without the top parapet it stands about 405mm tall.

 

The kits do upscale quite nicely though to 7mm/ft just takes a bit of work to laminate all the card together to get the right thickness.

One thing they are seriously strong!!

 

I'm just building some N-gauge platforms...well just printed the kit out need to glue it to some card now.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

[RedgateModels]

Platforms, hmmmmmm

 

I have this germ of an idea in my mind about a countryside halt in O gauge using the shelter etc

 

Shame John doesn't do the platform edging in cream brick to match my shelter though .....

 

Yes, even this "little" building would easily support my weight and has a real solidity about it

[traction]

Drop him an email asking for the OO platform kit in cream brick, he will add it to the website.

 

The alternative is to buy the O-gauge cream brick texture sheet from the scratch builders yard, increase the size of one of the platform kits, using any brick colour then just recover with the O-gauge brick paper.

 

Probably just as easy to ask John if he could do the revision to the kit.

 

Cheers

 

Ian

 

 

[RedgateModels]

Sounds like a plan

 

Thinking of a little single line halt like they have on the NNR in the trees, more of an O gauge scenic test trsack, but with a couple of cassettes either end ....

[Campaman]

Sounds like a plan

 

Thinking of a little single line halt like they have on the NNR in the trees, more of an O gauge scenic test trsack, but with a couple of cassettes either end ....

 

That would be Kelling Heath Halt then? where trains only stop going one way due to having to re-start on an incline the other way.

[RedgateModels]

Yes, found that, although the plan has grown now to a two platform with overbridge and a signal box

 

Still might call it "Killing Heath" though .....

[traction]

Spoke to liz this afternoon, hopefully should have the prices tomorrow.

 

Not too sure how the price structure will work either.

 

I have discussed it with Liz, but need to look at it more closely when I actually get some prices.

Also not too sure how it will work yet though.

 

It may be that you buy the OO kit and download it, then forward it to Liz at Alphagraphics and she can then have it enlarged by 176% and printed out onto 170gsm paper.

The print out will be in a roll and sent in the post in a cardboard tube for you to cut up and glue to the correct thickness card.

 

This is why the prices will be tricky, and you need to have the kit, as it allows you to look at the instructions and each page so that you can work out exactly what you will need to build the kit how you want it.

It could be that you want the complete kit printed out and also XX number of page 5 for instance.

 

As some kits, the large overall station roof being one, has two pages of roof supports, these two pages once cut out and assembled give one complete roof support!

You would need 5 complete roof supports for the roof structure, so that would be 10 individual sheets printed out.

Hope that makes sense.

 

I will try and write it up, like I say when I get some prices, it could be that there is a set price for having the whole kit printed out plus a reduced price for each extra page, I have no idea at this moment.

 

Will post the findings here when I know.

 

Cheers

 

Ian