Modelling metre gauge in TT(1/100) scale

[rue_d_etropal]

I had started on a French metre gauge project using 16.5mm gauge track in 1/55 scale. I will contnue with it but have decided the next metre gauge project will be in 1/00 scale using 9mm gauge.

This is a lot easier, using less space, smaller models, so cheaper to 3D print, and can make use of many of the 1/100 scale accessories(railway and military modelling). A motor chassis from Japan should fit standard railcars.

I will probably do something freelance initially, but then use use it to build part of the CF de Camargue station at Arles. This was originally planned for the bigger scale, but I was struggling to get even the station building in the short length of layout I was planning, namely just the station end of the extensive complex.

 

One reason for moving to smaller scale is buying some of the excellent Deluxe Glue n Glaze, and I have worked out a simple way to use it to glaze the bigger windows.

I have come across some military vehicles in 1/100, but would like to find some typical French cars.

[Joseph_Pestell]

I think that you should be able to find some but they will be from a supplier who specialises in architectural models. So probably not very detailed and probably only modern ones whereas you presumably want something more retro. Edit to add : http://www.diorama.fr/voitures-fr/voitures-tracteurs-vehicules-1-100.html

Edited March 20, 2017 by Joseph_Pestell

[Joseph_Pestell]

120 x 9 = 1080mm; 100 x 9 = 900mm.

 

So arguably better to use 1:120 scale as track gauge is marginally more accurate and it should be a bit easier to find other railway related accessories.

[rue_d_etropal]

actually easier in 1/100 as there is a lot for military modellers. 1metre in 1/120 is 8.3mm, , I find it sometimes more difficult to fit models onto a wider gauge. 1metre in 1/100 might be 10mm, but the difference in differences is only 0.3mm, so I would argue it was easier in 1/100 scale. As axle boxes tend to stick out further than scale, it tend to all balance out if gauge is less than scale. 

If it looks right then it is right for me. I have also found that some metre gauge locos are quite small, so won't fit on r2r chassis. This was why I chose 1/55 over 1/64 initially for other project. 

 

Just printed out drawings of my Corpet Louvre in both 1/100 and 1/120, and it is much loo small in 1/120. In 1/100 the 1/100 version is close to same sizeas 1/76 Decauvulle which fits a roco chassis.

Edited March 20, 2017 by rue_d_etropal

[Gordonwis]

actually easier in 1/100 as there is a lot for military modellers. 

 

 

 

 I'm afraid. I agree with Joe, 1:120 is surely easier? For reasons including:

 

lineside, scenic etc items all available from the major German manufacturers because of the East German TT scale legacy.

1:120 on 9mm track is the closest match using available equipment

There are loads of French vehicle available in 1:120 (RailNScale - see Shapeways)

There are lots of miniature chassis and loco mechanisms available in N gauge nowadays (eg all the Japanese chassis, plus small German mainstream N gauge locos like Köf that can be used as donors

Edited March 26, 2017 by Gordonwis

[rue_d_etropal]

Sorry to still disagree, just found lots of architectural stuff online,but have to be careful with some as they can be a bit flexible with scale. Waiting for some 1/100 scale(?) French road vehicles from China. There are some 3D printed road vehicles, but currently in 1/120, so I may ask to see if they can be upped to 1/100. Any designer who is not able to do that simple resize should not be in the market place.

 

There is quite a bit for 15mm wargamers, and they are starting to mark items as 1/100.

 

Remember that I can design any item myself for 3D printing.

 

Even if I did choose 1/120, it would not be possible to fit the chassis I want to use(the Corpet in particular), and that is the bottom line. I had the same problem when considering 1/64 scale and moved up to 1/55scale, which was also well supported by wargaming suppliers.

Edited March 28, 2017 by rue_d_etropal

[rue_d_etropal]

I received a Roco BR80 chassis, and got drawings scaled to both 1/100 and 1/120, and am still going to go for 1/100 scae, even though it might just be possible to fit the chassis into the smaller scale, but only just. Also I thik I might be able to keep part of the metal body as weight in the 1/100 version. I have some wargaming bits now, but when I saw some cars advertised on ebay, I ordered them but suspected they might not be 1/100 scale.

I know it is a marketing trick, but scale means scale. As a mathematician I know that there is a difference between 1/100 and 1/87. The various other names we use can be muddled up, although I don't like it, it is only a name.
I ordered what I thought wre some /100 scale road vehicles from China. They arrived today and they were NOREV 1/87 scale. Very nice, very good price, and I can use them, but not 1/100 scale. The description was very clever as it actually said '1/100 TT HO', so I was expecting they might be 1/87 scale.
The positive thing is that it is worth taking a punt on Chinese models, these were NOREV so good quality, and ideal for anyone modelling HO scale.

I will therefore start designing some cars in 1/100 scale, possibly some horse drwn vehicles as well.

[NCB]

Might be worth your while joining the 3mm Society, especially for the scenic stuff.

[Alex TM]

Hi Simon,

 

What era/timeframe are you thinking of working in?  I ask, as I am aware of a vast quantity of wargamming material in 1/100, especially if you are working from late WWI through WWII; the challenge then may be what not to use.

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

[Pacific231G]

Also worth noting that a lot of the architectural models from Jouef and MKD were closer to 1:100 scale than to 1:87 they were advertised as. For example, the doorway on the familiar Jouef Villeneuve station building is 27mm to the apex of the arched top whereas, from an architect's drawing scaled for 1:87 for an equivalent standard CFD station,  the equivalent dimension is 32mm so I think they may actually have been scaled at 1:100.

Their downside for the civil buildings is over familiarity- rather like Bilteezi and Superquick buildings once were in Britain- but they're reasonably easy to kitbash and the railway buildings are entirely typical of thousands up and down France.

 

There are quite a few model details available in 1:100 scale from modelshop.co.uk  though unfortunately their cars are all modern. Interestingly the scales they offer also  include 1:87 and 1:76 as well as 1:160 and 1:43 but not 1:120. They're worth looking at as, though some of their lines such as Preiser figures and Gaugemaster are familiar to us, they seem to mainly supply the professional modelmaking trade, particularly architectural and stage design, so for example their own range of ground textures and flocks have pantone colour references. Some of their other scenic items like etched  tree armatures also look interesting and not too expensive. 

Edited May 27, 2017 by Pacific231G

[Joseph_Pestell]

If the wargaming stuff is for 15mm figures, that suggests a scale  somewhat less than 1:100 as the men would all be less than 5ft tall. But not quite 1:120 either as then they would all be nearly 6' tall.

[Joseph_Pestell]

Simon, Apart from the Corpet, what do you have in mind by way of rolling stock? With my long association in the Aude, I could fancy a small layout to this gauge standard. As David points out, the Jouef Villeneuve station would be very suitable.

[Pacific231G]

Simon, Apart from the Corpet, what do you have in mind by way of rolling stock? With my long association in the Aude, I could fancy a small layout to this gauge standard. As David points out, the Jouef Villeneuve station would be very suitable.

. I realised just how underscale the Jouef and MKD buildings are when I built an Artitec low relief corner Café de la Gare for the back of my H0 layout. Artitec models are to scale so it towered over the modified Jouef Gare de Neuvy station building on the near side of the Rue de la Gare and had to be replaced by a couple of far smaller MKD industrial buildings

 

It's also fairly easy to add an attached goods shed and quai marchandise to Villeneuve though you'd probably want to lose the single story wing to produce a typical Secondaire two door station.

 

 

 

Though it's now very battered with most of the detailing missing, I built this one for an H0e roadside tramway layout almost forty years ago though for 1:100 scale the goods platform is probably a bit high.

For H0 I find the Jouef and MKD kits quite acceptable so long as they're behind the tracks. Being underscale seems to produce a forced perspective effect that makes the layout appear wider than it really is.

[rue_d_etropal]

lots of questions. Period wise probably 50s/60s. I have a post war railcar which will fit an N gauge chassis. Nothing else yet. Itis only a test project, so will only need a few wagons. It will be no bigger than 0.5m by 0.75m, maybe slightly bigger so I can do it as a continuous run.

My main project will be a representation of the stations at Arles on the CF de Camargue railway. I had planned(and still might do so) to build this in 1/55 on 16.5mm gauge track, but felt I was not getting far as cost would have been high, and the length of the main station building was longer than I wanted. I only want to do the end of the station area, with none of the approaches or large workshop area.  have a lot of info on this line(except colour used for the electic trains), and despite surviving into the late 50s, there are no colour photos.

 

Thing about wargaming, you have to take the naming standards as just a way to identify the different sizes, not the scale. Kits for 1/72 scale are often referred to as 20mm, although one might think 28mm was closer. There are kits for 15mm, and some are marked as 1/100. Because of this close connection between wargaming and model railways, it does surprise me thee are not more items such as road vehicles. Preiser do a few figures, including a nice cyclist set. To be fair, the shortage of road vehicles is actually a plus, although it would be nice to have one citroen 2cv or H van. I have aquired a Citroen Traction, but it is solid, so will need careful painting. Soilid is common for wargaming models, but some are in plastic, so windows can be cut out. I have a few WW2 lorries like this. I do need toge

t on with this layout, as I don't want my British HO to totally take over.

[Gordonwis]

I received a Roco BR80 chassis, and got drawings scaled to both 1/100 and 1/120, and am still going to go for 1/100 scae, even though it might just be possible to fit the chassis into the smaller scale, but only just. Also I thik I might be able to keep part of the metal body as weight in the 1/100 version. 

 

 

With my German TTm project (1:120) I discovered that the Roco Br80 is an archaic chassis. My research suggested that the Fleischmann Br80 (possibly modified Roco tooling for the body?) has a much more up to date and therefore compact chassis. So I got one of ebay de and it is indeed much better fit into my TTm Harz loco bodies

Edited May 29, 2017 by Gordonwis

[rue_d_etropal]

The Roco mechanism I have looks OK. It fits anyway. I used it for my OO9 Decauville as well. Biggest problem is adding weight. Even cutting down some of the metal body did not fit. It was a damaged body anyway, and I have a couple of spare ones.

I have bought a load of wargaming buildings, some kit, some resin cast. Some definitely have a French look to them.

I probably will just build a small test layout(simple circuit), with scenary.

Still not sure if I will use this scale for other projects as finding chassis for the CF de Camargue automotrice is difficult, as the standard bogie mechanisms are too short. I got away with it for he railcar as those are low slung.