RSS Fetcher Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Hi All, I am expecting a bit of flak for this blog but I am also hoping that like minded people can gather here and help each other. A bit about me (groan). I am a lifelong railway modeller. Never liked clubs. Never had quite enough room for a main line layout. Now that I am 56 my eyesight is just one of the reasons for discounting anything smaller than HO scale. Been N,Z,TT,T and G scale at one time or another but mostly N. Now I have a small converted modern garage hardly big enough for a car (7.5' x 15'). A while ago I discovered Piko and their incredibly good value European locos and coaches but the coaches were 1:100 scale! When the garage layout started in earnest I quickly collected lots of 1:100 length coaches reasoning that I could have longer trains and less ugly overhang at the minimum no 2 peco radius that I have used. I have a few 1:87 (303mm) long coaches but although they operate perfectly well (unlike pesky american full lengthers) I just don't think that they look right. My layout has more curves than straights therefore short coaches look more comfortable. Ok I am a convinced 1:100 fan and I don't like mixing 1:100-1:93?-1:87 together so where do I or any like minded Euro modeller go from here? Trade support: ROCO are still producing 1:100 Austrian and German prototypes including the very important DBAG inter city cab coach and ICE 2! PIKO have quite a range of colour schemes with more on the way but, unfortunately they use a Bpmz 290 as a base for all their 1:100 models. As I am not going to be respraying anything beggars cant be choosers. Marklin/Trix Seem to be gradually going for the fleischmann half way house of neither short or full length but many shorties are still available. The second hand market provides plenty of fine coaches but Roco's Bm234 type curved roof ends are just wrong so I tend to avoid all manufacturers curved roof types. Not a major problem on my era IV layout. Limas old models were great but seem dire now. Though I loved my old Bar Corail and Gran Confort coaches. Hornby recently produced Hobby versions in Italy ( I want a treno notta ). So I trawl Ebay and Contikits for 1:100 models that suit me. Most are cheap but some silly prices are to be seen. Klein Modellbahn are no more but they made OBB liegewagen and "modular" 1st and 2nd coaches with their distinctive angular roofs. So basically 1:100 is still possible but for how much longer? Houses are not getting any bigger so there is still a place for the shortie but will the manufacturers drop us? I look forward to your thoughts. P.s. I know that 1:100 coaches are not scale length but models are strange. Prototype colour can look wrong on a model etc. I fell out with N scale due to the same proto model relationship that my eye could not resolve. I am all for the correct impression not the correct amount of rivets! Attached thumbnail(s) View the full article Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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