A Plug (the Old Word for "Endorsement") for Quarter Scale T⁴ Models

This is what I'm calling GH SCALE in honor of Gordon Hatch of British Columbia, Canada, who ventured into this rarest of rare scales, in which 3 inches = 1 foot, that is, one-quarter full size.
He chose to run these hand-built trolley models on 15 inch gauge track, which the quickest calculation will show is not exactly to scale, the prototype standard track gauge of 56.5 inches divided by 4 actually working out to 14.125 inch gauge (exact) Fine Scale OR 14 inch Coarse Scale (OR 15 inch Gordon Hatch's personal convention).


Here are 14 reasons to venture into GH Scale : Trolleys / Trams in one-fourth full size.
1. It's large enough so that older modelers, with classic over-40 presbyopia (in which, when in one of nature's many ruthless jokes, you suddenly find that you can't see all the fine detail you had planned to put into that H0 gauge --- or worse, N gauge--- scale model) can now indulge themselves .

2. By putting the layout, if we dare call it that, if we're only going to portray one city street a few blocks long, up at a height of (say) 3½ feet above the ground, we obtain a true perspective of what the street might have looked like in 1925.

3. It's still possible to cut ¾" plywood for the sides into pieces light enough to carry.

4. We can put seamstresses to work sewing new clothing --- I hesitate to call them costumes for those 18 inch male figures and 14-16 inch female dolls --- that accurately resembles the normal street clothing of the historical past, instead of the fancy-dress-ball gowns of the usual doll.

5. An entire new cottage industry is now possible for small custom metal-work shops to create all the many accessories, roof-top details, trolley poles, trackside and roadway signals, etc. to be sold to one-fourth scale participants. We needn't wait for ideas to be purloined by workshops in other countries, as our local businesses can run these detasils up for us quickly and easily... unless they sit on their hands and wait for instructions from heaven, or mess up the marketing by waiting for the annual Trolley Show to display them.

6. We can assure you that there will be a WOW Factor, courtesy of the basis of the giant size alone.

7. As neither adults nor children will be able to ride on the roof of the model, you can really go to town detailing the roof. Visitors will be able to see and appreciate the fine rooftop detail that seemed so irrelevant in H0 or 0 Scale.

8. With realistic passengers (see (4.) above), you have created a scene that makes sense.

9. The use of Forced Perspective allows you to model backdrops for scenery that looks realistically far away. You might be amazed at the way that scenery designers for movie sets have used that trick from the beginning of theater (unless you think that they really burned Rome to the ground in Ben Hur).

10. Large, but lightweight, models don't require enormous amounts of power to propel them because there's no longer that 200-pound owner perched on top. Small powerful electric motors powered by batteries ensure that power is readily available, and does not depend on the vagaries of drawing it from the live overhead.

11. You will probably be a pioneer (The First One on your Block) to venture into this scale --- an exciting prospect.

12. If you are persuasive, and if you have access to people in retirement communities, you've got --- simultaneously --- a ready-made audience and a group of craftsmen and women looking for projects of just about that size. Look for the woodworking shop and the Craft Group.

13. Easy to stow in the trunk, back seat, or hatchback of your car. Readily breaks down into body, trucks, and interior details .

14. At this stage in the development of this scale, you will be able to engage in a new Battle of the Gauges (14¼ inches vs. 14 inches vs. 15 inches), or contribute your "Handy-Dandy Hints to the Helpless" columns to hobby magazines.

*** for Gordon Hatch, of British Columbia in Canada, a pioneer in the field

AN ENDORSEMENT FOR QUARTER SCALE TROLLEY MODELS

I'm calling it GH SCALE***

Here are 14 reasons to venture into GH Scale : Trolleys / Trams in one-fourth full size. That scales out to 3 inches to the foot, with the prototype standard track gauge of 56.5 inches divided by 4 = 14.125 inch gauge Fine Scale OR 14 inch Coarse Scale (OR 15 inch conventional scale).

1. It's large enough so that older modelers can now indulge themselves, even though they may have classic over-40 presbyopia --- in which, in one of nature's many ruthless jokes, you suddenly find that you can't see all the fine detail you had planned to put into that H0 gauge --- or worse, N gauge--- scale model .

2. By putting the layout (dare we call it that if we're only going to portray one city street three blocks long ? ) up at a height of (say) 3½ feet above the ground, we obtain a true perspective of what the street might have looked like in 1925.

3. It's possible to cut ¾" plywood for the sides of a Birney  into pieces light enough to carry.

4. We can put seamstresses to work sewing new clothing --- I hesitate to call them costumes --- for those 18 inch male figures and 14-16 inch female dolls that accurately resembles the normal street clothing of the historical past, instead of the fancy dress ball gowns of the usual doll.

5. An entire new cottage industry is now possible for metal-working buddies to create all the many accessories, roof-top details, trolley poles, trackside and roadway signals, etc. in a small business, to be sold to one-fourth scale participants.

6. We can assure you that there will be a WOW Factor, available by size alone.

7. As neither adults nor children will be able to ride on the roof of the model, you can really go to town with detailing the roof. Visitors will be able to see up close the fine rooftop detail that seemed so irrelevant in H0 or 0 Scale.

8. With realistic passengers (see (4.) above), you have created a scene that makes sense.

9. The use of Forced Perspective allows you to model backdrops for scenery that looks realistically far away. You might be amazed at the way that scenery designers for movie sets have used that trick from the beginning of theater (unless you think that they really burned Rome to the ground in Ben Hur).

10. Large lightweight, models don't require enormous amounts of power to propel them because there's no longer that 200-pound owner perched on top. Small powerful electric motors powered by batteries ensure that power is readily available, and does not depend on the vagaries of drawing it from the live overhead.

11. You will probably be a pioneer (The First One on your Block) to venture into this scale --- an exciting prospect.

12. If you are persuasive, and if you have access to people in retirement communities, you've got --- simultaneously --- a ready-made audience and a group of craftsmen and women looking for projects of just about that size. Look for the woodworking shop and the Craft Group.

13. Easy to stow in the trunk, back seat, or hatchback of your car. Readily breaks down into body, trucks, and interior details .

14. At this stage in the development of this scale, you will be able to engage in a new Battle of the Gauges (14¼ inches vs. 14 inches vs. 15 inches), or contribute your "Handy-Dandy Hints to the Helpless" columns to hobby magazines.

*** named for Gordon Hatch, of British Columbia in Canada, a pioneer in the field

P.S. It's ineresting to note that "Quarter-scale --- 3 inches to the foot) is a surprisingly active and popuar scale among model automobile hobbyists ..

When are all the separate. disparate branches of the traction - trolley - tram -- transit [ what I like to call the T-to-the-Fourth-Power] groups going to realize how much more could be accomplished if they all presented a united face to the hobby public, in one location at one major exhibition in a venue that's


1. pleasant --- nice surroundings, decent accommodations, no Beverly Hills prices

2. attractive (an entirely different matter) Some of us attended a recent miniatures program --- not too far afield from rail models and held at what we felt was normally a nice family place --- that featured an outlaw motorcycle group get-together that went on in the hallways and courtyards until well after 2:00 a.m. There really do exist many travel destinations that specifically market to and monitor for family groups.

3. easy to get to, unlike the often obscure locations chosen because they're cheap or free or, as in the following case, exotic. We were once invited to attend a major international event in Kuala Lumpur (!!), after being advised that our suggestion of Orlando, Florida was an inconvenient destination. P.S. They had to cancel the program, presumably because of lack of attendance .

4. that provides other visitor attractions for the rest of the family while participants and enthusiasts are attending the show

5. in a climate that does not require heroic efforts to prove how manly we are to fight our way through meteorological obstacles. Why is it, when model exhibitions are held, the organizers seem to choose precisely the season that predictably or statistically is most likely to feature tropical storms, OR blizzards, OR ice, OR impossible passenger transportation schedules and seasons like those annual predictable peak flight times around major family holidays ?

6. that doesn't require hand drawn campus maps OR, as I was once asked in all seriousness, "What's the latitude and longitude of this place?" --- and this was well before GPS technology.

7. or finally, and last only because it continues to cause major restrictions on attendance and the growth of less popular aspects of the model hobby, in places that are NOT private, unmarked, not advertised, and require finding and driving over often unpaved private roads . I've been told that attendance is restricted because of insurance restrictions , which reminds us of the faux restrictions that auto dealerships impose to keep us away from seeing what horrors they are doing to the family car.

This is not to criticize any of the separate groups --- East Penn Traction, CERA, the Los Angeles group, the European tram enthusiasts, and on and on, each of which is made up of many first-rate modelers and organizers, --- but the resultant "Balkanization" has held our very special model interest back from its rightful place in the hobby spectrum. Our local radio control model airplane group has opted for a very large public park, with County approval, on an active county road, accompanied by much advance newspaper publicity, and photo and press coverage . When we arrived, without an appointment, there were volunteer members, who took turns to show us to free parking; other volunteers ascertained that we were unfamiliar with the hobby and self-appointed themselves to show us around, unlocked the building that housed their displays, and set up the computers containing video simulators; Other volunteers staffed a large outdoor booth serving inexpensive hamburgers made to order, with all the fixin's, as they say in the South, and a reasonable choice of beverages. A safety area, not subject to crashes of errant model airplanes, and provided with comfortable seating under covered shelters in a sort of pavilion, made for a very pleasant day for a total of $2.00 parking fee as a (very modest) fundraiser. Now, compare that to the last Trolley - tram - Traction - transit show you attended, and ask yourself which hobby presented itself better to the public .

Picture a national T4 program on that order presented by an amalgamation of regional groups acting as a unified body, as a public introduction to the hobby ! Wouldn't that arouse more interest, recruit new members, and create more great memories for families ?

This ultra-regionalism has splintered us and divided our efforts in so many ways, into so many directions, that it almost seems as though we're trying to keep people away... and that has generally kept our branch of the model railroading hobby small, insular, and divided. When it was suggested that we could all meet in one grand venue and present a united face to the public, we encounter a host of objections (it's too hot, it's too cold, it's too far, etc.), and the result is a face that we present to the public that's as exclusive, in the original sense of the word --- tending to exclude people --- as some vast esoteric international political conspiracy.

READY - TO - RUN MODELS

WANT TO SELL MODEL TROLLEYS TO A LARGE MARKET ?
DON'T EXPECT CUSTOMERS TO BUILD THEM !

You may disagree, but it's a Fact of Life !



This next advantage might not take hold quickly, but it's something to consider, so hold your fire until you see the general reaction to this proposal and think it through . If we built automobiles like we build live steam locomotives, we'd probably still all be driving teams of horses !

Picture this Alternate History : The instruction book --- all 650 pages --- would begin : "First order the castings for the frame" . The instructions would continue "Lay out the main frame according to Construction Drawing # 2063 " ; "Weld Part 104 to Part 675" ; and so on, until you had your brand-new (?) automobile in front of you a few years later, one of --- maybe --- six in your entire home town . It certainly would save on road construction and maintenance .

Our proposal suggests building and selling ready-made, assembly-line-built, buy-it-and-run-it the same incredibly exciting day (can you picture Christmas Day 2016, finding a two-inch scale New York Central Hudson or Peter Witt trolley under the tree?). I suppose it would mean adding a (not to scale) lifting crane to your workshop to move the heavy gift up to the benchwork and on to the rails.

As we shrink our space requirements to conform to the new scale , many times the number of hobbyists could participate in the MEGA - SCALES by building their layout in space much smaller than Central Park (exaggeration for effect !) . The hobby could shift its Center of Gravity from giant cooperative (or, as we have personally witnessed, not-so-cooperative) club ventures to a backyard, or even indoors, pursuit .

Another probable advantage is that the price of a Gross Scale engine would drop precipitously when small manufacturers find that they can produce multiple models at assembly line costs, making it much more affordable by the average household, and spurring more people into the hobby . We just might give Chinese manufacturers a run for the money !

We just heard a savvy East Indian businessman say (about Japanese manufacturers, but equally valid here ) , "If the [Japanese] want to sell to the Indian market, they must first understand the Indian market : buyers wants and needs" , The same holds true for potential modern U.S. trolley buyers and enthusiasts.

We really might have to create a designation for this new aspect of our special interest, something like "Model Engineering" instead of "Live Steam" (No offense intended, Traverse City) . By necessity, it takes into account having bridges and viaducts in place for the layout ... OR it might bring into existence an entirely new branch of the hobby . Traction modellers would truly come into their own, with their arcane, but complex and fascinating, overhead wire , purchased ready-to-erect or craftsman-hand-built, to add still another challenge to this great aspect of the hobby .

Enthusiasts may find that it's at least as fulfilling a hobby if we concentrate on building one small area --- a diorama --- and do it well. The Europeans have got it down to a science...  so have some noted Brooklyn subway modellers !

NEW DIRECTIONS IN MODEL RAILROADING & MODEL TRACTION

A NEW PARADIGM FOR AN OLD HOBBY TAG-LINE : Where is it Written in the Sacred Books of the Ancients that the only acceptable model railroad scales are N, H0, S, 0, G, and Inch-and-a-Half ???


WARNING: This article contains material that may be considered controversial, and may upset or anger some readers, while others may find it offensive. Reader discretion is advised. An open mind is always welcome .

WATCH 'EM, DON'T RIDE 'EM

At one time, the operator of a live steam locomotive had to ride aboard, generally for some of the same reasons as engineers of full-size locomotives:

1. It was necessary to keep an eye on the water gage, to make sure that adequate feed water was being supplied to the boiler. It’s notoriously dangerous to allow boiler water levels to drop so low that the crown sheets are uncovered, as that can lead to a disastrous explosion. This water level can change in a short time, requiring constant vigilance by the locomotive crew. Monitoring the steam pressure gauge located in the cab was equally important, despite the proven reliability of safety valves.

2. In running live steam locomotives, the conventional approach has been to run the engine around and around some continuous circuit, presumably replicating the classic early toy trains circling the Christmas tree. A realistic exception like Quentin Breen’s Train Mountain --- a truly point-to-point live steam line --- is so unusual that it attracts live steamers from all over the world to their public runs.

3. Continuous circuits mean keeping an eye out for objects and people on the tracks, much as in real life, and requires a very large area on which to build the trackage.

4. As the hobby evolved, a large part of the activity consisted of giving rides to visitors --- adults and children --- on rail cars specifically designed to accommodate riders. These riding cars detract from the realism of the train, so that keeping to scale was not considered of critical importance, as the illusion was already destroyed by the scene of a giant perched on the tender (or thereabouts).

5. In earlier times, the electronic technology required for the mechanisms that control speed, direction, engine sounds, bell and whistle blasts, and so on had not yet reached the degree of sophistication that it has today. Therefore, hands-on control by an onboard engineer was necessary.

6. Building and running trolley, traction, tram, and streetcar models would mean straddling the roof and destroying the trolley poles or pantographs, or riding behind the motive power on an unprototypical trailing seat car. This effectively discouraged pursuing this fascinating aspect of the hobby. You’ll notice we did not say "prevented" ; there are some spectacular models of trolleys in 1½ inch scale and even three-inch-to-the-foot scale, but they are very few in number. At the end of this article, we have placed photographs of the latter -- one-fourth scale --- that we understand are now located in a small museum in British Columbia, Canada, and have also heard of a model of that size built for the Florida Power & Light Company in Tampa.

Expansion of Emphasis, Modification of Title : Electric Railways, Large and Small

ELECTRIC RAILWAYS LARGE AND SMALL

A WebBlog of the Electric Railways Network

Until now, we have emphasized model and mini electric railways. As we have been members of a few regional model trolley organizations, we have tended to write about ways to improve the national structure, marketing, and perceptions of model trolley and traction groups. It's pretty clear, however, that the hopes and influence of the model groups are often intermingled with those of national electric transit advocacy groups, there being a strong overlap of interests and membership between the both groups.
SIDEBAR : We're changing the Subtitle of this BLOG to Electric Railways Large and Small to reflect those mutual interests. We'd like to thank our loyal readers for their interest, and hope that we can continue to serve both masters. We'll try to label the primary focus of each day's blog so that our readers in Berzerkistan won't feel that they're wasting their time reading about tiny little models in Philadelphia OR about the battle for decent transit in ... well, just about anywhere. The title of today's Post is "Stop Fighting Each Other ; Fight the Real Enemies"
It is truly unfortunate that advocates of Light Rail Transit, Monorail, and Heritage (Vintage) streetcar systems expend so much time and energy battling each other by reciting the advantages of their system and the disadvantages of the others. Why don't we try to cooperate to eliminate the evils resulting from our dependence on Oil, Asphalt, and the Internal Combustion Engine ? It's as though the United States and Great Britain had wasted their efforts and limited resources battling each other during World War II instead of fighting to defeat the Axis Powers.

Why, if that had happened, we'd be driving BMWs and Toyotas instead of DeSotos and Studebakers ... What's that ? Oh, SORRY ! Ignore that metaphor !

STAY TUNED ! We're encouraged by the Traffic Statistics of our readers, who appear to blanket the globe. We'll try to keep it relevant and --- occasionally --- even mildly amusing.

 

How about a National Get-Together in Florida in the Winter of 2012?

We've all heard the phrase : "In Unity There is Strength"

We can all agree that the Miniature / model electric railway hobby is aging .

Do others agree that a well-advertised properly-run national program, set in an attractive, family-friendly setting, can benefit everybody in the hobby, amateurs, modelers, builders, small manufacturers ?

If we all (or as many as possible) got together in one great event, in a comfortable setting, in perfect weather, in which the entire family could participate, that would attract national --- maybe even international --- attention, don't you agree that our special interest, often overlooked in standard model railroad programs, could attract a great deal of favorable attention ?

No, we don't expect you to try to bring your trolley module aboard as carry-on baggage in the overhead compartment ! With proper arrangements made ahead of time, you could slip a streetcar or an interurban in one of the standard scales and gauges aboard, and utilize a friendly track already set up at the Exhibition site.

If we make a wise choice as to location, you could simultaneously :

1. Make your spouse, partner, and kids happy by choosing a family-friendly, family-attractive site --- think non-stop traction activities while the family goes to, say, Disney World

2. Attract significant regional, even national attention

3. Use the power of the new social media in spreading the word

4. Avoid the winter blues, frost bite, and Seasonal Affective Disorder (Cabin Fever); get outdoors; and see some new electric railway stuff instead of the same-old, same-old stuff

5. See if we can lure some international visitors from tram-friendly places like the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic over; Florida's Gulf Coast has proven strong attractant power.

6. Get into wonderful late-night debates about the future of the hobby, or about the possibility of a truly national organization (we locals can try to facilitate real forums, and real Town Meetings)

7. Attract a large number of locals, including mature participants with memories of the real thing, to peek in on our doings, and contribute their views, stories, and efforts

8. Attempt to synchronize our miniature efforts with regional trolley museums, and see if we can synergize what all of us are doing, the common interests that we all share,

9. Think and talk about the significant impact of light rail on what we are doing, and where we are headed.

10. and finally, provide professionals in the trade --- publishing, model-making, accessory-producing, video --- the opportunity to get their material in front of the hobby and in front of the mainstream media.

I'm suggesting :

A five-day Trolley, Traction, Tram, Transit Think-Tank, Mostly Models Mash-up [T6M3] ,

at a beautiful spot on Florida's Gulf Coast;

at a time of perfect and predictable weather, such as December, (... happens only in Florida)

celebrating the fact that the world did NOT end on December 12, 2012 ;

maybe coordinating with a family visit to Disney World, only an hour-and-a-half away from Greater Tampa Bay : Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and some of those powder white sand beaches voted among the most beautiful in the world, right on the Gulf of Mexico ;

and NO, we're nothing like Miami, NOR near Miami ; we're hundreds of miles and a different world away. ... although we, also, have palm trees and flowers.

Let's see ---- December 2012 : If the World does NOT End, what a celebration we could have ! If the World DOES end ? We'll never know, will we ? ... but our last hours will be Electric Railway Hours ... beats a root canal !

If enough interest is expressed to :

Hal Pelta

P O Box 208
Ellenton, Florida 34222   U.S.A.                   HNILS@MSN.COM

we will try to Rally 'Round the Flag AND PUT TOGETHER A TRULY MEMORABLE EVENT THAT, one way or another, WE WILL NEVER FORGET.

PLEASE LET US KNOW .

Hal (with his charming wife, Helen, at his side) has had experience putting together memorable programs in other fields ... and we do mean "memorable", as they are still the subject of national reminiscing, decades later. We would plan to sound a call for assistance to the number of trolley fans who have moved to Florida, and see if we could put something like that together.

HAL