Measuring car length

[barflyingy]

 ???Is the car length given under Product Information taken from end to end of car, or from coupler to coupler.  Does not seem consistent between manufacturers?   For example, Williams O scale boxcar given at 10", and other manufacturer's car given as 11+ for O scale car.

[phillyreading]

There really is no hard and fast rule about car length dementions, unless you are into the real railroad items, like CSX RR or Pennsy RR.

Lee F.

[barflyingy]

My question is:  Among the various manufacturer's of toy trains, when they describe the length of a car, do they measure the length of the car's frame, or do they measure from coupler to coupler; and whichever way they do it, do all the manufacturer's do it the same way?

It seems that in the case of height, they all measure from base of wheels to top of car.

[CNE Runner]

For determining proper car weight, I use the length of the car body and consider the couplers as being a constant that is 'factored' out of the equation. You bring up a good point though. For those of us into mini/small layout operation, the length of a particular locomotive (44-ton as an example) is particularly helpful - as there are situations where an inch of length can drastically affect shunting.

Ray

[Doneldon]

barfly-

The total length of your cars may come into play even on your model railroad in circumstances like the lengths of your yard tracks, sidings and passing tracks. However, precise measurements won't[/i] always[/i] help. That's because trains with different selections of cars will frequently have different lengths even if they have the same number of cars. Exact siding and car lengths will come into play only if you have unit trains, like coal drags or grain hoppers. Then you can plan to run a train with a specific number of cars and know that it will fit on a track without wasting space. Be sure to leave enough distance at the turnout end(s) of a track so trains on adjacent tracks, like a mainline or a drill track, clear the parked train.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  -- D

[rogertra]

On the prototype the measurements for outside length are the length over the outside of the body.

Use the prototype measurements as a guide.

If you are using "scale" equipment Vs toy equipment, I'd suggest you do not use the actual length stated by the manufacturer.  i.e. "Length = 11 1/2"' or "Length = 10'" as both could be 40ft cars.  As you know it's a model of a 40ft car, you can measure the distance to the coupler face and just double that for every car.

If you are using toy or tinplate equipment that is not to scale then you are on your own I'm afraid.

[az2rail]

You are right about the measurements being different from one manufacture to an other. But I have found that most manufactures measure from the couplers, not the body's. Especially in the O gauge world.

Bruce

[CNE Runner]

Two 'items' that I would like to see in model railroad ads are: car/locomotive length and approximate era the items was used on prototype railroads. As an example: My Monks' Island Railway is set in the late 1940s. Suppose I would like to add a particular car (for this example let's say a PS2 covered hopper). Prototypical railroads did not (essentially) use covered hoppers in the late 1940s...making my purchase of one foolish. Had I known that PS2 covered hoppers were not in use (or were in very limited use) in the 1940s, I would have not considered this car type...and would have spent my money more wisely.

Not to belabor the point, but further suppose that I spy a really nice boxcar model with the BN logo. Should I use that on the Monks' Island? No...not if I want to be historically correct as the BN didn't exist in the 1940s.

Walthers occasionally specifies when a particular piece of rolling stock was prevalent on prototype railroads. In their current sale catalog (p. 9) they depict a 69' Gunderson All-Purpose Husky-Stack car. In the product description it states: "1990s to Current Era". A small thing that really helps the modeller make informed decisions about a product.

Just my opinion.

Ray

[Joe Satnik]

Dear All,

On some models the car's dimensions are printed legibly, and can offer a clue to their nominal length.

My WBB 60' aluminum streamlined passenger car measures exactly 15" one end of the body to the other. 

Gap between 2 coupled cars' bodies= 1-1/8" (pushed together) to 1-1/4" (stretched).

I'll let others do the math and come to their own conclusions.  (American "O" scale is 1/4" = 1 foot.) 

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

[az2rail]

But the Bachmann catalog lists the car as 16", which means they are measuring the coupler lenght also. Bruce