Scale of the new Thomas kine

[Loco Bill Canelos]

Bachman,

I was asked about the scale of the new Thomas line, but do not know the answer

Will the Thomas be 1:22.5 or 1:20.3?

Thanks

[Joe Satnik]

Dear Bill,

Trick question.

I'd ask 1:32 or 1:29 scale (Standard Gauge).   

My money, though, would go on "Rubber" Scale/Gauge.

Win: Rubber Scale - 45mm
Place: 1:32 - 45mm
Show: 1:29 - 45mm

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik

[charon]

Look at the size of the loco compared to the size of the rails and the ties in Bachmann's photo under their new products.  It appears that it might be close to 1/48th scale sitting on a G gauge track!
Chuck

[Wade Colyer]

Hi All:

Since most of the items were already done by Lionel, I wonder if they are the same tooling? Does anyone know if Kader did the Lionel items?

Wade

PS: Hi Bill. I'll see you at York.

[Loco Bill Canelos]

Hi Wade!! 

Where have you been??  I emailed you a couple of times, but got worried when I didn't hear from you!! Thought you were sick maybe.   I can't make it to York this spring due to family needs, but am planning to come in the fall.   Hopefully we can get together then. 

[the Bach-man]

Hey, Bill!
My info is that they'll be scaled to look "right", vis-a-vis the animated characters, and that no particular scale will be used. Consider the HO series: many cars are based on British Outline equipment, but when you compare our Thomas to Hornby's. there's a distinct difference. Perhaps the Troublesome Trucks will give us a clue...
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[Loco Bill Canelos]

Thanks Bachmann,

I guess as a Large Scale item I will need to include them in the historical database.

[altterrain]

Here is a good site on the prototypes and original models -
http://www.pegnsean.net/~railwayseries/index.html

-Brian

[Hagen]

I saw some prototype phots on this site today, and if they are scaled right they will look fabulous behind even the Bachmann Brassworks range.
There is a potential for lots of European customers on this range, both Thomas fans and others.
The troublesome trucks will even look right behind the class 66!

If they scale out to 1/32 I will be mighty pleased, but even 1/30 will do if the production run is half as good as those prototypes.

But please, do make it an option to run without faces 

By the way, the Bachmann range is the best Thomas range in H0.
Hornby has faces on the originals it seems, that way their Thomas appears much longer than the Bachmann one.

[scottychaos]

How can fictional locomotives have an exact scale?
there is no real prototype!

yes I know they are based, loosely, on real locomotives..
but the Thomas engines are not models of those real locomotives..
they are caricatures of them..

so IMO there really cant be a specific scale..because there is no 1:1 scale prototype to scale them from..

the Thomas trains will probably be simply "generic G-gauge"..
and will usually be run only in sets of Sodor locos pulling Sodor rolling stock..in which case everything will look perfectly fine..
they probably wont mix much with non-Sodor trains..and if they do, how will you know how they are supposed to look with the non-Sodor trains?   

Scot

[Bucksco]

Scot,

Are you saying Thomas has no rivits to count?!? 

[Hagen]

yes I know they are based, loosely, on real locomotives..

Indeed, but the wagons are not loosely anything, they are and have always been scale models. And in the shows they where 1/32 scale models 
From the pictures of the prototypes it appears that Bachmann has got them about right 

The idea was that if they made the wagons to scale, and the locos to fit, then the wagons will have a much, much bigger market than a 'Generic G' approach (that lionel went with)

[tac]

Rune - the original 'Thomas' TV series, using 'real' models, rather than the newest CGI version I'm watching this minute here in UK with my grandyeb were all built using Maerklin Gauge 1 equipment, suitably modified and rebuilt - this is according to the article in 'Railway Modeller' about ten years ago.

I agree that if the new Bachmann models turn out to be 1/32 the then market for the freight cars will go berserk.  Right now such models cost a small fortune - Northern Finescale in Ontario makes them in 10mm scale [1/30th] at around £45 each as kits, or ready-made from another supplier in 1/32nd at around the same price...

best

tac
www.ovgrs.org

[Hagen]

Excactly
And I will also welcome a Thomas with closer spaced drivers than the Annie, one for use as Thomas, and several for 'rebuilds'.
Not many standard gauge locomotives has axle spacing like that (with that size driver wheel)

[James Thomas]

Bucksco,

Perhaps you mean "rivets" -- but who"s counting.

JRT