The classic way to run toy trains!
(These are a few articles, reprinted from a work in progress)
Tinscale - though not named as such - was the original method of running trains. It developed around an oval of track, a train and some accessories. Nothing was "scale." They were toys, plain and simple.
With the high visibility of scale model railroading, many assume that scale is the perfect way to run. Scale has its merits. There are many who enjoy replicating the real world in exquisite miniature. Precision varies from individual to individual, based more on miniature-making capabilities than preference. However, scale is only a piece of the electric train pie.
Tinscale has been overshadowed and derided in the push for scale. Scale manufacturers have much to gain by pushing tinscale aside. Clubs and organizations devoted to scale haven't been kindly. Many, from local groups to the NMRA, either ignore Tinscale totally or deride it as "toy." Their implication is that Tinscale is somehow less than scale.....that it is the realm of the incapable. And yet, all of the best innovations, from manufactured goods to layouts, evolve from Tinscale operators. Those who deride are incapable of appreciating tinscale as an aesthetic activity, rather than a scale enterprise.
Tinscale is art. Tinscale is bold, bright and daring. Anyone can imitate and replicate, but few can create. Those who create can understand tinscale, whether they are themselves scale modelers or tinscalers.
This is not to say that all scale train folks are inimical. Most are not. Nor can one imply that all are mere imitators. The true masters of scale are themselves very gifted, talented artists who impart a living essence into every project. Those who are creative can see it in their work. Many scale modelers of mediocre talent are nonetheless creative. Creativity takes over where skill ends. The most artistic tinscaler, or even the least, can see that spark within good scale work. Scale or tinscale, the heart is the difference between clutter and beauty.
Tinscale was refined by folks with an artistic bent. It is seen in the tin-litho accessories and trains of the 20s and 30s, the plastic and diecast masterpieces of the 50s and 60s, and the new breed of fun trains of the 90s and 00s. Tinscale can be a very scale operation, or a very non-scale one, but the heart of it is the blend of color and motion. For tinscale, the fun is in the run.
Good Tinscaling
Tinscale is not necessarily tin. However, since "tinplate" is synonymous with off-scale trains made for O, O27, S and Standard Gauges whether there's tin or not, so "tinscale" describes the kind of trains, model-making and layout design that makes it work. Good tinscaling is an adventure, where the running of trains gets maximum action in the available space. It is not model railroading in the sense of replicating realistic roads and operations, but as a model of what we'd like it to be. Railroads provide the raw materials for the work. As tinscalers, we take them and use them to build our masterpieces. Our greatest work is expressed when our trains are running.
Tinscale Rules
The real railroads tend to go from point to point. Their routes are linear. Tinscale is based in the loop, wherein a train traverses a circuit. In that ,we are much like the power the fuels our trains. Electricity needs to complete a circuit, and so do we. The oval is the basic template of tinscale. Our prototype could be the Pine Creek Railway, a narrow-gauge museum in Allaire, New Jersey. It also has a loop as its "main line," and the various locomotives and cars often look as if they are of different scales. Pike Creek is a real-life tinscale pike, as it were.
Continuous motion is part of tinscale. So is action on the sidelines. Operating gadgets abound, from animated stockyards to numerous lighted accessories. It's all part of the art.
Tinscale most naturally occurs in Standard, O, O27 and S gauges. These are the classic tinplate gauges. Standard Gauge was king in the 1920s and 1930s, and O/O27 have been top dog ever since. S made its debut in the 1940s, and thrives despite some bumps along the road. The major difference between them is the track gauge. Track determines which trains will run. As for scale.....well, we aren't worried too much on precise scale. Our scale is formed by an artistic use of whatever scales we have.
Standard: this gauge is 2 1/8" inches wide, and it employs monster-sized trains which require plenty of room. Everything is sheathed in sheet metal. Standard Gauge is heavy, bright, and lumbering. Many accessories became classic during the years when sTandard Gauge ruled, which is why so many O gauge tinscale pieces are 1/32 scale and larger. The problem with Standard Gauge was its size and cost. It took a lot of room to run them. For that, the train makers started pushing:
O Gauge: imagine a train that takes a 31 inch diameter curve, yet is big enough to enjoy. That is O gauge. The original O trains were not scale at all. Stubby passenger cars and pug-nosed steamers were the order of the day. Scale folks persisted, and some cars started being made to true 1/48 scale. That required a 72-inch diameter curve....defeating the entire purpose of O as a space-saving scale. At the other extreme were cheap O sets with shorter-than-short cars. Track with a 27 inch diameter was made for the cheap sets. It was all O, but some were made smaller than others.
Then A.C. Gilbert had a brainstorm! Why not make a smaller-scale train that could run on O track? It could have scale-dimensioned cars that would handle 31 inch curves. Gilbert made a 1/64 model fitted with O trucks and wheels. He called it "semi-scale." Marx and Lionel gave it a try. Marx kept the idea. Gilbert eventually came out with 1/64 trains running on 1/64 track, called S gauge, and Lionel offered the smaller cars as a new, budget-priced alternative the regular O:
O27: O27 track was made first. It was a cheaper track to bundle in cheaper sets with smaller cars, such as the preWar Lionel "Winner" sets. Like their larger counterparts, the cheaper cars were not scale at all. When Gilbert's "1/64 over O" came about, it was embraced by Marx, who had also embraced O27 track a decade earlier. Marx's trains were always smaller than Lionel's, so O27 track worked fine. Lionel saw the 1/64 over O as a cheaper car for a new low-end market. Big L also saw O27 as a more economical track for these new sets. It called the whole package O27. Most of the early O27 was true to 1/64 scale, and Marx's only deviation from it was the gauge. Lionel eventually fudged things, making slightly bigger boxcars, but pretty much held to the ideal. O27 is more varied today, yet in its purest form it is 1/64. Gilbert never embraced O27 track. He opted for track of the right scale for 1.64 trains, and so came:
S Gauge: a 1/64 train on 1/64 track....but still tinscale at heart. Gilbert's work embodied more scale than Lionel, and he did a better job of 1/64 than Marx. Gilbert packed a lot of action into his trains. Though later S gaugers went scale, many remained loyal to the tinscale operation of the early days.
The New Gauge: actually, an old gauge....#1 Gauge was popular up until 1920, competing against Standard. It faded quickly, resurfacing later as G Scale. The Lehmann company from Germany made 1/22.5 narrow gauge trains that ran on #1 Gauge track. They named the scale G, and exported it. G caught on here, as a gauge. Scale-wise, trains run from 1/32 (true to #1 Gauge) to 1/20.3, with an even larger scale emerging. Though some run G in a scale fashion, the new breed of Garden Railroaders take a Tinscale approach. They buy what they like, and make their garden railroads as aesthetic places rather than scale roads. Tinscale is alive and well in a new gauge. The Garden has gone Tinscale, and oh, how we love it!
Tinscale: For the Fun of the Run
In recent years, scale model railroading has taken the forefront so much that off-scale train running is rarely heard. There is an increasing number of scale pieces offered in 3-rail O gauge. Once an occasional release of an odd locomotive type, scale 3-rail has expanded beyond all expectations. MTH's Premier Line, Lionel's Standard O, K-Line's O Scale and the scale products of Weaver and Atlas have inundated the hobby. Scale would seem the wave of the future.
That is not to say that scale is new in O. 2-rail O scale has been around for decades. Scale O for 3-rail goes back to specialty kits sold in the 1930s. Scale in S is a given, for even the tinplate toys tend to vary little from the 1/64 S standard. HO, TT, N and OO are nothing but scale. Forgotten in the mix is O as an art rather than a scale.
The origins of O gauge are aesthetic and functional rather than accurately miniature. O was originally a space-saving alternative to the ponderous Standard and #1 Gauge trains popular early in the 20th Century. It used a 31-inch diameter curve, and trains were specifically altered to fit the tight arc. Thus, most of the pre-War O gauge trains were altered to have the look and feel of a railroad, but not the precise scaled-down dimensions. Artistic license was commonplace, and it was appreciated.
That proud tradition of aesthetic alteration ran strong right into the 1960s. It limped on into the 1970s, challenged by scale models of the other gauges. And it seemed to face a renaissance from the mid-80s right into the 90s. However, increasing numbers of scale 3-rail pieces overshadowed Tinscale. The focus was on scale. Anything less, while tolerated, was just playtime. Those making the noise had forgotten that O gauge was more art than scale.
Not that everyone has forgotten! MTH continued to build its Railking Line. Originally intended as O27, Railking took the mantle of O gauge, leaving Scale to the Premier models. Lionel kept offering its classic O-31 pieces, even while designing more scale trains. K-Line could not wholly abandon O27 and O-31. Williams held the ground of producing both scale and off-scale side by side, barely skipping a beat. Though both shrunk considerably in the late 1990s, demand required more of the off-scale products. While Atlas and Weaver remained committed to O scale, pandering to 3-railers and 2-railers, the others had to concede that off-scale O is a constant. S gauge was able to renew itself, making scale pieces but serving scalers and Tinscalers equally.
Why Tinscale? The answer is simple geometry. You can run more trains in a given area with Tinscale than with Scale. The answer is in the circles. O27 used a curve that makes a 27-inch diameter circle, and O-31 makes its at 31 inches. O scale depends on a 72-inch arc, S scale uses 54 inches, and HO's tightest basic loop is 36 inches. Tight curves mean more action.
To the tinscaler, it's not the precision, but the feel that counts. Tinscalers like that blend of big trains with quick action. Tight curves add to the appeal. A long, small train taking a long, sweeping scale curve look leisurely, while short, big trains whipping a tight arc are pure action. Tinscale is the art of making trains move in a music all their own. It is speed, quick changes and activity on the sidelines. The idea is not to replicate dimensions, but replicate feelings. Tinscale is a mood....it is whimsy, it is motion, it is a blend of the real and the fantastic. You have to have a feel for shape, color, motion and rhythm to truly appreciate Tinscale. It is in blending them all that the art is expressed. Replication of the mundane chore of railroading is no consolation. Tinscale is railroading as we'd like it to be, not as it is or even as it should be.
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To be a good Tinscaler, you need to strike a balance. Tinscale does not replicate reality, but it doesn't ignore the prototype, either. This is not "anything goes." It is a precious balance of the real with the fantastic: a magical attempt to create something that has the feel of the real, if not the exact look. We are taking the notes of real railroading and making of them a new tune - a new genre of music that is fast, bright, spontaneous and yet harmonious. All elements are part of a blend, an orchestration, if you will.
For better Tinscaling
Tinscale trains were invented for folks who want a good run in limited space. Indeed, a Tinscaler can make a masterpiece on a mere 4' by 8' base. The trick is to use trains which make the most of your area, scenery and method of running. Some Tinscalers have more than one set of trains: one for a small layout, another for the large one. They may have scale-sized pieces for a long club track, and bobbed O27s for the small home pike. What you run is a matter of where you run.
The home pike comes first. For those with small home pikes, shorter cars and locomotives work best. Keep in mind that a scale F7A hauling four Heavyweights makes a train that's over seven feet long. The same in O27 or O gauge can be as short as three and a half feet. You get the feel of a big train in a narrower space.
When you start out in Tinscale, resist the urge to buy everything you can. If you load up at the onset, you may find that your tastes change and you have a lot of items you don't run much. It takes a while to get a feel for what you like. Here is where reality works for us. Take time to learn a little about various trains, road-names and car/loco types. Most Tinscalers have favorites. Though the majority will have a little bit of "everything," each has an overwhelming abundance of favorites.
Tinscale does not work like real or scale railroading. We do not select trains to slavishly adhere to a specific era, region or road name. Tinscalers can run 19th Century Steam beside 21st Century diesel without skipping a beat. The usual limitations of geography and timelines are not binding on us. It's all about learning what you like and adding judiciously.
Better Runs on Smaller Layouts
1) Go for smaller operations. Mainline freight, passenger and intermodal service depend on long cars, which make for limited running on a small pike. Try smaller operations, such as logging, mining, short lines, drills and shuttle commuter service.
2) Shorter car and locomotive types. The smaller the cars, the bigger the action. Go for smaller loco and car types. You get more action in less space. As with small operations, small cars can double the action in half the space. You can go as small as Porters, 0-4-0s and Docksiders. These little trains, lugging consists of ore cars, log cars or shorty "beercan" tanks or boxcars, give you more cars per train. For medium-sized trains, try F units, FA2s, 4-4-2 Atlantics and 40' freights.
3) Smaller trains: in O, go for the smaller sized O27. This gives you the advantage of O gauge heft within the parameters of S gauge. Those who are into it for action rather than scale can find many short cars and locos, especially since so much O27 is actually 1/64 over O gauge. Special sets have the mini-cars that work well. The recently-issued reproductions of classic shirty O27 streamliners, hitched to a smaller loco, give the effect of a passenger liner in much less space. Figure a 4-car scale streamliner outfit, with loco, can run close to 8 feet. The shorty cars get it down to 5 feet easily.
4) Tighten your curves. In O, go for 31 or 27 inch curves. HO flex-trackers can get get down from the 36 inch curves, to as little as 20 inches. Much of N can handle 12 inch curves. It won't be scale, but it will provide more fun in the run. And you will have to stick to shorter cars and locmotives.
5)Build up. When you haven't room to expand out, build up. You can easily fit two or three levels of action, by judicious use of mountains, bridges, trestles and overpasses. Higher is better. Using smaller cars, you can have lower bridges and thus more action in less space.
6) Narrow Gauge. The beauty of narrow gauge is that you can get bigger trains in smaller spaces. Narrow gauge is a specialty that offers some unique challenges. Definitely fun. It's built around small type cars and locos, normally running in tight spaces (mountains, industrial plants, mines, docks). You can pick a single narrow-gauge theme or blend several. (See the real deal at The Pine Creek Railway)
The trade-off: forget running any of the longer Scale cars, such as Heavyweights, Streamliners, Stillwells, intermodals or E series and PA series locomotives. You're pretty much limited to medium and short cars. For O and S, the F3 is as big as it gets. For HO and N, think short.
Sizing: there are technically three different sizes of train for O gauge. These are O Scale, at 1:48, O27, a 1/64 train made to run on O track, and O-31, which is a train whose dimensions have been altered from 1:48 to allow it to run smoothly on 31 inch diameter track. (Note that many trains sold as O27 are actually O-31 or even 1:48, since recent makers have promoted any train capable of handling 27 inch curves as O27. True O27 is a 1/60 to 1/64 model made to run on O gauge track.) These sizes are combined on most Tinscale pikes. They can be combined to make an appealing train. Disparity in scale is easily offset.
Smaller Cars, better run: the vast majority of O gauge pikes are small. Early track plans were based on either a 9' by 5' or 4' by 8' table. Though larger pikes are featured in magazines and promotional materials, they are owned by relatively few people. Most are smaller than 12' by 6'. The tight curves of O-31 and O-27 track allow maximum action in a smaller space. In effect, you can make a more active O gauge layout in a 4' by 8' area that would be possible with HO or S gauge. Curve diameter makes the difference. Of course, curves aren't the only part of better running. The proper combination of locomotives and cars can spell the difference between superb action and dull running. Tinscale does not conform to a single rigid scale, being based on an aesthetic rather than scale format. Freedom from strict scale rules permits greater freedom in making better trains. Scale model aficionados cannot seem to comprehend this. They refuse to accept that there are guiding principles to using non-scale models.
Smaller cars are a key to better running and superior action on the pike. There is a better way to use them. Most merely bunch any group of cars and locomotives together, making a clumsy-looking blend of scale and off-scale pieces. Disparity between the cars and engines results in awkwardness. You can choose components that blend well together, and it's really quite easy.
Big versus small: Consider, say, the full-scale Lionel /Willaims F3/F7 and semi-scale Railking F3 or K-line Alco FA, or Marx O27 E7A. If we take a string of O27 boxcars and place them behind a locomotive, we notice that they look tiny behind a scale unit but "just right" behind semi-scale locomotives. Likewise, scale boxcars overwhelm semi-scale locomotives. (There are photos under the Tinscale general heading)
The 6464 type boxcars look fitting behind either. The 6464s are a middle ground, thus another reason why they are the standard size boxcar for O Gauge Tinscale. You can blend 64s with O27 boxcars and enjoy some degree of compatibility. They can also fit with scale boxcars, although the disparity in size is more notable.
When running boxcars, a good general rule is: O27 with semi-scale motive power, O Scale with Scale, and 5464s with either. Here we illustrate the benefit of having a type of car to serve as a "middle ground."
Passenger cars present a very different problem. Scale passenger cars require a scale -sized locomotive. The 1:48 scale F7 looks right, but a semi-scale locomotive is totally out of place. Also, scale passenger cars run 18" or longer. They are effective on a large pike with long straightaways and wide-diameter curves (54" and up). On a small pike, the smaller semi-scale passenger cars are better.
The common O gauge passenger car ranges from 13.5 to 15.5 inches in length. Most common is the 60' Madison, first introduced by Lionel in the late 1940s. It is an O27 version of the 80' Heavyweight. Classic Madisons, as made by Lionel and Williams, have a lower profile. They work best with steamers and semi-scale locomotives. A scale -sized F unit dwarfs them.
MTH's Railking Madisons are taller than the classic versions, yet are about the same length. They work well with scale-sized locomotives. However, they dwarf some semi-scale units.
K-Line's semi-scale Streamliners work best with semi-scale engines. Though they can work with scale models, they will look small.
The Classic O27 Streamliners are very short...even short for O27. These are perfect for smaller locomotives, giving the effect of a larger passenger train in a much smaller space.
Compare two common size cranes, the Marx / K-line and the MTH Railking. The Marx type works best when used with semi-scale and O27 cars, while the Railking works with taller, scale sized cars and locomotives. Size makes a difference, and the Railkings are significantly taller than traditional semi-scale.
Length of Trains: Real long-haul freights start at 30 cars and can grow to over a hundred. O gauge freights are normally no longer than ten freight cars or six passenger cars. A good-sized passenger train for small pikes is three to four cars, and freights of six to eight cars. Much has to do with the length of the locomotive. An S2 Turbine has a lengthy look, and thus would haul a longer train than the train-set type 4-4-2 steamer or #520 boxcab. A single semi-scale Alco FA unit can have as few as five freights or two Madisons, while an AA lashup would require at least nine freights or four Madisons. An ABA might need as many as twelve freights and five or more Madisons.
Switchers such as the NW, SW or MP15 can haul even fewer cars. Most notable would be a "maintenace of way" trai nwith crane, crane-tender caboose and one other car. A switcher looks appropriate with a smaller consist. Streamlined units such as F3s and FA2s demand something longer, thanks to their sleek styling. For the extra-long locomotives, such as GG1s, E7s and PA1s, a long consist is the order of the day.
Variety: real railroads tend to run consists which contain similar car types and color schemes. Most pre-1965 trains had a preponderance of either red boxcars, black hoppers or black tanks. Tinscale railroads favor colorful "billboard" schemes, so that the ideal train might contain a combination of colorful boxcars and other freights carefully mixed together.
In real railroading, unit trains are of a single car type and paint scheme. Tinscale unit freights are either cars of a similar type or cars of a similar color. Uniformity is either color or type, not both. Rarely can you make a unit train of same car / same color and have it look good.
Cars for Tinscale.
There are certain sizes and types of cars which have become recognized standards for Tinscale. They are popular because they work well in the truncated reality of the toy train universe. It is a blend of appearance, size and convenience. These include:
6464 Boxcars: the Lionel 6464 series, K-Line 6400s and Williams-type boxcars are of a size that was standardized early. They are sized for Tinscale running. The car length is ten inches. You can easily get an idea of how big a train will be. Because these cars are available in so many road names and colors, you can put together a very attractive consist. The added fun is that each boxcar is a story in itself. Tinscalers generally like to find cars which strike a note with them. It might bear the markings of a favorite product (Heinz Pickle Cars remain a favorite), an interesting railroad, or an unusual logo. Of course, some go for boxcars they remember from seeing on the railroads where they live. The 6464 type is big enough to run behind semi-scale or scale locomotives, and still look appropriate. Unlike O27 / 64, they never look "too small". And they never have to "too big" look of scale cars behind semi-scale diesels. Boxcars are fun to collect. So take your time ...what you like will always be around, and if you missed it this time, someone else will be making it in the foreseeable future.
60" Madison: these cars run 14 to 15 inches, and in scaling look like O27. They are Tinscale replicas of the Heavyweight-type passenger cars introduced in the 1920s. Lionel introduced the Madisons and Williams reproduces them. The reproductions are of high quality, though more affordable and offered in more various road names than the original maker. Madisons look good behind scale or semi-scale locos, although smaller locos and steamer generally look best.
Lionel and Williams Madisons have interior lighting, and silhouettes of passengers on the windows, giving the appearance of a crowded train.
The Madisons by MTH Railking are not reproductions, but a new product. Railkings seem a bit more like O scale, with the 14.5 inch length and O scale doors. Nonetheless, they fit well with semi-scale diesels and very well with scale ones. Railking Madisons have full, lighted interiors.
Typical car types among all the Madisons: coaches, observation car, combine, baggage car, sleeper, diner. Sometimes a combine is made in markings designating it an RPO.
60' Streamliners: Lionel introduced these as the "Silver Dawn" passenger cars, made of extruded aluminum. Lionel occasionally makes a new set, but Williams' fine reproductions keep them on the shelves. The Williams cars at least equal the originals. 60' Streamliners range a bit over 15 inches long. They have interior lighting and silhouettes of passengers.
Typical cars in a set include coaches, diner, Vista-Dome, Observation car and sleeper.
Williams makes the greatest variety of road names.
Caboose: the Tinscale caboose comes in several varieties, but all are somewhat larger than semi-scale. Most popular are the Lionel SP type caboose with rear cupola, Lionel NC5 caboose with porthole windows, K-Line / Marx deluxe caboose with center cupola and K-Line/Marx bay window Deluxe caboose. Williams reproduces the Lionel-type NC5 in a host of road names...even though the NC5 was only used on the Pennsy, Lehigh Valley, Penn Central and Conrail. Tinscale takes only half a thought to prototype. If it looks good, whether there's a prototype or not, they'll make it in any road scheme.
Standard cabeese go well with the 6464 boxcar types. Note that many accessories are tailored toward O gauge, not scale. Scale cabeese can get hung up in places where Tinscale passes easily.
Though cabeese are being phased out on real railroads, they will remain on Tinscale pikes forever. Expect batches of new cabeese for roads which never had any!
Semi-Scale steamer: most steam engines made for O are semi-scale, not pure 1/48. The most popular steamer of all time is the S2 Turbine. Lionel produced four or five separate runs before 1969, and they sold like hotcakes. Never mind that the original S2 was a one-of-a-kind locomotive. It may have flunked the Pennsy's tests for fuel efficiency, hence its singular status, but it succeeded in thrilling three generations of Tinscalers. Williams just made a reproduction ,and MTH made both a full-sized model and a semi-scale one. Lionel reissued it to club members in its century series. So if you want to be a hardcore Tinscaler, you need to have at least one S2.
Cab Unit diesel: the icon of Tinscale is the Santa Fe F3 A in Warbonnet colors - red, gold and silver. It remains the single most popular model locomotive in O, O27, S, HO and N gauges. Lionel introduced it and the New York Central "Lightning Stripe" F3. Both were a big hit, and other road names have followed. F3s and F7s have been made by Lionel, MTH, Williams and K-Line. Alongside the F3 is the E series of E7 and E8 diesels: same cab face, longer body. The EMD F/E can face is perhaps the most prominent in model railroading. Most F3s and F7s are in scale dimensions, since it is a short diesel that pans out to between 14 and 15 inches in 1/48. Williams generally has the largest variety of road names; K-Line's have the most detail. A running joke goes "If you don't see your road name in an F, just wait. Williams will eventually make it again."
The semi-scale Fs and Es were not Lionel. MTH's Railking line boasts their excellent semi-scale F3, while Marx made semi-scale E7s. There are plenty of the E7s around. MTH doesn't make its F3 in as many road names, by the way.
The other classic cab unit is the Alco FA, originally produced by Lionel in UP and Erie liveries. Their FA was semi-scale, giving many the misconception that in real life, the FA was smaller than the F3. (Actually, they are the same size). Williams, Weaver and MTH Premier make full-scale FA locomotives. Lionel occasionally releases another semi-scale FA, and MTH's Railking has a nice semi-scale version in various road names. Erie livery is considered a classic, no matter who makes it.
Semi-scale streamliners: K-Line makes its own semi-scale streamliners that run between 13 and 14 inches. These have dimensions close to or right on 1/64, and have full interiors plus the option of silhouetted windows. One anomaly of their Vista Domes is that the seats are too small in the dome for any but HO figures, while the rest of the car runs about 1/64. K-Line cranks out a lot of them, and they will eventually be out in every road name. If you like them, grab them when they're in your colors - K-Line rarely repeats a road name.
O27 Classic Plastic Streamliners: originally introduced by Lionel, these "shorty" streamliners go well with any semi-scale locomotive. They're pure Tinscale, and work wonders on small layouts. Smaller than 60 footers or even K-line streamliners, the Classic O27s will work with very small O locos, such as the #520 Boxcab. They don't look good behind a full-sized F unit, however. Great for having full passenger trains where space is at a premium. Williams reproduces them.
Operating Boxcar: a 6464 or slightly smaller boxcar. Hit the button, the door opens and you see the man inside. Whoop-de-doo. Lionel and K-Line make them, they sell, and every Tinscaler has at least one. (I have 3 or 4)
Tinscale confusion?
You can have scale scenery for a Tinscale railroad, and it works well. One well-known example is Roy Everett's famous Little Lake Lines, with its curious hand-made animations. Roy's scenery runs a good 1/48 throughout, but you can run any Tinscale train and it will look good.
Some prefer 1/48 as a basis for scale scenery, but others lean toward 1/64. Some use 1/64 buildings with 1/48 people. Marx made 1/64 buildings for its O trains, then made 1/48 people to go with them. The people are bigger than the doorways. Since so much O27 is scaled at 1/64 or thereabouts, you can squeeze in more scenery than with 1/48
One knucklehead idea was the Plasticville O/S building, meant to serve 2 scales. Doors and floors were planned at 1/48, but dimensions for everything else are 1/64.
You could do a wholly Tinscale scenery ,with 1/32 in one spot, 1/48 in another, and 1/64 in another. It's your railroad!
The Materials
Another look at Tinscale Cars
Tinscale uses railroading as materials for making its own fantasy railway. We run trains as we'd like to run them, not quite as they are run in the real world. This is a game, a sport, a hobby and an art. Our ideal is enjoyment rather than replication. To make our Tinscale work, we need to understand the tools at our disposal:
Track: track is the road on which our trains run. Classic Tinscale track is good, old-fashioned tubular rail. It is made of thin metal, braced with three to five metal ties per section. Realistic? Not really..... This is not to say we're stick with it. Any track that fits our trains will do, from the realistic scale-type tracks of today to the tin tubular of olden times.
Freights: the variety of freight cars in the real world is astounding, and much more so in Tinscale. Along with the boxcars, reefers, tanks, gondolas and hoppers, Tinscale has a few odd sorts all its own. There are also come Tinscale car protocols which fly in the face of prototype.
The major difference between Tinscale and Scale, insofar as freights, is how trains are assembled. Scale roads follow the prototype, with many cars of a single type and livery running together. It is not uncommon for scale freight trains to consist entirely of one type or color car. Odd cars are occasional, and mainly apply only to drills and shunting yards. Not so in Tinscale. Uniformity is rare here. It's all how we pick our freights and line them up.
Boxcars and reefers are doubtlessly the most common elements within Tinscale, and the 6464 size is the most common. The fun of boxcars and reefers is the awesome variety of liveries, colors and road names. Tinscalers choose those they find most striking, for whatever reason. Some are chosen for colors or logos, some for designs, and some because they're the ones we see around us on the real railways. A few are so common as to be darn near obligatory: the REA reefer, Heinz 57 woodside boxcar or reefer, yellow Railbox boxcar and the invariable Santa Fe and Union Pacific pieces. From there, it's "anything goes."
The trick to using boxcars and reefers is to line them up for appeal. It's not about hauling freight but looking good on the rails. Boxcars and reefers are the prima materia of Tinscale
Every road has at least one hopper. Hoppers haul coal or grain. The real ones are usually painted in dull colors, with black, gray and boxcar red being most common. Though colorful hoppers are uncommon, the ones to find are yellow Peabody and pink / red Brachs. Hoppers are part of a good railway ,and anyone in Tinscale eventually has at least three or four.
Gondolas are the "carry-alls" of the road. Most common are gondolas loaded with canisters. Most are black or maroon, with relatively plain lettering. The fun of gondolas is the odd freight you can fit into them. Everyone has at least one.
Flat cars are rather plain. It's the load that counts. Flat cars provide a place to put something interesting, from fire trucks to generators. Though cars are rarely shipped on flats, several makers do a big business in flats with automobiles. The plainest car becomes a major thing for some Tinscalers, who specialize in having attractive, odd and plain unusual loads.
Tank cars can be pretty bland, but Tinscalers can turn up some interesting ones. Normally black, gray, white or dull silver in the real world, Tinscale tanks come in every color of the rainbow. Most folks have at least one or two, and some specialize in tankers.
Auto-Carriers: these days, auto-carried are sheathed in steel to protect against vandals. The carriers favored by Tinscalers are open, two-level cars with four to six vehicles. You can find models hauling every kind of auto and even boats. Tinscalers don't hide the cargo: they show it!
Cabeese: the caboose is normally a red car at the end of a train. Most Tinscale cabeese follow suit, but not always. Many colors are out there, with many models being illuminated. Though most like to have a caboose matching the road name of the locomotive, a few continue to be "anything goes" with cabeese.
Cranes: The crane car is part of "Maintenance of Way," used for any heavy lifting. Its main use is during wrecks. Semi-scale cranes are a major item among Tinscalers. Most are models of the 250-Ton Bucyrus-Erie steam cranes that once worked all major lines. Lionel makes its old version and a newer "6-wheel type, while K-Line continues to produce the old Marx type and MTH offers a newer, larger crane. Realism is ceded to practicality. Both the K-Line and Lionel cranes have wheels on the cab for the operator's use, while MTH's Railking version has removable handles. Note that while real cranes were dull black with little adornment, and many did not even bear the logo of their owners, Tinscale cranes come in every color and livery out there.
Crane Tender / Work Caboose: most railroads used the work caboose by itself, as a combination flatbed and shanty. Very few employed it as a crane tender. Boom tenders were made from gondolas. Thanks to Lionel, most tinscale and scale model railroaders associate cranes with the work caboose, and so they are paired.
Like most Maintenance of Way equipment, real work cabeese were boxcar red, black or gray in color. Some were painted engineer yellow. The Tinscale models come in colors to match road names, and can be quite colorful. Makers cede to the whims of the people, so that what would normally be bland is as ornate as the brightest boxcar. One example: the Railking Chessie crane is entirely painted Chessie Yellow with the familiar markings. Real Chessie work cranes were as dull as anyone else's. So it is that one finds a red and white CNJ crane /tender combo, alongside a jade green NYC crane set, when in fact the prototypes were black and unadorned.
Every Tinscaler has at least one crane and tender.
Madisons: the 60-foot Madison is a fictional car, for in fact it is an 80-foot Heavyweight passenger car of the 1920s scaled down for Tinscale. Despite its shortened length and height, the Madison is a staple of Tinscale. Lionel, Williams and MTH produce them in true Tinscale dimensions, in every livery one might want. Though some are genuinely painted dull green, as were most originals, you can find them in every livery with the road colors reproduced. This may have been reserved for special express trains in the real world, but in Tinscale it goes for any pike.
Streamliners: the top Streamliner of classic Tinscale was the Lionel aluminum "Silver Dawn" type. A 60-footer version of the streamlined New York Central Empire State Express, they were produced in many versions. Most common: Silver Dawn, NYC and Santa Fe. Williams reproduces them in almost every popular road name. MTH's Railkings are a variant with full interiors, some plastic, some metal. K-Line started making both scale and Tinscale versions lately, of exquisite detail and wallet-crushing cost.
Shorty Streamliners: the K-line Streamliners for semi-scale are rather small, and though detailed with fine interiors, are among the smallest Tinscale streamliners out there. These look longer than they actually are, being an inch or two shorter than Madisons. They are popular because they give the feel of a long passenger train in a shorter space.
Lionel produced a range of very short cars in the 1950s. Williams reproduced them, and though shorter even than K-line, they allow folks the luxury of good-looking passenger liners in a much small space.
Operating Cars: a big part of Tinscale is the use of cars that perform some trick. Most are activated by a controller, some operate automatically thanks to special track or "trips." The commonest types are boxcars whose door opens automatically ,a milk car that deposits cans on a platform, and cars that load or unload cattle. Operating cars are a vast field in themselves, from exploding boxcars to missile launchers to animated "rolling aquariums." Tinscalers generally have at least two or three in their consists.
Tinscale Consists: along with normal trains, there are a few whose role is absolutely Tinscale. A few famous examples include:
Fire trains: like a rolling fire department, complete with a hose car, ladder car, searchlight and other accouterments of the firefighting-profession. Not based on prototype, but the whims of train makers.
War train: military trains were normally just another cargo, but the Tinscale ones can fight a battle. There are missile launchers, helicopter launchers, rolling artillery and other rail ordnance that never existed in the real world.
Navy / Waterway train: variously issued as Navy, Coast Guard or even "Dive Team," these trains are outfitted for nautical support. They usually have boats, radar, a crane and other things necessary for getting from rails to sea. They are pure fantasy, yet continue to delight Tinscalers.
Circus Train: a specialty all to itself, the rolling circus is a staple for both scale and Tinscale. Real circuses travelled by train, so the manufacturers decided to replicate them. They normally have crew quarters plus a variety of show cars, cages with animals, and all the rest. Colorful to the point of gaudy, circus trains are a hot item.
Work Trains: these are the Maintenance of Way trains, complete with work caboose, crane and searchlight. Not made as often these days, the Work Trains were a complete package that constitued a miniature railway construction force. Some recent sets billed as "work trains" omitted the crane. Other versions are billed as "wreck trains."
Brand Name Trains: a popular Tinscale item is a train whose entire consist is colored in the logo of a famous non-train company. These included various candy, soda and beer makers. They are issued by different makers from time to time. One unusual offering in 2000 is based on a popular fast-food chain.
Standard Train Sets: they still make them. Also called "starter sets," the O/O27 versions include track, a transformer, cars and a locomotive. Occasionally, other accessories are added to the set. Though most are made of low-end products, the quality is still Tinscale and they are built to last. Sets can be steam or diesel, passenger or freight, or any combination. And yes, there are even bare-bones trolley sets, too!