It's been a while since I’ve written about this matter. In the mean time 1/29th Scale has become the defacto size for standard gauge outdoor Garden Railway trains. From time to time the question arises as to why and how we came up with using 1/29th as our standard scale. After all, 1/29th is not the "proper" scale for standard gauge when using G-gauge (45mm) track, 1/32nd is the "proper" scale.
We chose 1/29th scale in 1987 before beginning production at the request of Nat Polk, who understood the model train business from it's earliest days. In truth, Nat was a pioneer of this hobby and had a great historical overview as an expert in marketing model trains. It was his take that the original Lionel trains that dominated the first half of the 20th century in the U.S. were all 1/29th scale. The trains did not run on track with a gauge that was theoretically correct. Lionel used a different gauge track because their trains were top heavy and need a wider foot stance for stability when running. Despite the track gauge issue Lionel was the leader in the model train industry for many years. Even today the Lionel Standard Gauge trains evoke a WoW! each time they are seen and their collectability value is enormous.
Furthermore, Nat was active in importing trains from all over the world and was very familiar with the English market. The English commonly use OO scale. OO scale is slightly larger then H.O. but still runs on HO gauge track. Hornby and Bachmann Branchline trains produce OO scale and have 98% of the English market. Not a word is said about the difference between scale vs. gauge and these two companies make amongst the most scale models in the world. The discussion of the gauge in relation to the scale is a non-event as it is here with 1/29th.
There is a small but vociferous minority that does not understand the public wants scale in their models and relationship to the gauge is not a concern to them. It's not that the public is uninformed. Rather they know scale is an issue the gauge of the track is not when it comes to Large Scale Trains. The "WoW!" Factor created by the impressive size of the model is what the modelers are interested in. Most do not care about gauge correctness. After all, how many hobbyists have no comment about running their beautiful 1/29th scale models on gold colored unrealistic code 332-height brass track through 8' diameter or tighter curves?
While the Large Scale Trains standard is code 332-height track, the "correct" scale height is code 225. However, I've never seen an outdoor code 225 layout working. Code 250 needs far more care before running unless laid on a concrete roadbed. The fact is 1/29th scale is more appropriate out of doors in the large environment of a garden layout that can put your trains several dozen feet or more away from you. The big size of 1/29th is highly visible and the track gauge quickly becomes invisible. The reality of Large Scale Trains reduces the discussion of track gauge to minimal importance.
People have voted with their wallets and minds. 1/29th has become the overwhelmingly most popular scale greatly overshadowing 1/32nd scale. This doesn’t mean that a great locomotive in any of the G-Gauge sizes will not sell. It’s not going to sell in the large numbers due to not having the same WoW! Factor as 1/29th models.
A true pioneer in the hobby, Nat Polk settled the Scale vs. Gauge discussion in 1987. He truly was one that understood the market before people understood that the market was far more than just toy trains.
The free market has demonstrated that 1/29th is a winning scale in standard gauge Large Scale trains. Competition reigns!
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