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Starting the "Doll Railway"


medusa

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I still wonder if this is a good idea. Got today the 1/25 paper model kit of a narrow gauge loco... I do actually not plan to build the paper model but to enlarge the main parts to 1/16 and (ab-)use it as templates for plastic parts.

 

modelik.JPG.13d2fcd219168b50a98fa9ed36436b98.JPG

 

 

I feel some of you may want to ask me, "why do you do that..?"

Well, the answer is a bit lengthy.

 

The basic idea was to share some hobby with my wife. She collects Japanese dolls in scales 1/6 and 1/12, and I wondered for a long time if at least the 1/12's could not get some kind of indoor "garden railway".
Japanese dolls are different than the western ones. AFAIK traditionally dolls were viewed as artwork, not a child's toy like in the west. This holds even for the modern ones. Often I thought that the dolls in our home look so detailed and prototypical thus it's kind of precision model clothing what they wear. And, my Love has a real good sense to make her cute little girls look as real as possible.

 

Now, coming to a doll related railroad this means big scales. Common G gauge (which is IIm) trains are 1/22.5 scale. Too small for 1/12 passengers who are 14cm tall. I calculated a bit and concluded that 1/16 is absolute minimum what I need to do for a train. Well, thats scale III and we enter the real big gauge numbers here. (1/11 would be already gauge V).

IIIe has the advantage that the widely available G model tracks would fit to a prototype track width of 750mm which is common for narrow gauge trains (remark: I do not view cape gauge as narrow since it is the standard in Japan and a lot of other counties worldwide).

 

Ok. Now, what about the train itself? Beloved one does like modern technics and not Steampunk. (I got permission to restart model railroading at all since I showed her pictures of wonderful Kato N-scale Shinkansen. ;) )
But of course that means that for the doll train models of old steamers and stuff looking like it came from a dead coal mine is totally out of question. Real steam.... heat and moisture in close vincinity of her precious collectibles, - better not thinking about.

So, I felt a little sensation when I discovered the FAUR L45h loco. Build in Romania, the PKP ran quite a number of them as series Lxd2 on the narrow-gauge tracks of western Poland. The little loco looks similar to a larger modern cousin. Got permission. :)
Interestingly, people from Poland seem to be skilled paper model builders. There is a huge number of models of all kind, and for rolling stock 1/25 is a quite common scale. They do even steamers this way... think of all the little tubing!

 

 

Thus I started this thread to do documentation how the project goes on. If anybody of you knows about 1/16 Japanese parts please let me know (a JRF 19D would be a dream).

 

 

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very fun project! 

 

ive always dreamed of doing my own G scale 700 in the back yard! we have about 2/5 acre back there so some good long runs! 

 

cool way to get templates thru the cardstock models.

 

jeff

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Unless you're already "married" to this idea, you might consider 7/8" scale, which would work out much closer to the doll's scale, and have potential promise for operating trains.  I can already envision an excursion train, with the dolls seated in benches on an open car, perhaps with tea being served elsewhere.  There's lots of info and images on the web.  I believe many folks bash LGB donors, such as a Stainz with a much larger cab.  Wiki has the most basic of info, and I believe the Lounge is the major discussion forum.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SE_scale

 

http://www.7-8ths.info/

 

Addendum - If you know or could locate people with LGB garden railways, you could even take the dolls (and your trains) out for a field trip.  As you mention, you would need to keep them away from any live steam in the vicinity!  You should be able to find a used G-scale power "brick" to build your own Japanese style NG forestry engine.

Edited by velotrain
addendum
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Hi Charles,

 

as long as no real work started or money was paid, I'm not so married to any plan. However, there is a real important limitation, storage space (and, of course, transportation for field trips). Which becomes not easier as size goes up. Nevertheless, 7/8" is an interesting scale, but I found nothing about on German websites. Most people here seem to go either 1, G (IIm), or II. The real biggies here are clubs which operate V and VII. And III is very rare.

 

I like your link to the Stainz kitbash. It is exactly the way I planned to mod LGB and other garden railway stuff. (BTW, the Aussie would find no mercy in the eyes of my Sweetheart^^)

 

I rambled around in some of the garden railway forums here (gauge G and up), for most of them seems to be exact scale not a big matter over practicability. This is especially the case for the more rare gauges like III where the only way is kitbashing. Of course, there are also purists who clearly divide between "model train hobbyists" and "play train hobbyists". Well, count me to the latter ones. I do this for fun. :P

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Some 1/12 info: Tomytec and a few others actually sell 1/12 railroad items, like working railroad switches (the handles) and station benches, gates and even some sectioned traincars for dolls to pose in. (i've seen classic coaches, modern commuter cars and even sleepers)

 

Imho in 1/12, gauge 3 would be correct for cape gauge, while gauge 2 would be ok for narrow gauge. The loco you linked is used with that gauge for the Children's railway in Budapest, a line run for and by kids. It has some nice rolling stock, including shorter open side cars painted in nice colors.

 

Or you could go the easy way and get the tomytec doll ride on railway sets using N gauge 1/12 scale cars. That would even fit on a table. One bit of warning though, these posable dolls are more like barbie type scale models and made in 1/12 as (young) adults. I don't know if you mean these or the child looking classic japanese dolls.

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25 minutes ago, kvp said:

 

Or you could go the easy way and get the tomytec doll ride on railway sets using N gauge 1/12 scale cars. That would even fit on a table.

 

 

I should think that N gauge 1/12 cars would be extraordinarily tippy, and have a hard time envisioning them making it around a curve on a table top set-up.  YMMV

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2 hours ago, medusa said:

 

as long as no real work started or money was paid, I'm not so married to any plan. However, there is a real important limitation, storage space (and, of course, transportation for field trips). Which becomes not easier as size goes up. Nevertheless, 7/8" is an interesting scale, but I found nothing about on German websites. Most people here seem to go either 1, G (IIm), or II. The real biggies here are clubs which operate V and VII. And III is very rare.

 

 

Medusa - since SE is a US/UK "Imperial" measurement, I wouldn't expect you to find it referenced on a fully metric continent ;-)  It translates to 1:13.7, so really isn't that very much larger than the 1:16 you initially proposed.  Looking at the NEM scales/gauges, it fits neatly into the (currently/apparently) unused IV slot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rail_transport_modelling_scale_standards#NEM

 

Another way of thinking of it might be between IIIe and Vi using the columns in the chart.  Europe had such a wealth of unusual NG track gauges that I can't see how any open-minded modeler with 45mm track could reasonably turn you down; I wouldn't be surprised if there was a club in Cologne with a small indoor 45mm layout.  Even though you don't find it referenced in Germany, I suspect that if you join the SE Lounge you would possibly learn of European practitioners.  Like HOn30 (I can't speak for the evolutionary history of HOe or HOf) and On30, SE developed as a means of modeling NG in a larger scale by using track and mechanisms of an existing smaller scale.  The origins in the US are with modelers having garden railways wanting to run NG in a smaller gauge / larger scale (often industrial consists/operations) than the popular 3' gauge used for F scale.  While I have seen a (barely?) portable SE layout at the National Narrow Gauge Convention here, there's no reason you couldn't create a (temporary) single-track shelf layout.  It's the sort of thing that would call for low-relief structures - such as a doll shop, perhaps modeled in a Showa architectural style.  Just because it may represent a largely industrial gauge, there's to reason you couldn't create a more refined version - perhaps an estate railway of sorts.

 

I mostly just couldn't understand you messing around enlarging a paper model to create plastic templates to build a simulated locomotive in a substantially smaller scale than the dolls, when there's one that's better suited to your interests, and with the potential charm to match that of your passengers!  Given that your original intent (I think) was simply to create some train playthings for the dolls, I see no reason to deny future operational possibilities when they could be achieved with not a whole lot more effort, although perhaps more expense in the end.  You could even start with a loop of LGB second-hand track and no engine, just build a wagon or two and push the dolls around on the floor.  I see the innate playfulness and creativity of SE as being a good match for both of you and your family ;-)

 

Edited by velotrain
correction
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17 hours ago, velotrain said:

 

I should think that N gauge 1/12 cars would be extraordinarily tippy, and have a hard time envisioning them making it around a curve on a table top set-up.  YMMV

 

Fortunately Tomix managed to solve the problem:

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10368166

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10368167

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10368168

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10368166/30/1

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10368166/30/2

Still, i don't know if the 1:12 dolls you mentioned are similar to these 1:12 dolls on the pictures.

 

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@kvp

 

I know about the 1/12 9mm cars but lost the link. Thanks for that.

In 1/12 my wife collects mostly Azone Picco Neemo:

 

5a133566e942d_AzonePiccoNeemo20170226_165258.thumb.jpg.f9348a68ee8047be377dbc1e5492a605.jpg20161022_155544.thumb.jpg.4bb18d4c4ccce30028747c06a885ba39.jpg20170116_161450.thumb.jpg.cba25e8fdeef8ac07450bb8b642ebc10.jpg

 

Think twice before you show your wifes, they cost about in the range of our model trains... (new, the price on ebay goes up when they're sold out).

 

Just in case, here is the link: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/list/2048/0/1  :toothy11:

 

 

 

Edited by medusa
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5 hours ago, kvp said:

 

Fortunately Tomix managed to solve the problem

 

 

Well - I can't speak to the carriages, but that engine certainly isn't 1/12.

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19 minutes ago, velotrain said:

 

Well - I can't speak to the carriages, but that engine certainly isn't 1/12.

 

But roughly 1/12 scale to the 1/12 scale dolls!

 

1/144 is the standard doll house doll house scale.

 

jeff

Edited by cteno4
Dyslexic typing
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24 minutes ago, medusa said:

Charles,

 

I just found out that 7/8" is also called M gauge. Let me browse the web about. ;)

 

Let us know what you discover about a Continental presence.

I'd also be curious where the M came from and what it represents.

I was thinking that SE is likely used (supported?) in the UK where there are many outdoor lines in both 45mm and 32mm.  On 45mm it represents 2' or 610mm, which I think was actually used somewhat in Europe, although certainly less so than 600mm?

 

"Some modelers using  7⁄8 scale operate on 32 mm (1.26 in) track, used to replicate 18 in (457 mm) gauge industrial lines found in Great Britain and other countries."

Somehow I suspect that 457mm was not found as much as 500mm ;-)

 

I'm sure the dolls would ride more comfortably on the wider stock.

 

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Nothing continental. If you browse for, look for  "7/8 gauge". A number oft hits (clubs and stores) in the UK.

As it models 600mm gauge on G track, nearly all of it is from the "Industrial, Coal Mine & Lumber Jack Railroad". Not what we're looking for.

:(

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4 hours ago, medusa said:

 

As it models 600mm gauge on G track, nearly all of it is from the "Industrial, Coal Mine & Lumber Jack Railroad". Not what we're looking for.

:(

 

That may be how it's been used, but you could make of it whatever you wish.

There were 2' passenger lines in Maine, US and the UK - many of these still operate, including one that runs Garratts!  I think you used to like those.

 

Just thought it might save you some effort over 1:16, and be more doll size.

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Think I will ignore the exact scale for the moment and see which parts for a kitbash will pop up.

 

The paper model I can enlarge to whatever scale I need.

 

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