"Train scale" Topic

I know this has been covered before but my search skills are not working well today. A simple question what train scale goes with 28mm. I am working on a small 28mm train depot and thought about adding some other train stuff but was not sure what actual scale it wood be.

Traditional 28mm miniatures (say, in my mind, like Ral Partha stuff from forty years ago)should be approximately

1:60 to 1:70 scale

If we assume that 1mm equals 65mm, a 28mm figure (measured to the top of the head, not to the eye, which is where even older, classic wargaming scale figures were measured to) would be 1828mm tall or 1.828 meters, or about 6 feet.

I don't know all the Train scales very well, but if you are working in anything around 1:65 scale, your 28mm figures should look good

But, remember, that when it comes to scale representations, sometimes being a little off looks better than being exactly on. HO scale (1:87) would probably not look right for 28mm figures, and O scale (1:48) is too large. If there is a train scale in the middle of these, somewhere, that is what you'd be looking for.

S gauge is 1/64. US O gauge is 1/48. So you can either
be over or under. Depends on your view point, which one
will work for you.

It's what you can get.

I've used Matchbox/Hot Wheel cars and HO buildings with 20mm figures up to true 25mm Ral Partha Battletroops.

Today's 28mm figures tower over them all and I use U.S. O gauge buildings and cheep die cast cars from the spinner racks at supermarkets and drug stores.

As far as trains go, if you can wait, around Christmas they come out with plastic trains and tracks that have a more European look to them.

Several manufacturers seem to have settled on describing 28mm figures as 1/56 scale.

There is some controversy about how accurate or useful this number is, but at least it gives you something to work with!

Today, actual "28mm" laser cut buildings are being made by such as Sarissa.
I bought a New England farm house recently and was pleased with how they match 28mm figures.
Try their catalog for train stations.

The gauge on O scale track looks wayyyy to large next to 28mm figures, even for Russian broad-guage railways. Just try tying a hapless victim to the tracks, they will fit between the rails!

S-Scale looks much more believable.

Take a figure with you for comparison. If it looks ok then go with it. For buildings I'd go with one of the mdf manufacturers since they are building to goo with modern produced figures. As miniMo says O gauge, and some of the supposed 28mm track is way too wide to be in scale, it would look better with a section cut out of the centre of the sleepers.

Winston Smith I am using Sarissa buildings so wanted to ad some train stuff to it. Track and maybe a flatcar or something at a siding. but was not sure what scale to go for.

Check out the Goldlok train sets. They usually show up around Christmas time, but they can be found on eBay for a reasonable price. I used one as the base for an armored train.

I got some S-Scale flex track: link

And some cheap used American Flyer S-Scale cars at a train show. They're American image, but the flatcars and gondolas work well enough for a European setting. They look fine next to 1:56 vehicles, it helps that European goods wagons tend to be shorter than American freight cars.

I keep this bookmarked… TMP link

I have done S Scale out of the U.S. and have got S Spur on Ebay from Germany more European WW2 and WW1 link ebay is
auction
I use S Scale two rail track this works good.

Thanks all. I now have a better idea where to look. Hello e-bay.

Bachmann's On30 is a good compromise. It looks really well with 28mm. It uses HO track to boot, unless you actually want to buy On30 track – which has a different spacing between the ties.

The biggest issue may be the availability of the models vs. the period you want to game.

Rick

You could use Sarissa's own trains. The track is over scale but the engines and trucks are designed for 28mm figures.

Here are some links to my blog that talk about railroads and miniatures and how we view them.

link

link

link

link

If you're playing with 28mm genrally most O-27 an toy-ish sized O scale stuff is going to look right. We use O-27 engines and cars and a fair number of O-scale buildings in our games and they look great.

True-Scale O is properly 1/48 will look huge. It's not so much the scale which is only a bit bigger but the fact that true-scale anything on a tabletop takes up a huge amount of space when compared to the compressed dimensions that most wargamers work with.

However most O stuff that is designed to run on small curves (usualy 27" or 30") -often called 0-27- and the builings that fit in a small area is already quite compressed in size. Most Wargame figs have thicker proportions than scale when you add in the height of bases on most wargaming figs the look is very good. That goes for Engines, Rolling Stock and buildings which often have a very compressed footprint.

The one aspect of O that is always too big is the track, so you just have to decide wether that bothers you.

On30 (O scale on HO width track) is darn near perfect, but there you're modeling narrow gauge and the number of settings and genres that it works in is limited. Also the selection of On30 stuff is smaller an the prices are double that of other scales

S scale track will look good, but almost everything S Scale (1/64) is going to look MUCH to small. Despite what has been said above 1/64 is ridiculously small when placed next to a 28mm figure. Remember that 1/64 is the scale of an average Hot Wheels Sedan. You can get away with some S scale rolling stock in a european setting in 28mm. However, the only 1/64 stuff I use in wargaming is ERTL farm buildings because they're essentially scale-less and big enough to drive 1/48 vehicles into.

All this to say…

-If you want to add tracks without trains just buy some S track.

-If you want trains and buildings go with O. Stick with Engines and cars designed for 27 or 30 inch curves (aka 0-27), an buildings with a compressed footprint.

Enjoy!

At 1:48 the track gauge of O gauge/scale track comes out to 5 feet. (There is a story behind this, but it is boring.). That might be OK if you are doing O scale Russia, but it is going to be wide for Western Europe, and definitely too wide if using 28mm figures.

My suggestion would be to take a tank and set it on an O27 flat car. Then set it on an S scale flat car. Go with whichever one looks better to you.

May I suggest my wifes kickstarter campaign?
link

For 10€/$13 you get track files in five different gauges. A free sample for 1:56 printout is linked in the campaign. The goal is to create a free (for all) set of Standard Gauges and 4 other Gauges (Russian, Cape, Indian, Industrial) for the backers.

BTW: Wheels will soon be added. Update pending a few hours:

If you do NOT have a 3d-printer – consider to get one. Seriously, even when you are not interested in this campaign. It will pay off…

Now you're going to have to get actual 1/56 scale figures!

I use O scale all the time. True the tracks look large but given the tendency toward oversize figures and add in their base to boot and O Scale cars and buildings look right vis a vis door and window sizes. That works for me! Cheers!

O scale works for me. Here are some photos of my Stalingrad kit with O scale train.

link

Those who spend any time around real trains know they are very big.

O scale is perfect for 28mm figures.

I use O gauge.

link

I think S gauge will work too.