Any suggested books, etc for begginner in G Scale? Any compatibility between mfgs. (i.e. Aristocraft/Bachmann)? I received Bachmann as Christmas gift.
Hi Wiley check out www.mylargescale.com That's by far the best largescale forum I know of. Beautiful bunch of guys. They simply know all the answers you might ever have. BTW, I'm a member myself. have fun Sandro
Wiley, I might be able to answer your questions about compatibility. As far as gauge, all Large Scale trains will run on the G gauge track, and they should all couple together, providing that they have the same couplers and are mounted properly. As far as scale, each manufacturer build their trains in a different size (and sometimes two! ). 1. LGB, the cream of the crop, is 1:22.5. These trains are nominally meter-gauge. 2. Aristo-Craft, who makes some very nice trains, is 1:29. Supposedly standard gauge, but actually off-scale. 3. Bachmann's starter sets are about 1:24, as is the former Delton line now made by Aristo-Craft. Alsos Hartland Trains offers 1:24 models. 4. Bachmann's Spectrum line of Shays, Climaxes, and newer steam power are 1:20.3, which corresponds to a 3-foot prototype gauge. Confused? Don't worry about it! Just run whatever trains you like! One suggestion made to me was to run LGB engines (because of the outstanding quality) and Bachmann cars, replacing their plastic wheelsets with metal wheelsets (sold separately). This definately helps their cars run a lot better. Your LHS should be able to get Bachmann's metal wheelsets for you. Pat
