Here is a GP-38 from my personal fleet of locomotives. It is scaled at 1:87 or just about 10-2.
B&O GP-38 # 4811
From careful measurements and comparison to the original I find this is a fairly accurate scale model with some noteable execptions.
A full size (10 -0 ) GP 38 weighs about 250,000 pounds, based on that measurement we would expect this example to weigh in the neighborhood of 2,800 pounds. Not even close and I am glad – so scale size does not come close to scale weight even with a solid metal frame. This particular version is modeled in one of the most popular scales for model railroading 1/87 of full size or HO scale. Other popular scales are “O”, “G” and “N”. More on those to come.
2 Comments
It’s a linear scale of 1/100, mass is in proportion to volume:
250000/(100×100×100)=1/4
so your expected scale weight would be a quarter of a pound.
Thank you – I did not think of things that way.
The HO scale model weighs about 14oz – so it is heavier than it should be.
The N scale model is just about right ( see my next post )