Talking T Gauge

oztman · Joined: 14 Jan 2009 Posts: 34 Location: Sydney, Australia

Hello All

I joined a few days ago and have been "lurking" since then...

I thought it might be interesting to find out what members hope to get out of this new scale. Is it the challenge of something much smaller than Z, or the sheer novelty of it, or do some members see T gauge as the solution to the old problem of not enough space for a layout? Are there other objectives which I haven't mentioned (it is late on Sunday night here).

As for myself, I'll mainly be waiting to see what develops, especially as far as locos and rolling stock is concerned. Commuter car sets don't exactly do it for me.
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Gary
Z scale, but very curious about T - and who knows?

David K Smith · Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:44 pm Post subject:

Welcome to the board, Gary! Glad to see you've decided to "de-cloak" and participate. Hope you enjoy yourself. You've started out with a really interesting question.

My objective is to see how far I can take T Gauge. I'd like to start with modifying existing products--improving the appearance of track, "Americanizing" the rolling stock--and continuing on to scratchbuilding totally new stuff, including handlaid track, American freightcars, diesels, etc. Meanwhile, I'll be exploring new ways of scenerymaking, structure construction, and layout design. Eventually I'd like to devise a functional coupler system and try to improve performance.

My ultimate goal is to be a manufacturer of North American T Gauge products. If I live long enough...
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—David

http://www.t-gauge.net/
http://1-450.blogspot.com/

trainspotter-usa · Joined: 04 Sep 2008 Posts: 315 Location: Minnesota

Hi Gary:
I class myself as an enthusiast of all model railway scales. I've modelled in pretty much every scale (except S). So when T came along I was duly fascinated and curious. All I knew was that I had to have a set, whether I did anything with it or not.
However once I got the trains running the bug bit and bit hard. It's a whole new world. I think you're missing something when you say "commuter car sets don't do it for me". They really don't do that much for me either. But they are tiny and they run and its incredible.
Some of the guys here are very experienced in building in the smaller scales. I'd never really attempted any scratchbuilding in anything smaller than HO (in N and Z I worked straight out of the box). So I really wanted to see if I could scratchbuild in this scale. Check out my "Hitsu" and "Gonou - son of Hitsu" threads in the layout section. I think I have a bit of an ability to work in some aspects of T gauge. I'm enjoying it and having chosen to stick to Japanese protoypes, I'm learning about Japan as well.
So I guess I'll carry on working in T until I get bored or I really can't see what I'm doing.

Ian
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I CAN see how cool this stuff is!!!
http://more-t-please.blogspot.com/

ken J · Joined: 11 Jan 2009 Posts: 13 Location: Birmingham UK

I suppose that because our club has 2 x 24 ft N gauge layouts [one built and one started] I am more motivated by building small layouts and I like Carl Arendt books from the States. Having just finished a working oval N gauge layout in a video box, complete with working Arnold Kof II loco, which you can see on my website I'm going to build a T gauge layout probably in a cutlery box and have 0 gauge people and scenery so it becomes their garden layout. Normally I model in N,Z and Nn3 so it's not so much what stock is available in T as to someone saying to me about any of my layouts "I like the detail you have put into a small space"
At the end of the day it's about enjoying yourself with your model making whatever scale you are "playing" with.

Ken
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visit www.kenjonestrains.co.uk and www.ngaugewmg.co.uk

Ken

rmyers · Joined: 19 Nov 2008 Posts: 73 Location: Evanston, IL USA

David K Smith · Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:32 pm Post subject: Re: T gauge modelling objectives

oztman · Joined: 14 Jan 2009 Posts: 34 Location: Sydney, Australia

Thanks for the replies. To answer one point immediately, I'm not waiting until it's easy, but rather until it's more interesting. More interesting, for me, would be at least a few non-commuter passenger and/or freight car trains. In any case I've got a Z scale layout to build first, but I intend to use the intervening time to find out more about T and watch developments.

My own conception of a T gauge layout would be a line winding through an impressionist landscape (as one of the replies suggested - impressionist art is my favourite form) with a relatively simple station where trains might stop or go through in the case of an express. Switching (shunting) is NOT on my agenda.
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Gary
Z scale, but very curious about T - and who knows?

TBA · Joined: 08 Sep 2008 Posts: 120 Location: Massachusetts

Layers of cardboard building up landscape contours in the manner of architectural models might make interesting stylized layout scenery in this scale.

http://www.howardmodels.com/0-topographic/contour-model/index.html
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Brian Austin

zomer · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:41 am Post subject:

Gday Gary!!
Good to have another fellow Aussie on board!!

I guess I got into T gauge for both the novelty aspect and the vast possibilities that are available when dealing with such a small scale. I mostly model Victorian N scale but something about these tiny trains struck an apealing note with me.
Being a new scale it is very exciting to see where it goes. It is very new territory and with every new release or glimmer of information from Eishindo adds more excitement.
I am currently modelling a small Victorian layout in a suitcase but am in the middle of developing a T-TRAK-T standard (will put details of this shortly in a new thread) which when coupled together should create the "line winding through an impressionist landscape" that you mention earlier.

I hope that you find T Gauge a scale that you might want to dabble into.

Cheers

ZomeR
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Victorian T Gauge Blog
http://www.victorian-tgauge.blogspot.com/

rmyers · Joined: 19 Nov 2008 Posts: 73 Location: Evanston, IL USA

'Zomer',

DanMacK · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:31 pm Post subject:

For me, T Gauge represents the ultimate in a new frontier. I'm always amazed at small models, and these are the smallest around. The high scenery to train ratio is also a selling point for me.
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Regards,
Dan MacKellar

oztman · Joined: 14 Jan 2009 Posts: 34 Location: Sydney, Australia

oztman · Joined: 14 Jan 2009 Posts: 34 Location: Sydney, Australia

B 67 · Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:11 am Post subject:

I'm one of these poor souls tempted by so many scales and gauges and can't bring myself to settle on only one or two, as they all offer something that interests me.

I have at least dabbled in most scales, if not actively modelled in them. O scale has been my main interest since the early 1980s, with 2 layouts. But I'd had several N scale layouts (American, British, freelance) and HO before that. Have built 2 Z scale layouts as well. I also have some G scale experience, although no layout - apart from a shop window display.

I have enjoyed making several very small layouts in N, as well as a small dual-scale layout (manages to combine an N scale US scene on one side and a UK OO scale scene on the other. Both with continuous running in 18 x 22".

Then there's the interest in miniature railways (I once had a 10" gauge train) and as zomer can attest, I even have a full size Bulldog cab sitting in my backyard. So, I think you get the idea that I'm not one to discriminate against scales and prototypes.

The super small fascinates me as much as the super huge. Yes, I've even had TY layouts (1:900). I've already built a T scale layout (see here) and am keen to do another - once I have the flex track and some other future items.

I suppose my reasons for getting into T (apart from the fact I run a hobby shop) are the challenges of working in such a small scale and the fact it is something new and different.
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Darren,
Stratford,
Australia.

Ozrail · Guest

I'm roughly the same with interest in different scales too.

I started off with HO,
then moved up to G gauge,
then moved down to N gauge,
then gone up again by joined a Miniature railway,
and now down again soon with T gauge.

So yeah an I've gone up and down in scale. Laughing