Tom Yorke's latest Gn15 Models

[b1gy1n]

Hi everyone Tom has asked me to post ,pictures of his latest Gn15 models.
The first two are Bachmann 0-6-0T described in LID for the past 4 issues.

The third is a low clearance one new article in LID,same chassis a Gloverish Loco.

The fourth is what has been done so far on the Battery Storage Loco.

regards Marc Witten

on Tom Yorke's behest.

[Glen A]

I really like that first one, especially the bent bunker on the back and the rust effects. A top job!

[crcepelak]

I see a bashed Mogul in my future...

-CC

[docnjoj]

That low rider is truly awsome and would solve my clearance issues for steam! Is there a kit, or plans or anything??????
Doc

[tom yorke]

David,
I will have plans and instructions starting in the next Light Iron Digest (after the first 0-6-0T is finished -- one more installment to go). I also have some resin parts such as smoke box front, back head, firebox sides and oil door. These are my own parts but I will make some available for those who can use them. Don't imagine there will be a flood of inquiries there. As far as clearances go, don't forget about the width though.

Tom

[docnjoj]

Not a problem Tom! Please let me know, as width is gno problem, and it will end up on a Grantline 8 ton Porter chassis! Too bad U are not making side tanks and those flat steam domes! Where can I get plans, since I havent subscribed to Light Iron Digest??????
Doc

[crcepelak]

I may have to pick up a copy of LID when you start the next lokie, unless you are putting those plans in a book as well?
-Cory

[GUTMACH]

I see a bashed Mogul in my future...

I am inclined to do the same, after looking at that first Yorke's steamer. But there are too many other things that need to be done, the vertical boiler kettle being one of them.

You know, that is one of the bad aspects of the Gnatterbox, too easy to get sidetracked !

Nice 0-6-0Ts, Tom.

Wayde

[tom yorke]

The plans will appear in the next issue after the one that is due out in a month or two. They were also in my Sketchbook #2. The prototype came from a photo from Coronado Scale Models in Phoenix a number of years ago. We have no idea of what manufacturer.

The tank is very easy to make. Much more so than the saddle! I used .060 styrene for the outside panels and .188 square inside at the rounded corners at the top. A sanding disc did the rest. I was going to do a pattern for the steam dome but decided not to as I thought nobody else would want one. The stack is turned (by hand - literally) from telescoping styrene tube. I'm a glutton for punishment! The cab is .040 sheet and the roof will be formed from aluminum sheet.

The next loco to be done will be an O&K 0-6-2 tender loco (although with an inside frame) 'cause that's what I can get. Another Bachmann 2-6-0. The tender is finished on it already. The loco will be "fired" with bugasse.

Tom

[Steve Bennett]

Thats some very impressive modelling there Tom. They are certainly going to make an impact once on a layout.

I wonder, given their size, have you considered re-gauging them upto On3, which I understand is not too difficult with the Bachmann mechanisms. Though they would still be at the bigger end for 18" gauge, the wider gauge would look more in proportion.

I hope this is going to come across right and that you wont take it the wrong way. I know in the past that you have questioned wether labelling your stuff as Gn15 is correct and have considered using a different term. Well, with these, I can see that the label doesnt fit and you are probably not doing yourself any favours by referring to them as such, so it could be a good idea to use something else to describe them. What that would be I'm not sure, I think you considered Hn18 before which would probably be more fitting and would show a seperation from Gn15 in terms of size. You could start a whole new trend, it wasnt that long ago that Gn15 started in that way.

I had better add, I dont mean that there is no place for you here, as there certainly is and there is plenty of room under the umbrella of this community for all sorts of different approaches. I just think it would be a benefit to you to show that your stuff is built differently than the tiny electric mice that some of us play with . I was going to send this privately and maybe I should have, but it may prove to be the opening for an interesting discussion on the topic, again highlighting that your approach is different from that normally thought of as Gn15. I can assure you, there is no offence meant here, I respect your work too much for that to have been my intention. Better shut up now before I dig myself a bigger hole .

[Gerry Bullock]

I see them as far to big for any layout I'm likely to have. I wonder what radius the Bachamnn 0-6-0 can negitiate without ditching its following wagons - the overhang is huge. Only a guess nothing much under 2'?

[Willow Creek Traction]

What that would be I'm not sure, I think you considered Hn18 before which would probably be more fitting and would show a seperation from Gn15 in terms of size. You could start a whole new trend, it wasnt that long ago that Gn15 started in that way.

Hey there;

There is a Yahoo Group which covers Hn18 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Halfinch/

Trouble is, people keep saying that there's lots more activity and info over at the GnATTERBOX So go have a look there

Halfinch · 1:24 Scale Modeling with Hal Finch
Activity within 7 days:
5 New Messages - 5 New Photos - New Questions
Description
Halfinch is a forum for sharing information about Halfinch Scale (1:24) modeling. Halfinch is a popular scale for modeling vehicles and dollhouse structures, furniture, details, etc. Some 1:24 figures are available.

In model railroading, Halfinch is the last unspoiled scale/gauge combination where twofoot gauge is exactly 1", 30" gauge is 1.25", 36" gauge is 1.5" and standard gauge is 2.354".

O gauge track is perfect for 30" gauge (Hn30) and HO track is very close to 15" gauge (Gn15) and N gauge track can represent 7.25/7.5 gauge. (G7?)

If you have an interest in Halfinch scale models, share your knowledge with us or learn from some very knowledgeable modelers.

[andrew milner]

Those are fantastic locos Tom and your painting and weathering of the first one is just amazing.

I can understand Steve's comments about them not being the usual loco for Gn15, even as a relative newcomer myself. Then again, as a commercial modeller, where else can you get as much exposure?

As for their size and overhangs, I would think (again as a 'layman ) that an end to end shelf layout would take them just fine. I love my loops with 5" radius curves but having seen these, my next layout may be mighty different!

[dr5euss]

That first one is great

I've always understood Gn15 to be G scale models running on OO track, which is what Tom's models are, aren't they? That's not a rhetorical question by the way, they are 1:24ish?

I've just been playing with a wide loading gauge, having made a loco that's 6ft wide and 11 1/2 ft tall and yes, it runs on OO track (although I haven't run it yet, just built it ). Whilst it may not go round 6" curves, I don't think that's a qualifier for Gn15, nor that it's within a certain size; the variation and different ideas we all bring to the table is something that we all enjoy and benefit from, which is what makes this one of the top places on the web for railway modelling Like I said before, I've always understood Gn15 to be a very loose concept of G or 1:24ish (with ish being the operative word ) scale models running on cheap OO/HO mechanisms.

[SOUTHPASS]

Good morning....I have always been out on a bit of a limb here, have been told on a number of occasions that my stock is too big for 15 inch . But I'm pretty thick skinned and do really enjoy it here
Of late I have built a couple of loco's closer to 15 inch spec. but they do look out of place with my other stock. In my mind I think of the SOUTHPASS LINE layout of being more in the 18/20 inch range. I know that I tend to harp on the subject, but when you see standard gauge that has been converted to run on 2ft. cane lines, it's not hard to imagine 2ft equipment converted to 15/18 inch gauge .
There is a sign on my train room door "Please leave anoraks at outside".

[tom yorke]

Steve,
No offense taken. These machines I am doing are really too large for true 15" gauge - no question. But it is what I have to work with. Certainly On3 or S track gauge would suit this stuff better, however, there is another consideration. That being I am using a converted On30 layout as a basis for this 1/2" scale stuff. It is a left over from the beginnings of an On30 "empire" that never quite jelled. Therefore I am using the same track-work that was already in place to a large extent. I have no ambition or time to redo that. I am surprised I have gotten so far anyway with the amount of time I could afford to put into it. I sort of call this Hn16 but I guess I could cheat a little and say it is 18" gauge (operating on HO track).

As far as radius goes my smallest is about 24". I never follow the beat of others. That's just my nature. I'm always difficult. Got to go the other way round and all that. Getting back to what to call it, perhaps it may be best to say Hn18?

The 1/2" group on Yahoo, of which I am a member, is really slow on the uptake. Not very much going on there most of the time. That's why I much prefer this group. There's always something going on. I sort of think of my stuff as Large End Gn15. Of course the terms G and H are somewhat interchangeable and cross over each other at times. G is less precise than H is as far as scale goes because H is 1/2" scale and G is "about" 1/2" scale.

Anyway this is an interesting discussion and I hope it will continue. Maybe we'll all learn something Gnu from it?

Tom
(always going the other way)

[Steve Bennett]

Thats a relief I thought you would understand what I was getting at.

Strange the the Halfinch Yahoo group should be brought up. It was the response (or lack of it) to your post on there, that kinda triggered my thought process. With that group being mainly concerned with larger gauges than Gn15, along with the larger equipment associated with Hn30 (1:24 scale on O gauge track/32mm gauge), I suspect many would have dismissed your post, because of the Gn15 label. With your loco's being the size they are, you are going to be closer to the size that interests them, than they probably realise, hence my suggestion to divorce yourself from the Gn15 brand. Wether it would make any difference is another matter, but it might just cause them to take a closer look.

Good to see some other views on the subject to, another reason why I did it publicly, rather than privately to Tom

[GUTMACH]

I think there is plenty of room within this group for the type of modeling as represented by Steve Bennett and Tom Yorke.

As you may have noticed, I too, build to the large end of Gn15, in fact, the Hn18 label suits me fine.

It seems to me that a lot of it is due to what side of the pond we live on, except for the Canadians, who seems to have influences from the British as well as the Americans.

As I have stated before, the nearest thing we in the States have to the minimum gauge is the 20-inch baby gauge railroads here in Arizona.

You go with what you know.

Wayde

[Steve Bennett]

I think there is plenty of room within this group for the type of modeling as represented by Steve Bennett and Tom Yorke.

I never wanted to suggest otherwise Wayde and to quote from my original post " I had better add, I dont mean that there is no place for you here, as there certainly is and there is plenty of room under the umbrella of this community for all sorts of different approaches."

This is why there is a parallel version of this forum, for those not aware of it, take a look here ( http://www.minimumgauge.info/ ) , look familiar

What I was getting at was Tom's marketting and brand recognition. I think that there is something positive to be gained for him, in highlighting that his approach is different to Gn15. Just thought I had better point this out, so there is no misunderstanding of my intentions.

[andrew milner]

Steve, I'm sure everyone appreciates that you are merely trying to get the best exposure for Tom (and the rest of us ) in what is a limited market.

I (like others I'm sure) love this forum because of the willingness of others to accept a huge variation in modelling interests based around the Gn15 concept. (sci-fi, rockets, pirates ). I don't think it matters what it's called, as long as like minded folks can find it and we all have fun

[Steve Bennett]

Steve, I'm sure everyone appreciates that you are merely trying to get the best exposure for Tom (and the rest of us ) in what is a limited market.

Thanks Andrew, I know how easy it is for the written word to be misunderstood on the web, especially in a multi-national community.
I had better also say that I dont know if my feelings are right, it's just an idea .

[tom yorke]

Labels help define but they also tend to place things in specific niches. That is a problem with Gn15 I think. It is sort of a nebulous grouping as far as scale goes as I understand it, however, it also seems to represent equipment of a specific "size" - that being mainly of the tiny nature. H is really specifically what I am doing. I suppose I could call it Hn18 - which would fit the "size" of my stuff a little better than 15" to say the least. But if I call it Hn18 will people dismiss it as not in the Gn15 "grouping"? Could I be classifying myself into an area of "no man's land"? The trouble is that G "scale" is too inclusive. What to do??

At any rate I'm having fun doing what I am. Much more fun than in On30 where everybody is doing the same thing. As I stated in an earlier post I don't follow the norm. I am not that concerned with selling products in minimum gauge as I know it is a very small fraternity. I will never make a living doing it. As a matter of fact it is very difficult making a living selling any type of model railroad product in any scale, unless you are Bachmann. I am in that business because I got pushed out of graphic design. I am not a computer person. I do not like computer drafting. It looks way to sterile for my taste. I prefer the line quality of a pencil. I am more of a "technical" fine artist I suppose and there's no room for those any more.

Those are my thoughts thus far. Would be interested in learning how others feel.

Tom
Trouble-maker in Atlanta

[Peter-DK]

To begin with ………..thanks for the view of the great models. They look just fine, with oh so much attention paid to the detailing and weathering. I’m really looking forward to get some extra cash so that I can get going on with my modelling. Your models Tom are really a great inspiration for me.

Now to the question of categorising the scale:

My first thoughts on reading the posts on this subject, were G scale – that covers everything from 1/29 to 1/20,3. I suggest that the same could apply to Gn15

I’ve been doing some maths here………..this really feels like school again , please do correct me if I got the whole mess wrong, however

16,5 mm in 1:23,090909 equals 15”

16,5 mm in 1:21,16 equals 18”

So any difference in size shouldn’t really be noticeable to me anyway. Where did I put my glasses?

Please again correct me for being wrong – but I was under the impression that Gn15 was more a question of having fun and getting things done, rather than counting rivets.

Anyway – I’m looking forward to reading other opinions on this matter.

All the best

Peter

[scott b]

The one question I have not found the answer to is what is the drive mech on the battery loco?
I do love that low engine that would be fun to see in a small factory layout, you would really need link bars with that but it is a beauty. Kind of reminds me of that paper factory in the U.S. , the engine cabs where made tapered so they would not hit the support beams going around corners, the name is lost to me though
Gn15, thats easy, 1:22.5 I don`t know what you guys are on about Thats what the ruler on my workbench says anyway

Scott B

[SOUTHPASS]

– but I was under the impression that Gn15 was more a question of having fun and getting things done, rather than counting rivets.

Spot on mate ................and yes, I can see where Steve and Tom are both coming from.
Tom have seen your products advertised for years, but isn't it funny that you don't actually put a person behind the items in a magazine . Glad that you come here for your relaxation.