HOW TO IMPROVE PECO FLAT-BOTTOM RAIL TRACK
Q I’d like to improve the scale appearance of my ‘OO’ gauge track (I’m using Peco Code 75 flat-bottomed rail). Is there anything I can do to make it look more realistic? Converting to ‘EM’ or ‘P4’ seems like too much hassle and expense.
Wendy Carlos, by email
Chris Gadsby says: During the inter-war years, German-built ‘HO’ gauge models were incredibly popular throughout the world. Indeed, ‘HO’ remains the most popular scale today. However, following the war, Hornby Dublo’s British-built models really took off as consumers shunned German toys.
There was a problem, though. As British railway locomotives and stock are generally smaller than their Continental counterparts, manufacturers had trouble fitting existing motors and gears into 1:87 scale bodyshells to suit ‘HO’. The solution was to increase the scale from 1:87 (3.5mm: 1ft) to 1:76 scale (4mm: 1ft), although the same 16.5mm gauge track was retained. Thus, ‘OO’ gauge was born, with the resulting mix of two different scales that continues to vex purists to this day.