I'm going to walk out on some thin ice here, with no intent to offend.
There have been, since I joined this forum, many questions which, while not immediately connected, seem to indicate that maybe I need to raise the point about scale rulers. The Questions I refer to range from requests for building plans in a specific scale, to generic "how big" questions.
The fact is, that most building plans, published in the magazines of the hobby, are drawn with actual measurements, regardless of the scale they're drawn in. This also includes rolling stock, locos, etc.. Even if they aren't, with a scale rule,you can measure the plan, to determine the size, and then use the rule for your scale to cut the part. Same applies for detail parts, you can use the ruler of the scale the plan is drawn in to measure from any scale drawing, to determine the size, then use the ruler of your scale to build it, or see if a commercial part will work.
I currently have three scale rules, two from "General" #1251 is a 12" stainless steel rule that has O,S,HO,and N scales + 6" in 64ths, and 6" in mm's,+ decimal equivalents for number drills, and fractional drills. The #351 is a 6", with only O, and HO scale.
The "Mascot" is a 12" with O,S, HO, and N scales and has a tap drill chart for 00-90 through 6-32 screws.
I have even had some luck with making scale rules in almost any other scale. They're on card stock, so don't last forever, but serve the purpose well.
The other "measuring device" I wouldn't be without is a set of proportional dividers. These are vital in building from only a photograph. All you need is one "known" dimension, to set the dividers, and the rest can be taken directly from the photo.
Hope this is of some help.
Pete
There have been, since I joined this forum, many questions which, while not immediately connected, seem to indicate that maybe I need to raise the point about scale rulers. The Questions I refer to range from requests for building plans in a specific scale, to generic "how big" questions.
The fact is, that most building plans, published in the magazines of the hobby, are drawn with actual measurements, regardless of the scale they're drawn in. This also includes rolling stock, locos, etc.. Even if they aren't, with a scale rule,you can measure the plan, to determine the size, and then use the rule for your scale to cut the part. Same applies for detail parts, you can use the ruler of the scale the plan is drawn in to measure from any scale drawing, to determine the size, then use the ruler of your scale to build it, or see if a commercial part will work.
I currently have three scale rules, two from "General" #1251 is a 12" stainless steel rule that has O,S,HO,and N scales + 6" in 64ths, and 6" in mm's,+ decimal equivalents for number drills, and fractional drills. The #351 is a 6", with only O, and HO scale.
The "Mascot" is a 12" with O,S, HO, and N scales and has a tap drill chart for 00-90 through 6-32 screws.
I have even had some luck with making scale rules in almost any other scale. They're on card stock, so don't last forever, but serve the purpose well.
The other "measuring device" I wouldn't be without is a set of proportional dividers. These are vital in building from only a photograph. All you need is one "known" dimension, to set the dividers, and the rest can be taken directly from the photo.
Hope this is of some help.
Pete