Re: Use of RP25 wheels in US H0 plastic steam RTR locos

Pekka Siiskonen wrote:
Thanks.

Here (in Finland) the "average" modeller runs with german commercial trains and belives in MOROP's NEM. All finnish outline is considered by average enthusiast as "finescale" and rivet counting although all kits produced have only RP25/110 or RP25/88+ wheels (as practically nothing is available in RTR in Finnish outline and those wheels are most widely available). Small group of us have tried to convince that even kids in US drive on layouts laid on carpet with RP25 and are happy.

I therefore wanted to check if this really is true, and that the kids with their first train set having a steam loco with more that two axles can actually keep the RP25 wheels on metals.

It appears that it is not so simple as old tools and models are around (models are often made in big batches for years to sell), but that there seems to be no technical reason why RP25 would not keep on track even laid around the xmas tree.

It seems that the difference between MOROP's NEM and NMRA's standards is that in Europe NEM tries to follow the manufacturers factory standards but in US manufacturers try to follow NMRA standards...

pekka

[...]

OK, see your point.

Yes, there are cheap entry level train sets here with the larger flanges (0.035"), but otherwise the wheel profile is usually standard NMRA. The better train sets use RP25 wheels.

Most people don't run on the carpet, though. There is track mounted on plastic bases that vaguely resemble ballast, and that's OK for carpet running, but even so, the first layout is usually built on a 4'x8' (120cmx240cm) sheet of plywood.

The NMRA was formed originally (in 1936) to promote interchange. There were many different scale modelling standards, and modellers found that they could not be certain that their lovingly built models would run on other people's layouts. NMRA standards fixed that problem. This had nothing to do with toy trains, whose only standards were track gauge (1-1/4" or 32mm) and propulsion voltage (16v AC, more or less.) Scale models were in a minority, served by small manufacturers, many of whom were themselves model railroaders. These welcomed common standards, which guaranteed the largest possible market for their products. Eventually, the toy train market withered, and the scale model market increased.

So, from the beginning, the NMRA focussed on promoting standards for manufacturers to follow. MOROP was formed after the fact, so to speak, and so had to adapt its standards to the de-facto ones used by the manufacturers. But I've noticed that European products are increasingly using RP25. I think the main reason is the increasing demand for accurately made models, which higher disposable incomes have made affordable. Model railroads have become a largely adult hobby (which does not bode well for its future).

I suspect that Maerklin's recent problems were as much caused by its image as a toy maker as by a backlash against its high prices for what became at best average product compared to other brands. Maerklin still insists on going its own way, which will cause it further problems. The fact is that an international model railroad standard, both technical and aesthetic, is coalescing, and manufacturers that ignore it do so at their peril. The days of captive, national markets are over.

Anyhow, the history of model railroading has never been fully documented or written.

Have fun!

--
Wolf Kirchmeir
.

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