My friend Steve asked me how my 7mm scale British Railways Class 08 (the “Gronk”) measures up to a standard North American 40-foot freight car. Since I happen to have some, I grabbed an O scale PFE refrigerator car and shot the following comparison:
The two are roughly the same height and have the same sort of presence, although the refrigerator car is longer. Keep in mind that as a 7mm model, the diesel is a slightly larger scale (1:43.5) than the O scale (1:48) freight car.
While I had the camera out, I thought it would also be fun to compare this mid-century modern diesel with the Edwardian era steam that is my primary interest in 7mm. So here are two photos of the Gronk vs a GWR 517 Class 0-4-2 tank engine:
As the photos show, the two are roughly the same length but the diesel’s boxy structure makes it look huge next to that delicate steamer.
The Model Railway Show 