Hey gang,

I am interested in starting the builds of rolling stock for my 8 wide collection. I am looking for insight and advice on the correct dimensions to be applied to building a railbox box car. Any advice is appreciated. Are boxcars equal to the length of locomotives like gp38s ?

thanks in advance

ed

It all comes down to what "8-wide" means to you. To me it means 4 studs = 5 feet.

--Tony

It all comes down to what "8-wide" means to you. To me it means 4 studs = 5 feet.

This. 8-wide isn't really a defined scale. One way of working is to pick a scale (Tony's scale is convenient -- 15 in/stud or ~155mm/plate), find some engineering/technical drawings of what you want to build, then scale the drawing against some Lego graph paper, which will tell you how long/tall/wide the model should be.

Alternatively, build a base and extend it in the middle until it "feels right". This approach is less rigorous but may be more convenient or enjoyable, depending on your personal style.

I build UK trains 8 wide, I like the flexibility of the scale for detailing, the biggest challenge is the length of the cars, negotiating the standard curve or switch.

BNSF has diagrams online for most of their rolling stock, so once you choose a scale you can find the exact measurements of the car you want to model.

http://www.bnsf.com/customers/how-can-i-ship/individual-railcar/#%23subtabs-3

Thank you, I will try to apply the advice.