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Minnesota Heartland Railroad

FAQ's - Vehicle Size
Revised Jan. 27, 2002

 

FAQ's:
Lake Wobegone	Scale	Gauge vs Scale	Switch vs Turnout	Vehicle Size

Question:    How do I know which vehicles are S (1/64th) scale?  There are many pickups from Matchbox, Hot Wheels, etc. that appear close to 1:64th, but they are not all the same size.  Which ones are correct?

Answer:    Most modern cars and light trucks are about 6 feet wide.  Older cars and smaller modern cars typically are as narrow as 5-1/2 feet, and luxury cars are up to 6-1/2 feet wide.  Large trucks are 8 feet wide.  You can develop "an eye" for what is correct, but there is an easy option, "The Scale Card".  Buy the billfold size version and carry it with you!

Question:    A recurring question on the e-mail lists is "what is the relative size of pickups, light trucks (delivery and farm trucks), and heavy trucks (semis)?"

Answer:      This is especially important for those years where the same cab style was used for all sizes of trucks, as was common in the '40's and '50's.  For reference, we have heavy trucks from Hartoy for which we are confident that the size really is 1:64th scale.  From my observations, it appears that the cabs, doors, and hoods are the same for all the truck sizes, and other components such as running boards, fenders, and grills appear larger for heavier trucks to accomodate their wider / taller tires.