Probably wrote my reply in the wrong place (small mobile screen)! When this was built it ran on a club track of 32mm for standard gauge though Belfast were 4'9". I also build narrow gauge trams (3' 6") which use the exact equivalent, 24.5mm.
Hello All
- Thread starter terry b
- Start date
Andy the Sheep
SMF Supporter
Welcome Terry and that tram is a really astounding scratch build! 
Andrea
Andrea
Very good to have you here, Terry.
Cheers for that Terry…just in case you are wondering…...I’m a lapsed P4 modeller, so that stuff always interests me
I assume the Belfast tram half inch gauge widening was to allow tighter curves to be negotiated?
Always thought O gauge guys were lucky…..their track gauge was pretty close to scale so stuff looks pretty good right off the bat. However, OO is miles out, and unfortunately looks it. Head on, the stock looks like it’s running on stilts! At least, to me it does
Never found the reason for the extra half inch in gauge width despite hunting through many books. It can't be for tight curves as the groove that the flange rides in is incorporated into tram track. They did pass an act in 1878 to allow a change to 'standard' gauge but never went through with it.
On a modelling note, many builders of 7mm trams including me, use 4mm scale wheels to match the fact that tram wheels are narrower than railway wheels.
On a modelling note, many builders of 7mm trams including me, use 4mm scale wheels to match the fact that tram wheels are narrower than railway wheels.
Very interesting stuff Terry. Good call on 4mm wheels. That sort of visual attention to detail makes a model stand out. As to 4 foot 9 inch gauge, well, to me it makes more sense than using fractions of an inch. The weirdest one is broad gauge at 7 feet and one quarter inch…..based on Roman cartways apparently….why not just use 7 feet…..never thought about us modellers did they
Gauge widening on mainline railways was used to minimise flange binding on tight curves, by the way. This reduces friction, so reducing rolling resistance and making the train easier to move. There is a standard formula that states by how much a gauge should be widened at a stated curve radius. Sharp curves had check rails as well, very like tramway track grooves on metalled roads. Last one I saw in use was the quayside line at Weymouth…..
The tram is 99% plasticard with a few bits and pieces in brass. The weathering was done with very thin washes of enamel all in a bit of a rush. On a more recent tram I used weathering powders but made a complete hash of it. They were virtually impossible to remove and I eventually scrapped the body ( there were a few other issues I wasn't happy with) leaving the chassis with powered bogies and the roof and have just started marking out plastic for a new body, must remember to take photos as I go.
Cheers Terry. I’d be interested to see these come to life. Back in the mists of time I used to build railway models.