Is R8851 Skaledale Water Tower too big R8851

[ColinB]

I bought this water tower second hand, I have no complaints about the model, nice detailed model, good condition. The thing is, it dwarfs all my other Skaledale buildings even my other water towers, were they really this big? To me it looks more like an O gauge model that OO, I must measure the doors and compare them to the doors on the other models.

[HornbyinNC]

Not so sure about that one, as I don't own it.  I too, have complained about some Skaledale buildings being completely out of scale with the majority of the range.

For me, worst offender was R9774 Merchantile bank.  It was so far out of proportion; I sold it.  I always felt it was better suited for S-scale, or even O-gauge!

Replaced it with R8970; much more consistent in scale with other models.

[VESPA]

Some water towers were very big but at a general way of checking assume that the door alone is 8 foot high (32mm) then the glass above scaled up to that of the door and then to the rest of the building. This https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Holt_Railway_Station_-_water_tower_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1249237.jpg  is roughly 30-36 foot high from counting bricks and comparing the top tank. So in 4mm scale around 144 mm or around 5.5" high (all approx so please don't say that's wrong by "x") What height is your door on the model and what is the overall height? ( In inches preferably)

[ColinB]

I will get the vernier out and start measuring. I bought it to go with Goathland station (Hogwarts in Hornby speak) when I placed it near the station it looked like I had added a block of flats. I do know with the Goathand station range they made some items in two different sizes, on different production runs (separated by a few years), the first run being too small. I think it was the passenger waiting room. @HrnbyinNC I must have the earlier version of the bank as mine is not out of scale.

[Bulleidboy]

I agree it is a big old building. I received mine in 2009 - a client bought me the Skaledale East range of buildings as a retirement present. It is on the layout, but only that one item from the original collection - the original loco shed was not "open-ended" - so I waited and bought one that was, with the same stone finish.

I have thought about changing the water tower - get very dusty on top!

[Buz]

Hi Colin B

Water towers don't have a standard size as such they come in short tall slim and fat what determins the size is how many thousands of gallons of water is needed at a given location and how often. and how high the tank needs to be to have the requisite water pressure.

Check the door height against your other water towers the doors should be about the same height but there may be some slight variation but I would not think much.

The only tank I have come across that doesn't seem right is the Wills one way to short, it wasn't untill I found out it is a narrow gauge water tank I realised it was right and I was using it wrong.

regards John

[ColinB]

Compared the door size with all my other models and yes it is the right height, so as you say just an enormous one. The windows are huge. Anyway put it next to my turntable, where it does not look quite so out of place.

[ColinB]

Talk about the sublime to the ridiculous, I ordered R8639 water tower and it is half the size compared to R8851, but it is perfect for what I want it.

[walkingthedog]

R8851 is about a scale 30 feet high which is pretty small compared to some I've seen. 

 

Even my small water tower is a scale 26 feet tall.

 

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[ColinB]

I wanted it to go with Goathland Station, or Hogsmead and it appears to be the right size looking at the photographs.

[The Duke 71000]

Many ready made buildings including those in both the Hornby & Bachmann ranges are actually underscale !

 

The problem is that the vast majority of home layouts are built in spaces that are themselves confined. This gives the impression that buildings are over scaled.

 

The only way to actualy confirm the size of the model building is to measure its height, width & length in millimetres and divide these measurements by 4 to give you the number of real life feet. Then of course you must compare these results with a real life plan of a similar type of structure.

 

 

As an example the Bachmann resin model of the Southern Region electrification substation building is only 50% of its real life counterpart, except for the doorway !

 

So knowing the above, you may be rather suprised by the measurements you obtain for various model buildings. Which explains why most of the buildings on my exhibition layout Basingstoke, some of which can be seen pictured on my page "BASINGSTOKE 1958-67 87ft x 25ft" elsewhere in this General Disscussion section, are having to be handbuilt.

 

 

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Above: The smallish locomotive shed at Basingstoke, a 3 track structure measuring 225ft x 50ft, requires a size of 900mm x 200mm (3ft x 9in approx) on the model. Seen here under construction. 

 

The Duke 71000    

[VESPA]

Have a look at this shot of Brighton works and "A" the clothing shop. That looks like a massive water tank on the top.http://thebrightonmotivepowerdepots.yolasite.com/brighton-locomotive-depot.php