I use Mitutoyo digital calipers that you can find on Amazon.   They can be zeroed out.  They are very accurate.

Robert J. Amsler, Jr.

514 Dover Place

Saint Louis, Missouri 63111

(314) 606-6118  (Telephone)

(314) 754-2688  (Facsimile)

MPFan1@...

I have a plastic analog (dial) one made by General, which had HO and O scale divisions on it.  From the looks of the letter and number style on it, I wonder if it's German.  Have had it for maybe 15 or 20 years.

It no longer has the O scale divisions on it, because I got confused every time I looked at it to try to take a measurement, so I took a black Sharpie and colored over the O scale numbers.  Crude, but.....

As an engineer, I generally don't want to see numbers that are too accurate, that are more accurate than I can reproduce or that I need.  So wherever the little pointer lands, if it says something is around 6 scale inches, for example, I'm happy with it.  If I was machining something that needed close tolerances, or I needed to stack several things whose tolerances needed to add to a specific value, that would be different, but for my modeling, in general, this is the proper degree of precision for me.

Ron Merrick

On Oct 17, 2020, at 9:33 PM, James SANDIFER <steve.sandifer@...> wrote:

General makes a plastic dial cal that has HO readout. I use Harbor freight digital in the train room and Mitutoya dial cal in the shop. The Harbor freight is inexpensive and good. 

 

 

J. Stephen Sandifer

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Jon Miller
Sent: Saturday, October 17, 2020 1:39 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Re: [RealSTMFC] Digital Caliper Recommendation

 

On 10/17/2020 11:22 AM, Gene Semon wrote:

PFM had a dial caliper in plastic & metal versions years ago that measured in in HO scale.

    The only PFM one I have seen (not saying there were not others) was not a dial caliper, was metal, and is going for in excess of $100.

    Low cost metal dial (or digital) calipers can be had at Harbor Freight.  Twenty bucks and if you can get a monthly handout usually 20% off.

    eBay 

eBay item number:

272740496214

 

    $6.80, looks to be the same as HF?

-- 

Jon Miller

For me time stopped in 1941

Digitrax  Chief/Zephyr systems, JMRI User

SPROG User

NMRA Life member #2623

Member SFRH&MS

PFM had a dial caliper in plastic & metal versions years ago that measured in in HO scale.

    The only PFM one I have seen (not saying there were not others) was not a dial caliper, was metal, and is going for in excess of $100.

    Low cost metal dial (or digital) calipers can be had at Harbor Freight.  Twenty bucks and if you can get a monthly handout usually 20% off.

    eBay

-- 

Jon Miller

For me time stopped in 1941

Digitrax  Chief/Zephyr systems, JMRI User

SPROG User

NMRA Life member #2623

Member SFRH&MS

I have a plastic analog (dial) one made by General, which had HO and O scale divisions on it.  From the looks of the letter and number style on it, I wonder if it's German.  Have had it for maybe 15 or 20 years.

It no longer has the O scale divisions on it, because I got confused every time I looked at it to try to take a measurement, so I took a black Sharpie and colored over the O scale numbers.  Crude, but.....

As an engineer, I generally don't want to see numbers that are too accurate, that are more accurate than I can reproduce or that I need.  So wherever the little pointer lands, if it says something is around 6 scale inches, for example, I'm happy with it.  If I was machining something that needed close tolerances, or I needed to stack several things whose tolerances needed to add to a specific value, that would be different, but for my modeling, in general, this is the proper degree of precision for me.

Ron Merrick

Photo: FGEX 35754 With Potato Load (1943)

Photo from the State Historical Society Of Missouri:

https://cdm17228.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/imc/id/42655/rec/6

Scroll on the photo to enlarge it.

Small placard reads "Cleaned". Also a route or destination car tag reads "19..."

Another view:

https://cdm17228.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/imc/id/38276/rec/11

Anyone have an educated guess as to what is the document tacked to the inside of the door?

Bob Chaparro

Hemet, CA

On Oct 17, 2020, at 1:22 PM, Gene Semon <mopac1@...> wrote:

Ken,

 

None that I have ever found.  Micro-Mark had one planned, but that project never was finished.  PFM had a dial caliper in plastic & metal versions years ago that measured in in HO scale.  One appears now on then on an auction site or a train show.

 

Gene Semon

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Ken Adams
Sent: Saturday, October 17, 2020 12:58 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: [RealSTMFC] Digital Caliper Recommendation

 

I seem to have misplaced my inexpensive digital calipers and two weeks of sporadic searching have only turned up the empty case. So I am in the market for a replacement and wondered if there was by any chance a version of digital calipers that would automatically convert the measured reading to a specified modeling scale value such as HO feet and fraction thereof.  Checking Amazon I did see on calipers that said readouts were in fractions of inches.  Perhaps the scale could be set so that you could select 3.5 mm/foot,  4 mm/foot, 1.9 mm/foot, 7 mm/foot or whatever ratio you desire. 

Preferably the price of said magnificent instrument would be reasonably affordable to those of us who are poor or just cheap. 
-- 
Ken Adams
Still in splendid Shelter In Place solitude, about half way up Walnut Creek 

Virus-free. www.avg.com