# G scale rolling stock size comparisons.



## OldNoob (Apr 30, 2016)

I thought i would start a thread showing various G scale rolling stock and or engines side by side for size for comparisons. For those new to the hobby, such as myself, i think this would be very helpful. Please feel free to add any G scale size comparison pictures you may have.

First up, Lionel next to MDC









Next up Piko and maybe MTH ,, (when i can afford them)


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

You might search this forum and LSC, this has been done before, so you might benefit by them.

Greg


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## armorsmith (Jun 1, 2008)

Ditto what Greg said. Lots of information out there, even if some is not so easy to find.

I would ask "What it the end game of this thread?" There are so many factors that affect the physical size of a piece of model rolling stock. I have never mastered searching Shorpy, but there is a photo on there of a rail yard, sometime 20s or 30s which shows box cars of all differing sizes. Some small enough to possibly be narrow gauge proportions.

Size of rolling stock is really a function first of all, "What are you modeling?". I model in 1:20.3 narrow gauge, my wife loosley models ACL. I am more tight lined on what I run with what rolling stock (unless at a show where anything goes, the children don't care). My wife LOVES her billboard reefers and colorful (even if sometimes not so prototypical) rolling stock.

If you are going to model a specific railroad/era, research needs to be done to determine what power and rolling stock ran, and when it ran. This can limit the availability of 'scale' rolling stock for your purpose. There are those that are strictly interested in 'prototypical operations', where it could almost be reduced to a block of 2 x 4 with a label attached that describes what the car is with it's identification numbering. Those who typically run 'roundy round' for the enjoyment of seeing a train run (at home) or at a show for the enjoyment of the visitors, I don't believe size matters. As an example, I have a Bachmann K27 that is 1:20.3 scale. At shows I have run 30 car trains of mixed USA Trains, Aristo Craft, LGB, Delton, and a couple other lesser brands, scales from 1:32, 1:29, 1:24 and 1:22.5. The K27 would NEVER have pulled such a train in prototype, but long trains are what the visitors come to see. I have never had someone tell me 'that isn't prototypical. When doing that I don't mix the 1:20.3 rolling stock in because the size difference is too dramatic, but the others play fairly well together.

When you add in that on 45mm track there are so many scales, no manufacturer is going to do a run of a specific car in all the scales. Unfortunately, ours is a hobby of compromise. I don't believe there are too many places where true scale curves can be run. We seriously compromise where even a 20 food diameter circle of track is terribly small, even for prototypical narrow gauge, much less modern main line. I live near by Genessee & Wyoming Bay Line Railroad and pass their yard frequently. Even in this modern era there a box cars of differing size and proportion are very evident.

If you are scale 'centric, or era 'centric or both, to get what you want I would plan on lots of kit bashing and scratch building. The cost of laser cutting and laser cutters in general have come way down in the last 5 or so years, as has the cost of 3D printing.

For what it is worth.......

PS ... I have deliberately ignored the economic side of this discussion.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

When I drove to Vermont from Massachusetts years ago I saw a north bound train with 3 boxcars in a row, and none looked the same.they had length and height differences. So I do not care about making them match on my RR as they do not always match in the real world.


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## Mikie (Nov 7, 2013)

Since someone has unfortunately put the kabash on this thread, let me say thank you to the OP for trying. Personally, I don't feel like searching all over the internet on this subject matter and was hoping someone would come along and enlighten us with a few pictures of various manufacturers and their train cars side by side. Such as.......Delton and MDC next to Bachmann next to Aristo and USA Trains next to LGB, etc. Too bad the thread was squelched so fast. Oldnoob, look here for manufactures and their scale sizes here: G scale - Wikipedia


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## ddrum31 (Aug 30, 2017)

These Old heads do that pretty much every time. “The thread police”. Keep it going if you would like!!!.

Case in point... I seen a post about trading a Mason Bogie live steam for an electric version.. yes I saw it was an 8 year old post but no one had said anything on his post. So I did the same.. hear came the thread Police 👮 🚓...and I won’t name point. And I let him know what I thought about that issue... 
But guess what I’ve had my Live Steam Bogie for a few years now and love it. So keep it going what are they going to do? Cry a river is about all.

Jason


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## ddrum31 (Aug 30, 2017)

Left is an LGB 1:22.5 
The right is an AMS Accucraft 1:20.3








Jason


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Mikie said:


> Since someone has unfortunately put the kabash on this thread, let me say thank you to the OP for trying. Personally, I don't feel like searching all over the internet on this subject matter and was hoping someone would come along and enlighten us with a few pictures of various manufacturers and their train cars side by side. Such as.......Delton and MDC next to Bachmann next to Aristo and USA Trains next to LGB, etc. Too bad the thread was squelched so fast. Oldnoob, look here for manufactures and their scale sizes here: G scale - Wikipedia


translation: I'm too lazy to do the research myself, and I want someone to do it for me....

Fine, but don't complain that you are not getting help because you are lazy.... and it's "kibosh"... 

Thread not squelched, just that this is EASY to find on the Internet, I am more interested in helping people who put out the effort first...

Greg


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## armorsmith (Jun 1, 2008)

WOW, what a place to pick up mis-information. G-Scale Wikipedia is full of errors and assumed information.

Arisot-Craft Classic line was the older Delton line that Aristo-Craft purchased. Aristo-Craft started as REO and changed the name when a suit was brewing.

Bachmann is 1:22.5ish. Some stuff scales out close to 1:22.5, others closer to :24. Spectrum line is truley a 1:20.3 scale line of product. The street cars are re-introduces Aristo-Carft molds. (The secret here is that Kader of China owns Bachmann and all the Aristo-Craft molds. Aristo is gone, Bachmann is not. Big dollars invested in molds, you do the math.)

Hartford Products (no longer in business) was 1:24 and 1:20.3. Hartford NEVER produced 1:22.5 under his name.

LGB is 1:22.5ish using a rubber ruler. They made durable stuff, but scale fidelity was never their strong suit.

As for the track gauge, some one needs to fix their calculator. 45mm is NOT 1.75 inches, it is 1.7716 inches as shown in the current G1MRA standards. A fellow poster and I had a tussel over that and he showed me an older G1MRA standard showing 44.45mm or 1.75 inch gauge. Not the mixed message presented in the Wikipedia. I am sure If I spent some time I could present more, these are just the glaring miscues.

As for putting a kibosh on this thread, I did nothing of the sort. I am still waiting for an answer to my opening question. The rest is simple observation. If you are, as Greg suggests, looking for someone else to do your homework, I am not your guy. I didn't do my children's, I don't do my grandchildren's, and I certainly am not going to do your homework. If my answers were not to your liking, so be it.

Based on your posts, I don't expect an answer from either you or the OP.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

This is a forum for large scale trains that run primarily on 45mm track. So long as questions pertain to that topic, all questions are welcome. It doesn't matter if they've already been asked 10,000 times and multiple threads are buried in the archives - which themselves have been damaged and/or degraded by the loss of photos, etc.. Besides, some are not as Internet or Search savvy as others.

If a member sees a question they don't wish to answer, simply skip it with no comment and move on, or report it if you must and let a REAL mod deal with it as they see fit. Members are NOT moderators, though a few like to think they are. DON'T berate the one asking of the question!! 'Nuff said.


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## armorsmith (Jun 1, 2008)

Dwight, please post a link so I can respond to you back channel


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## Gary Woolard (Jan 2, 2008)

Yes, some basic research will reveal the range of scales that run on 45mm track, and the extremes clearly won't fit together -- the mismatch is glaring! But I think there's an underlying question -- how much variability between cars are you willing to ignore, accept or at least tolerate?

In that regard, I'm afraid it's often a case of 'ignorance is bliss.' Some of us will look at the photo that Jason has posted above and think "yeah, that's okay." And I sincerely wish them well! But when I started getting into 1:20.3 Narrow Gauge, I was able to go and look at the prototypes, both in Colorado and California. And when your eye learns to distinguish the differences, out-of-scale equipment will just make your consist look.. well, toylike! Then you might as well be running Lionel! (Some of my best friends are Lionel folks, but I don't feel like we're in the same hobby.)

By the time I got 'narrow-minded' I had already accumulated stock in various scales. But nowadays, I run my 1:22 stock with my 1:22 locos, and ditto for some really really nice 1/24th scale.

In fact, look at Gary Lee's layout up north (don't remember the name). Beautiful layout, extraordinarily prototypical modeling, but EVERYTHING is 1/24th scale. And if you ask Gary, he'll tell you that his track is 42" between the rails!

So I guess scale happiness lies not necessarily in fidelity, but in consistency?

retreating from soapbox..

-Gary-


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## PaulRace (Apr 30, 2020)

Back in the 1980s when early adopters of one manufacturer or another were bragging that they had the only truly scale models (yes, folks were doing that), I actually bought one of each and took a tape measure to them. Of course, the playing field has changed dramatically, but it is worth noting that PIKO took over several of the MDC molds, so I would guess that you could substitute PIKO for MDC boxcar measurements in the chart on this page. Maybe I'll remember to measure my one PIKO boxcar next time I have it out of the box. 






Sample Car Measurements


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P.S. AristoCraft started out as REA, not REO. Great car and band, though.


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## bmwr71 (Jan 30, 2010)

The only time I ever had anything published in one of the train magazines was long ago and it pertained to scale. Can't remember the magazine, but it is long, long gone and was about G stuff. So people had argued that different scales should be considered the official g scale and all else should go away. The big problem back then was the different scales made and the advertisers and sellers never mentioned the scale of what they were selling. My comment that got published was that I enjoyed a variety of the products for sale and would hate to see any not produced anymore because of some decision on what is true G scale. It was disappointing when one bought say a car detail part and found that it didn't go with the cars you already had because it wasn't the correct scale. I said what needed to be done was the stating of what the scales were of the items for sale. Maybe I got my way.

There is the stuff about how a 32nd scale car may look correct as a narrow gauge car in like 22.5 scale and all of that. And then like maybe running a smaller scale in the background and figure it will look farther away. Or maybe just don't care and run what you brung.

Doug


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## trainmanfw&sw (Nov 4, 2020)

I model in LGB scale 1:22.5 and as you know, or may not know LGB is long gone except for for what you find on eBay, or train shows. Since I'm a modeler in that scale all being said, I have not found that modeling has slowed me down any, as I repaint and redue all my rolling stock and engines. Biggest problems are with engines and as you know LGB has made very few American styled engines over the years, I 'm only interested in there diesels, so it's pretty slim pickens. I don't count different paint jobs as a different styled engine as I redue everything. So for those new in the large scale hobby pay attention the scale, otherwise you can endup with with many mismatched scales.

trainman


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

armorsmith said:


> Dwight, please post a link so I can respond to you back channel


You can reach me back channel by sending me a message here on MLS.


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## Mossy Ridge Engineer (Dec 4, 2020)

Excuse me, but I'm going out to run trains with my grandkids. I know for a fact that none of them gives a hoot about scale. THAT is why I'm still in the hobby after 25+ years.
Maybe I will check back on this "discussion" later, but probably not. I see it heading to the " chicken or the egg" type of debate. No real answer on that one either. 🙄


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## GscaleSVWYRR (Feb 28, 2021)

ddrum31 said:


> Left is an LGB 1:22.5
> The right is an AMS Accucraft 1:20.3
> View attachment 61622
> 
> Jason


Wow... That Accucraft looks great... I had heard the accucraft line had great detail.. thanks for the post!


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## ddrum31 (Aug 30, 2017)

GscaleSVWYRR said:


> Wow... That Accucraft looks great... I had heard the accucraft line had great detail.. thanks for the post!




Yes they do. You are welcome 
Jason


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Well, you can find many examples of comparisons... but still unclear as to the reason by the OP for the thread.... 

Some people have wildly mixed scales it does not bother them, some are very fastidious...

The most common is something like does a 1:32 MTH Challenger look ok with 1:29 Aristo heavyweight cars (it does).

Next most common is does LGB F7 diesels (about 1:26) look good with the 1:29 streamliners by aristo or usat (they do not)...

Those are the best and most common examples.... in 1:20 you can mix and match rolling stock and it looks very realistic

but steam locos are in many scales, and sizes and they don't mix well...

That's all I know that I think is helpful...

Greg


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## Dean Palmer (Mar 30, 2021)

Keep posting pics and info, all good. I like seeing the different views of the different brands and contrasting what should be the same type cars.

If a modeler really knew their craft, they would be arguing about the actual sizes of the real piece of rolling stock by brand/model/year/location manufactured... and only then bring up their dissatisfaction with the toy manufacturers and the mistakes of scale ;-) There have been over 270 companies making the actual rolling stock over the years, and even more who made the locomotives. I think most people are pretty clear that the scales vary and the toys may not even match the scale stated due to rubber rulers and toy designers making toys that work well with the brand rather than worrying about accuracy on a 60' boxcar model that may be a fraction off the scale actual thing. For the guys who want to obsess over the scale of your rolling stock... was the real thing made by Wells & French, or maybe South Baltimore Car Works... and what were the actual dimensions? (pot stirred) I know there are guys out there that may know that stuff and be on their game  That said, I think the real rolling stock in the older days must have also had quite a variance before stricter standards. I may be wrong. For myself, I've only had to remove one brand from the collection, and that was MTH (1/32) as it just didn't look right, and only because I didn't have complete trains with these MTH products

When I was a kid over 50 years ago I recall standing by the tracks and having freight trains run by with all kinds of various sized cars, of what would have been the same type of cars, and I never once thought that they should all be identical. Today I'm one of the folks that simply enjoy seeing the toy trains run around my modest oval. When I was a detailed modeler in a smaller scale, I only stressed on the reality of my model, not the size between brands unless it just looked out of place which was rare with smaller scales and the scale was pretty uniform.

I enjoy the trains and the info here. What I dislike is when someone is told to stop posting as someone else has done similar before. Many times I find that the info is different, or incomplete, even in the case of the big name model experts on the forums so don't let people stop a thread when more info is always good


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## trainmanfw&sw (Nov 4, 2020)

I think the scale thing is more for the modeler model railroader and not so much for the runner railroader. As I'm a modeler first and a runner second so being in the correct scale is what I do, but for those who just want to run trains, go for it, it's a hobby enjoyed by many and it's your choice. I would personally like to see layouts that if they run different scales of large trains to have each train consistent to be the same scale, that is, USA TRAINS to be all 1/29th, LGB to be all 1:22.5, etc., this way the different sizes don't standout beside each other. 

trainman


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

The scale argument is like going down the rabbit hole, you will go around endlessly.

One productive direction is rolling stock that is indeed "visually compatible" when the "specifications" don't lead you to believe this, as in the examples I gave.

Back to stopping people posting, my intent was to point out there are quite a few threads on several forums with extensive pictures and examples, and searching for them would be more productive (in my estimation).

The reality of this thread shows that to be true, seems that no one has gone to the trouble to link to other threads to show these examples.

Of course I am still guessing the "intent" of this thread, and am hoping that more energy can be expended into finding these great threads that I know I have read in the past.

Greg


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## trainmanfw&sw (Nov 4, 2020)

Forums are just that way, they revolve all the time. If you visit a forum you will see over time that most things get rehashed over and over, but new member deserve and answer and telling them it's old stuff doesn't really help them, or give them the answers they need.

trainman


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I believe I recommended searching for existing threads, and I did not feel like searching myself.


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

trainmanfw&sw said:


> I model in LGB scale 1:22.5 and as you know, or may not know LGB is long gone except for for what you find on eBay, or train shows. Since I'm a modeler in that scale all being said, I have not found that modeling has slowed me down any, as I repaint and redue all my rolling stock and engines. Biggest problems are with engines and as you know LGB has made very few American styled engines over the years, I 'm only interested in there diesels, so it's pretty slim pickens. I don't count different paint jobs as a different styled engine as I redue everything. So for those new in the large scale hobby pay attention the scale, otherwise you can endup with with many mismatched scales.
> 
> trainman


Where did you hear that LGB is long gone. We are shipping it daily.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

LGB is being made in Hungary and is very much still available wioth new items.


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## trainmanfw&sw (Nov 4, 2020)

I only purchase LGB in American style engines and rolling stock in in the styles that they produced back in the 1980's, 1990's, and 2000's. Those models are long gone from there production of today, the F7's are still produced as well as maybe some steam engines, and some rolling stock in the American style. For me LGB has not produced any American diesel engines with the exception of the F7's, so for me they don't offer anything I want. So for myself LGB is pretty much dead and there new production models are too high priced to repaint and add detail to for my liking. The new LGB is no where close to the old LGB of the past. I realize the diesel market has moved on to companies like USA Trains 1/29 scale and other, but LGB scale offers nothing like it did in the past. So since I'm pretty much locked into what I have to work with and at the age where I really don't care to purchase more, I will just stick whit what I have and I have plenty to work with.

trainman


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## eatrains (Jan 2, 2008)

trainmanfw&sw said:


> I only purchase LGB in American style engines and rolling stock in in the styles that they produced back in the 1980's, 1990's, and 2000's. Those models are long gone from there production of today, the F7's are still produced as well as maybe some steam engines, and some rolling stock in the American style. For me LGB has not produced any American diesel engines with the exception of the F7's, so for me they don't offer anything I want. So for myself LGB is pretty much dead and there new production models are too high priced to repaint and add detail to for my liking. The new LGB is no where close to the old LGB of the past. I realize the diesel market has moved on to companies like USA Trains 1/29 scale and other, but LGB scale offers nothing like it did in the past. So since I'm pretty much locked into what I have to work with and at the age where I really don't care to purchase more, I will just stick whit what I have and I have plenty to work with.
> 
> trainman


As far as I know the only American models they have not reproduced since 2007/2008 are the Amtrak Genesis and Amfleet models. And what they have reissued have included periodic upgrades, recent examples including cylinder steam in the moguls and new handrail details on the F7s. They also introduced the all-new American gang cars. Not sure how that qualifies as "long gone".


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

There is a big difference between these two statements:

"LGB is long gone"

AND

"I only want to buy LGB of a certain time period"

The first is incorrect factually, the second a personal opinion/preference, nothing to do with the existance of the company.


Greg


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## trainmanfw&sw (Nov 4, 2020)

Greg Elmassian said:


> There is a big difference between these two statements:
> 
> "LGB is long gone"
> 
> ...


Well thanks for correcting everything I post on this forum, being the final word on model trains must give ones self great personal satisfaction. Thanks for making me on this forum feel inferior to your knowledge of just about everything regarding model trains. 

trainman


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I was not the first person to correct you on your statement on this thread, seems it's OK for you to criticize me, but no one should criticize you. 

Perhaps you should abstain from making statements like 'lgb is long gone".

Greg


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## Fred Mills (Nov 24, 2008)

And so starts "The battle of the egos"...should get exciting, if young Dwight lets it continue...more fun like this sells lots of advertisements for the web page.....!!!!!!!


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## Homo Habilis (Jul 29, 2011)




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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Greg Elmassian said:


> There is a big difference between these two statements:
> "LGB is long gone"
> AND
> "I only want to buy LGB of a certain time period"
> ...


Semantics, gentlemen. Greg is a stickler of the correct expression of the English language.



trainmanfw&sw said:


> Well thanks for correcting everything I post on this forum, being the final word on model trains must give ones self great personal satisfaction. Thanks for making me on this forum feel inferior to your knowledge of just about everything regarding model trains.


I am constantly amazed by the bristling and angry replies people make when someone points out their posts aren't exactly consistent. Greg manages to cause this on a regular basis.

Lighten up guys. He's just one person with an opinion, Your post/opinion is just as valid. Why even reply?


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## trainmanfw&sw (Nov 4, 2020)

If the moderators of this forum do not control the content that is posted, then this forum will continue to be like it is, thus there are other forums on large scale that are more controlled and are much more informative then this one. All being said, we all have control of our computers and at the touch of a button we can hit the "D" button and you can be gone, now where is that button.

trainman


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Pete Thornton said:


> I am constantly amazed by the bristling and angry replies people make when someone points out their posts aren't exactly consistent.


I agree completely Pete.


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## armorsmith (Jun 1, 2008)

Trainman, can I interpret "If the moderators of this forum do not control the content.. " to mean that you advocate censorship? That would be counter productive for a forum. Merriam-Webster defines forum " a public meeting place for open discussion".

And should censorship happen, who would be the deciding authority on what gets cut away? Should we cut away all erroneous posts, or inaccurate posts? How about misleading posts, or maybe personal opinions. I would not put that responsibility on any moderator or fourm owner, that would be a good way to kill a froum.

In my opinion, one should be prepared to either defend ones statements, or accept criticism if demonstrated to be incorrect.


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## Fred Mills (Nov 24, 2008)

Just to keep the "Games" going; I have to ask, expecting many answers from great thinkers...."Why do some people, obviously with rather great egos, always want to fight to have the last word...?.......!!...this should arouse some great, productive, comments....!!
As part of the audience; I must say, "This show is getting to be exciting"....!!!


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Not exciting, the hypocrisy of the egos of people sitting in judgement of others is rather sad, how many times have you berated others for going "roundy-round" Fred? You are indeed no saint.


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## Homo Habilis (Jul 29, 2011)

Trainman:

Sent you a PM (Conversation) on the direction of this thread.  

Mark


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## ddrum31 (Aug 30, 2017)

I’ve been watching, reading and posted on this original question... Its funny how one thing someone asked.. hasn’t even replied once by the way.. can frustrate so many. Kind of comical!!! Puffed out chests behind a computer or phone. Great stuff!

Jason


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Well, it seems people aren't going to back off here. Time to nip this.


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