Hello Tommy
As the one who was a main tech person for all the NYC subway sets from the very beginning with MTH - (and per my Issues about Mike Wolf's self-meddling-created errors - which I caught and had, quickly and with much angst, gotten fixed in pre-production) and as my being a well known O-Scale (and long ago HO Scale) NYC Subway and EL car, and streetcar car model maker (aka "builds them myself") -- I can state that the MTH Q Types are pretty much as close as possible to the scale dimensions of the real ones.
Given the minor size-spec-diversions to fit the MOTOR (aka Loco) car dual inside can motors and top flywheels, electronic circuit board and its plate, and a truncated semblance of seats and the overhead lighting rack - jammed into the motor (aka powered) car body shell --- the MTH Q types, LIKE the Low-V's -- BODY SHELLS are about 6 inches wider than their prototype car bodies -- to fit all that into the motor (Powered) car interior. Thus all trailing cars were made the same dimensions as the MOTOR (Loco) cars -- but these unpowered trailing cars having FULL inside seating and details visible instead.
ALSO, to compensate for and clear the flywheels on the tops of the motor shafts in the motor cars --- the MTH cars BODY SHELLS are about just under a Scale 1/2 FOOT higher than their prototype bodies.
Now, the Q types. Lets compare the original prototype cars and their body and height dimensions:
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Q Types with High Roofs -- 12' 5" from top of rail head to top of (the as original clerestory high) roof
Low_ V Cars -- 11' 10 1/2 " from top of rail head to top of roof
Q Types width at roof line -- 9' 1/4"
Low-V Cars width at roof line -- 8' 11" (over side door indicator lamp boxes)
Q Types width at body sides -- 8' 9 1/2"
Low-V Cars width at body sides -- 8' 8"
Q Types length between ends of centers of Anticlimbers -- 49 ' 1/4"
Low-V Cars length between ends of centers of Anticlimbers -- 51' 1/2"
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SO --as you can see -- the prototype Q Types would be SEVEN INCHES approx. HIGHER from rail head to top of roof -- than a prototype Low-V train sitting beside them. Also the Q Types BODIES were 2 feet shorter than the Low-V's .
Look at the TWO photos I provided here ---
the ONE BELOW is showing the MTH Q Type cab end facing an MTH IRT Low-V Work Motor Car --
(a) -- NOTICE that the Q type Car Body roof sits as is prototype, HIGHER than its facing Low-V Car roof. Of course, MTH Subway cars sit about a bit over a FOOT higher from rail head top to roof top, than do the prototype (and scale models such as mine) cars --
(b) -- THIS due to MTH from the beginning, using an existing small diesel motor loco truck "sub-block-assembly" for installing the wheels and sideframes for their O-Gauge Subway & El cars. Also, because Diesels generally use a 40" or large inch wheel size - MTH had to make the subway car sideframes "deeper" from top to bottom to hide that sub-block assembly.
(c) -- ALSO MTH used their existing standard 36" railroad -freight car type wheels in their subway trucks -- the prototype subway cars used 33" on MOTOR TRUCK wheels and 31" on TRAILER TRUCK WHEELS (like my scale models also do NWSL 33" SCALE wheels on motor trucks and NSWL 30" SCALE wheels in trailer trucks
Now, THE PHOTO BELOW is showing the MTH Q Type Car (cab end) facing my scratchbuilt 1:48 O-Scale 2 Rail BMT 1200 series Motor Gate Car (the prototype cars from which the Q Types were created from back in 1938)
(a) -- Notice the faithfully "replicated" details and shape of the BMT type "Peckham" Motor truck under the MTH Q Type Car at left -- but NOW look at the SCALE SIZE and dimensions BMT Peckham Motor truck under my scratchbuilt (33 years ago !) BMT EL Gate Motor Car 1234 at right, with its scale wheels.
(b) -- Again, the MTH truck sideframes were made oversized to compensate for and "hide" the larger truck sub-block behind them and the too large 36" wheelsets that they also have to "hide" . ALSO NOTE how the MTH Q Type sits way much higher than the scale height (from rail head to roof top) of my facing BMT EL Gate Motor Car.
Therefore, The MTH cars BODY SHELLS are scale within scale to their own production dimensions. Their LENGTHS are SPOT ON --- but the BODY SHELL widths are a tiny bit too wide, and the heights of the IRT Subway and Q Type EL car BODY SHELLS a bit too high -- (EXCEPTION being to the fully scale MTH made IRT R-62 cars which were made full scale 1:48 Bo9dy Shell dimensions)
FINALLY ------- The MTH postwar BMT-IND Division R-Type "SMEE" cars including the famed PRE WAR IND R-1/9 cars -- are pretty much fully to scale BODY SHELL width and length dimensions -- save for the height a bit higher to clear the can motor flywheels and the MOTOR CAR inside "lighting rack". But width and lengths are pretty much accurate --as these cars were 10' wide in prototype, so MTH had a bit more "interior room" to play with on those scale width created BMT-IND division body shells !
So Tommy, PLEASE - you must KNOW the real facts first prior to statements made such as yours (moronic, dementia, etc). Remember, even I have to admit, that if it weren't for Mike Wolf,. heh, even taking "the plunge" into the Rapid Transit (Subway cars, trolleys) Model field -- you would have NONE of what MTH and he produced today to even complain about !!
Regards ! - Joe F
