"Your Source for Standard Gauge Modeling in 1:20.3 or F Scale "

Greetings from Dave

Hello. My name is Dave Queener and welcome to the Cumberland Model Engineering website. Cumberland Model Engineering (CME) is my effort to develop standard gauge modeling in 1:20.3 scale, or as the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) designates it, F scale. I also have begun to dabble in the ride-on-scales; and towards that end, I offer my services as a fully equipped CNC machine shop. In real life, I am a Presbyterian minister residing in Knoxville, Tennessee; husband to a wonderfully sympathetic wife; and father to four dear children, all of whom have an affinity for trains, to one degree or another!

Model trains have been for me a life-long passion. As a twenty-something I migrated from the smaller scales into the world of garden railways--or "large scale" as it is sometimes known. It did not take long to realize that the world of large scale is, at least in North America, a frustrating potpourri of mismatched scales whose trains share but one thing in common: Nearly all of them operate on Gauge 1 track, or 45mm between the rails. For more scale conscious model railroaders, who want to model both narrow gauge trains (usually 3 feet between the rails in North America) as well as standard gauge ones (4'-8½" between the rails) in the same scale, I have cut the Gordian knot of mismatched scales and gauges by creating F Gauge (2.781" or 70.64mm between the rails). More on F and Fn3 can be found elsewhere on this site.

Secondly, in order to develop F Gauge and to encourage fine scale modeling in multiple scales--1:20.3 no less than 7½" gauge live steam--I trained myself in both CAD/CAM and CNC machining and equipped my home based shop with the same robust industrial grade machine tools found in most small job shops. You can view my shop here or take an impromptu tour with the video below (no I don't usually wear a three-piece suit in the shop--filming just happened to occur on a Sunday after church). The site itself is divided into six principle sections:

About the Site

News Page  Product updates, pics of my most recent work and updates to the website can be found here. (Updated  4-14-15)

F Scale Products  Here you will find F Gauge track, wheelsets, trucks and freight car kits. More products will be added to this area as they become available. Now available: 50 Ton AAR-Bettendorf and wooden bolster archbar trucks! (Kit availability updated 4-14-15)

Custom Casting  As of January 2014, we are offering custom spin casting in white metal of model railroad and other small parts. My friend Don Niday is in charge of our spin casting division. You can read more about it here.

Custom Machining  Axle boxes and side rods for live steam locomotives along with samples of other custom machined parts from F scale through 15" gauge reside here.

The Gauge 3 Galleries  My initial foray into standard gauge modeling in "large scale" was to stick with an old established track gauge, albeit one that has fallen out of favor in North America: Gauge 3, or as it is known on the continent, Spur II. Gauge 3 measures 2.5" between the rails (63.5mm) and has been around since the 1880s as one of the four original track gauges created by German toy train maker Märklin. To document my own efforts in Gauge 3, its history, and the vibrant European renaissance in Gauge 3, I have set up the Gauge 3 Galleries.

The F Gauge Galleries Since roughly 2001 I and a handful of other North American modelers have been at the forefront of establishing accurate standard gauge modeling in F scale (1:20.32 --or-- 15mm=1 foot). To catalogue our progress--and hopefully to inspire a few others to join us in developing this new, and accurate, scale and gauge combination--I have created the F Gauge Galleries. This is where you will find several galleries devoted to the best standard gauge modeling being done in large scale today.

Dave's Pages Having learned the frustrations of fabricating one-of-a-kind parts without adequate tools, I began accumulating several varieties of machine tool starting about 1998. The end result is Cumberland Model Engineering. Here you will find my story, some flights of fancy and photos of my own personal on-again-off-again projects which may or may not become F scale Products one day. In addition there are links to my essay What Is F Scale? and to the F Gauge Wheel & Track Standards as developed by the NMRA.

For those wishing to contact me with photos of their own F scale projects or to place orders, please see the Contact Page.