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Podcast: The Model Railway Show
Episode:

Rare pair
Category: Games & Hobbies
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2026-04-07 20:31:12
Description:
HO and O scale vernier calipers, made by Mitotoyo for Pacific Fast Mail.

I like tools and I’m fascinated by the history of our hobby. These two items scratch both itches.

Decades ago, Pacific Fast Mail was a go-to source for brass locomotives. In its heyday, it was a name synonymous with high-end modelling. And nothing quite conveys that legacy like these calipers, manufactured for PFM by Mitotoyo of Japan and marked in HO and O scale measurements*. They were done in extremely limited quantities and offered in the 1960s.

I inherited the O scale version from the widow of a friend who passed away more than a quarter century ago. I’ve been on the lookout for the HO scale version for years – so I was delighted when one showed up online recently. I bought it, it arrived today, and it’s in perfect condition. (Squeee!)

Do they make me a better modeller? Absolutely not. I have other measuring tools that are equally precise. In any case, unless I was building a locomotive drive train it’s unlikely I would need to be so exact at the modelling bench.

But these tools do remind me of the value of pursuing perfection. I may have to build a nice, glass-fronted shadowbox to exhibit these in my workshop. Maybe add a label: “In case of a precision emergency, break glass…”

(*I’ve heard there was a version produced in S scale but have no solid confirmation of that. If so, I’d love to complete the set.)
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