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Gauge in model railways is the measure of the distance between the inside of the rails on the track. It is one of the key measurements of a model railway and determines the track and trains used, the other being scale. Model trains come in a wide array of gauges, each with its own unique charm and purpose. From the tiny Z gauge, perfect for ...
- A Simple Guide to Understand The Difference Between Scale vs. Gauge
- Gauge Versus Scale
- Back Story
- Setting Oo Standards
- Em and P4
- Getting Smaller: TT
- Smaller Still: N
- Z and T Scales
- Back to The Beginning
- Narrow-Gauge Explained
One of the most confusing aspects for a new railway modeller to understand in the hobby is the difference between the terms ‘scale’ and ‘gauge’. In the UK, ‘gauge’ is used more often than the word ‘scale’ - a term more popular around the rest of the world. From left to right, three different model railway scales: N gauge (2mm:1ft scale), OO gauge (...
Gauge is the distance between the rails of the track in the scale chosen. Scale is the proportion of the model to the full-size item. Therefore, 4mm:1ft scale should be more correct in describing a layout, whereas OO gauge should really only refer to the track gauge. The UK has an odd combination of scales and gauges. Read on to discover why…
In the early 20th century manufacturers decided to standardise on a numbering scheme for the various sizes of models being produced. Gauges 0, 1, 2 and 3 were created to cover the four popular scales at the time. 1. Basic O gauge is to a scale of ¼in to 1ft 2. Gauge 1 is 3/8in to 1ft 3. Gauge 2 is 7/16in to 1ft 4. Gauge 3 is 12/32in or 1/2in to 1ft...
The UK standard was set that rolling stock would be produced to a track gauge of 16.5mm (HO), but everything else would be increased by 0.5mm from 3.5mm:1ft to 4mm:1ft scale. This means that 'OO' is a ‘narrow gauge’ because the spacing between the track isn't correct. Model railway manufacturer, Hornby, produced its ‘Dublo’ range, cementing the sca...
Some modellers wanted to remain true to scale and couldn’t cope with an inaccurate scale/gauge ratio in OO. A group of modellers decided to continue to model in 4mm:1ft scale, widening the track gauge to suit. Real railway tracks in the UK have a gauge of 4ft 8½in. In the scale of 4mm:1ft, this equates to approximately 18mm. The EM (Eighteen Millim...
As things changed post-World War II, the amount of space available in the average house for model railway layouts was getting smaller. Mainland Europe had responded by creating a scale of 2.54mm:1ft (a ratio of 1:120). This was observed by the Managing Director of Tri-ang Railways, then one of Hornby’s competitors, who saw the possibilities that th...
Loch Tat is an N gauge model railway set in the Highlands of Scotland. The smaller size of N gauge makes it easier to create greater landscapes for a given space than OO or O gauges. Read more about this layout here. The scale of 2mm:1ft was tried out in the UK by Lone Star in the 1960s and branded OOO gauge. It was German manufacturer Arnold which...
The problems affecting the other scales in the UK haven’t affected the smaller scales of Z and T, probably because the former isn’t as commonplace and the latter is comparatively new! Z scale is almost entirely the province of German manufacturer Märklin as its ‘Mini-Club’ range, with a track gauge of 6mm and a scale of 1.4mm:1ft (a ratio of 1:220)...
Following a downturn, because of the popularity of OO gauge, O gauge has become more popular recently, due in no small part to the efforts of the Gauge O Guild and manufacturers old and new. As with most other scales, there is a difference between O gauge in the UK, mainland Europe and the USA. The scale in Europe has settled down over time to the ...
A narrow gauge line (left) and standard gauge line (right) on Caroline Concrete Works. A narrow gauge railway is a railway which uses a track gauge which is narrower than the standard track gauge. In the UK, the term is used to describe all railways which have a distance between rails of less than 4ft 8 1/2in. Most modelling scales have a narrow-ga...
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What is the difference between gauge & scale?
What is the difference between gauge and OO gauge?
What is gauge in a model railway?
What is the difference between scale and ratio?
The dictionary defines gauge as "the distance between the two rails on a railway line" and scale as "the scale of a map, plan, or model is the relationship between the size of something in the map, plan, or model and its size in the real world". In the world of model railways, the two terms are often used interchangeably to communicate the size ...
Many people use the Terms HO Scale and HO Gauge as synonyms -- but be careful, they actually aren't the same. One is the 1:87 scaling factor, while the other is the prototype 4' 8-1/2" scaled by 1:87. One is a measurement, the other is a dimensionless scale. Now that distinction is made, lets look at at a scale of On30.
Scale is the proportion to life size expressed as a ratio: 1/48 or 1:48 for O Scale or ¼ inch = 1 foot. Strictly speaking, gauge properly refers to the distance between the rails. So in O Scale, the track gauge would be 1-1/4 inches. That equates to 5 scale feet, although in real life the distance is actually 4 feet 8-1/2 inches between rails.
Firstly it is important to understand the difference between scale and gauge. Scale refers to the physical size of the model in relation to the real world, for example a 1:76 scale model is 1/76th the size of its real world counterpart. As a rough guide, the larger the scale number the smaller the model. Gauge refers to the distance between the ...
