Scale and Gauge

Earl Ghylldale · April 25, 2016, 05:47:53 AM

Hello

Would it be possible to expand the FAQ relating to Scale and Gauge, to cover metric equivalents please? For example 4 feet 81/2 inches = 1435mm

Also could the narrow gauge definitions include H0e (?H0n30) and H0m please?

As an aside, did you know that 00 came about in the UK because the smaller outline of British railway locomotives made it difficult to fit 12v electric motors into H0 (1/87scale) boilers. The slight enlargement to 1/76 scale made it feasible. Some finescale modellers use true scale track at 18.82mm wide. Many UK modellers still use H0 track, so technically, all UK standard gauge models are narrow gauge!

Len · April 25, 2016, 08:48:46 AM

I posted this earlier this month in response to someone else's question. HOe is a bit tricky, as it actually covers more than one 'less than meter' gauge:

HO Track Gauge: Actual Size

Standard (4' 8-1/2"): 16.5mm/0.65in

HOn3-1/2 (3' 6")/HOm (1m): 12mm/0.472in
(Commercially available TT scale track often used for this)

HOn3 (3'): 10.5mm/0.413in

HOn30/HOn2-1/2 (2' 6") 9mm
(Commercially available N scale track generally used, as well as for HOe less than meter gauge narrow gauges)

Len

James in FL · April 25, 2016, 04:32:34 PM

Probably way more than you'll ever want to know;

The following pages list some of the combinations of gauge and scale in use
since WWII. They are blocked in "family" groups.

Scale name Origin Gauge Proportion Comments
---------- ------ ----- ---------- --------

Model Engineering scales:
-------------------------
24" 5":1ft Live steam - parks & commercial
19" 4":1ft Live steam - parks & commercial
18" 4":1ft Live steam - parks & commercial
15" 3":1ft Live steam
10 1/4" Triang Minex - proprietary
1960's
9 1/2" 2":1ft
USA 7 1/2" 2 1/2":1ft Live steam - narrow gauge
7 1/2" 1 6/10":1ft Live steam
7 1/2" 1 1/2":1ft Live steam
USA 7 1/4" 1 1/2":1ft Live steam
5 1/4" 1":1ft Live steam
3 1/2" 1":1ft Live steam - 3'6" gauge
3 1/2" Live steam

Model Railway scales:
---------------------
VI Europe 181.8mm 1:5.5 NEM standard gauge
1" Britain 4 13/16" 1":1ft Defunct tinplate scale
No 5 gauge 4 5/8" Maerklin standard - 1891
V Europe 125mm 1:8 NEM standard gauge
11/16" Britain 3 1/4" 11/16":1ft Defunct tinplate scale
No 4 gauge 75mm or 3"
IV Europe 90.9mm 1:11 NEM standard gauge
USA 2 7/8" Lionel, early 20th century
No 3 gauge 67mm or 2 5/8"
III Europe 62.5mm 1:11 NEM
USA 2 1/2" American Flyer
IIIe Europe 45mm 1:16 NEM narrow gauge
II Europe 64mm 1:22.5 NEM normal gauge - Magris
USA 2 1/8" Standard Gauge. Lionel, Boucher
7/8"n2 USA 45mm 1:13.7 2ft narrow gauge
IIm (or G) Europe 45mm 1:22.5 LGB Metre gauge models -
"Garten"
G USA 45mm 1:24-28 Narrow gauge - 3ft
SM45 Britain 45mm 16mm:1ft = 1:19 Narrow gauge - 3ft
SM32 Britain 32mm 16mm:1ft = 1:19 Narrow gauge - 2ft

No 1 Gauge Britain 45mm 10mm:1ft = 1:30 Standard
British modellers also use the more correct 3/8":1ft, 1:32 scale
and most current trade offerrings are 1:32
I Europe 45mm 1:32 NEM normal gauge

There is a proposed, and partly adopted (1999), standard for "Large Scale"
equipment, where the common factor is it runs on 45mm track, as follows:
LS13 45mm 1:13.3/1:13.7 600mm/2 ft (610 mm) narrow
gauge, equivalent to 7/8"n2
LS16 45mm 1:16 720(-760)mm narrow gauge
LS20 45mm 1:20.3 3 ft (914mm) narrow gauge
LS22 45mm 1:22.5 1000mm narrow gauge, equivalent to IIm
LS24 45mm 1:24 Usually representing 3ft narrow
gauge equipment, model track gauge to wide
LS29 45mm 1:29 Representing standard gauge equipment,
model track gauge too narrow
LS32 45mm 1:32 Standard gauge, equivalent to I

9mm NZ 32mm 9mm:1ft NZR models - 3'6" gauge

O Britain 32mm 7mm:1ft, 1:43.5
OF Britain 32mm 7mm:1ft Fine scale - more accurate wheel std
ScaleSeven Britain 33mm 7mm:1ft, 1:43.5 Exact scale option
No 0 Gauge Europe 32mm 1:43.5
O Europe 32mm 1:45
O France 32mm 23mm:1m
Om Europe Narrow gauge - 1 metre
O 27 USA 1 1/4" No scale Lionel Toys, 27" diameter curves
O 72 USA 1 1/4" No scale Lionel Toys, 72" diameter curves
O 17 USA 1 1/4" 17/64":1ft, 1:45
O USA 1 1/4" 1/4":1ft, 1:48 NMRA standard
Proto 48 USA 1 11/64" 1/4":1ft, 1:48 Exact scale option
formerly (1950's-) known as 1/4" AAR, replaces Q
Q USA 1 3/16" 1/4":1ft, 1:48
On3 1/2 USA 7/8" 1/4":1ft, 1:48 Narrow gauge - 3'6"
On3 USA 3/4" 1/4":1ft, 1:48 Narrow gauge - 3ft
On2 1/2 Britain 16.5mm 7mm:1ft Narrow gauge
O Minex Germany 16.5mm 1:43.5 Maerklin HO stud contact
- 750mm gauge
Oe Germany 16.5mm 1:43.5 Fleischmann Magic Train
- 750mm gauge
On2 1/2 (30) USA 39/64" 1/4":1ft, 1:48 Narrow gauge - 2'6"
On2 USA 1/2" 1/4":1ft, 1:48 Narrow gauge - 2ft
On1 1/2 (18) USA 9mm 1/4":1ft, 1:48 Narrow gauge - 1'6"

Britain 12mm 5.5mm:1ft 1.55.5 2'- 2'3" narrow gauge
Tal-y-Llyn and Festiniog Railways
Fn3 (?) Britain 16.5mm 5.5mm:1ft, 1:55.5 3ft narrow gauge, IOM

H1 USA 7/8" 3/16":1ft, 1:64 Forerunner of S scale
S USA 7/8" 3/16":1ft, 1:64
S 5'6" NZ 3/16":1ft, 1:64 Canterbury broad gauge
Sn3 1/2 NZ 16.5mm 3/16":1ft, 1:64 Represents 3'6" gauge
Sn3 USA 9/16" 3/16":1ft, 1:64 Narrow gauge - 3ft
Sn2 1/2 USA 15/32" 3/16":1ft, 1:64 Narrow gauge - 2'6"
Sn2 USA 3/8" 3/16":1ft, 1:64 Narrow gauge - 2ft
Table Top Europe 5/8" Bing 1921-1934
OO Britain 16.5mm 4mm:1ft H Greenly - 1923 on
HO Britain 5/8" 3.5mm:1ft Developed from Bing standards
HO Britain 16.5mm 3.5mm:1ft Unusual, mostly foreign
models, but a a UK group now exists modelling British
trains to HO and or P87 standards
OO Britain 16.5mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2
The standards formerly set by the BRMSB are now obsolete
and largely ignored by the trade, a new OO scale association
has recently been formed to define standards.
EM Britain 18mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 (Eighteen Millimetre)
EM Britain 18.2mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 Revised standard
EEM Britain 18.83mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 A temporary step in
the evolution of P4, has long been obsolete
P4 Britain 18.82mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 P4 or Protofour was a
radical rethink created by scaling down from the prototype and
increasing tolerances by the minimum neccessary for practical
production of components. It created quite a stir in 1966/67 but
is now very well established. P4 standards are also used for
modelling Irish Railways broad and Narrow gauges, using 21mm and
12mm gauges. And for modelling the GWR Broad gauge using 28mm gauge
S4 Britain 18.82mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 Exact scale flangeways too,
made possible by additional effort to reduce the production tolerances
built into P4 standards
OO Broad G Britain 28mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 GWR Broad Gauge - 7'0 1/4"
Oon3 Britain 12mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 3ft narrow gauge, IOM
Current kits production in this scale
OO9 Britain 9mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2 Narrow gauge on N gauge track
OO USA 19mm 4mm/1ft Prewar commercial
(3/4") (5/32")
OOb5 1/4 Ireland 21mm 4mm:1ft, 1:76.2
HOb5 1/4 Australia 18.5mm 1:87 Victoria - 5'3" broad gauge
OOE Europe 16.5mm 1.1mm:1m, 1:91
HOE Europe 16mm 1:87 Followed from Bing, Bub 5/8"
gauge
H0 Europe 16.5mm 1:90 Trix Express
H0 Europe 16.5mm 1:87 NEM standard
H0 USA 16.5mm 3.5mm:1ft, 1:87.1 NMRA standard
P87 USA/Europe 16.5mm 1:87.1 Exact scale option analogous to P4.
H0j Japan 16.5mm 1:80 1067 mm gauge Japanese model railroad magazines usually
H012 / H0n Japan 12mm 1:87 1067 mm gauge quote scale and gauge for clarity
H0j13 Japan 13mm 1:80 1067 mm gauge, uncommon
H0n3 1/2 NZ 12mm 1:87 NZR - 3'6"
H0m Europe 12mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 1 meter
H0n3 USA 10.5mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 3ft
H0n900 10.33mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 900mm
H0n800 9.18mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 800mm
H0e Europe 9mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 750-785mm
H0n2 1/2 USA 9mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 2'6"
H0n2 USA 9/32" 1:87 Narrow gauge - 2ft
H0n600 6.88mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 600mm
H0f Europe 6.5mm 1:87 Narrow gauge - 600mm, also known as H0i or rarely H0z

E USA 19/32" 1/8":1ft, 1:96
QO USA 6/10" 1/8":1ft, 1:96
OOC Europe 14.3mm 1:100 "Cent" attempt to establish a
logical scale
TT USA 12mm 1/10":1ft H P Products - "TableTop"
TT Europe 12mm 1:120
TT "120th" NZ 9mm 1/10":1ft, 1:120 NZR - 3'6" gauge
TT3 Britain 12mm 3mm:1ft, 1:101.6 Tri-ang 1950's-60's
TTX Britain 12mm 1/9":1ft, 1:108 } attempts to improve, not supported
TM Britain 13.5mm 3mm:1ft, 1:101.6 } scale/gauge ratio
Scale 3 Britain 14.2mm 3mm:1ft,1:101.6 3mm Society supports TT3
and Scale 3, components also used by residual TM users
H00 Sweden 10 mm 1:150 Some rolling stock, US prototype,
made, as kits, by Casey Jones (Carl-Erik Nordstrand) around 1945-46.
(Earlier he pioneered H0 in Sweden and this scale never came into use.)
QOO USA 0.3" 1/16":1ft, 1:192
HH(O) USA 5/16" 1.75mm:1ft, 1:174 NMRA standard - c1948
OOO Britain 9.5mm 2mm:1ft, 1:152.4 Superceded by 2mm scale
2mm scale Britain 9.42mm 2mm:1ft, 1:152.4 Current 2mm Association
OOO Britain 9mm 2mm:1ft Lone Star Treble O - 1950's, superceded by N
MiniTrix Europe 9mm 1:150 1950's push along trains
Europe 9mm 1:200 Arnold 1960
K Europe 8mm 1:180 Forerunner of N
N Europe 9mm 1:160 NEM standard - mid 1960's
N USA 9mm 1:160 NMRA standard
N Britain 9mm 2 1/16mm:1ft, 1:148 British N Gauge Society standard
N-NZR NZ 6.5mm 1:160 NZR - 3'6" gauge
Nm Europe 6.5mm 1:160 Swiss metre gauge
Nn3 USA 6.5mm 1:160 USA - 3ft gauge

TTT USA 0.236" 1/20":1ft, 1:240 NMRA proposed standard
Z Europe 6.5mm 1:220 Maerklin
HZ Germany 3.25mm 1:440 Railex - 1992

(X) British 3/16" 1mm:1ft R Walkley - 1935
Un-named British 1/8" 1:480 1970's

This list was mainly compiled by Greg Proctor and Peter Platt
(oaplattÉsouthpower.co.nz) (1994).

1/2" rise in 50 inches = 1% grade, easy grade
1/2" rise in 25 inches = 2% grade, maximum grade for simple mainline operation
1/2" rise in 16-2/3 inches = 3% grade, long trains/ steam trains may require helpers
1/2" rise in 12-1/2 inches = 4% grade, short trains or medium trains with helpers
1/2" rise in 10 inches = 5% grade, logging or industrial operation
1/2" rise in 8-1/3 inches = 6% grade, logging
1/2" rise in 7 inches = 7% grade (approx.), logging
1/2" rise in 6-1/4 inches = 8% grade, about maximum for logging operation

****
This list is 20+ years old and no longer complete, for instance I do not see Japaneese N scale @ 1/150 on 9mm track.
There may be others missing as well.

News:

Scale and Gauge

Earl Ghylldale

Len

James in FL