What are the different model railway gauges?

NMRA popular railway scales

Scale Ratio Model gauge
HO or 3.5 mm 1:87.1 0.65 in (16.5 mm)
OO or 4 mm 1:76.2 16.5 mm (0.65 in)
Sn3 or 3/16″ 1:64 0.563 in (14.3 mm)
S or 3/16″ 1:64 0.883 in (22.43 mm)

What is the most common model railway gauge?

HO scale is the most popular model train scale in the world. HO is 1:87 of a full-size train and runs on a gauge of . 625 inches or 16.5 mm. The reason they’re so popular is that they’re small enough to be applicable for the everyday hobbyist who is looking to build their own layouts.

What’s the difference between HO and OO scale?

The difference between the two scales comes down to size. HO Scale models are built to 1:87th scale, meaning 87 packed together will in effect be the same size of the real thing. This is the correct scale for 16.5mm gauge track. OO Scale will appear slightly larger to HO Scale models and accessories.

What is the smallest model railway gauge?

T gauge (1:450 or 1:480) is a model railway scale with a track gauge of 3 mm (0.118 in), referred from “Three-millimeter gauge” or “Third of N scale”. It was introduced at the Tokyo Toy Show in 2006 by KK Eishindo of Japan, and went on sale in 2007. It is the smallest commercial model train scale in the world.

What size is O gauge?

Different Gauges

Term Scale Track Gauge
Standard Gauge 1/32 2-1/8″
O Gauge 1/48 1-1/4″
S Gauge 1/64 7/8″
HO Gauge 1/87 16.5mm or .649″

Why does Lionel Use 3 rails?

Lionel used the center rail for power and the two outer rails for ground. For example, with a three-rail system, the track can loop back on itself without any issues. A two-rail system has to reverse the polarity in order to avoid a short circuit in that situation. In 1906, there was no good, easy way to do that.

Why do Lionel trains have 3 rails?

Will Oo run on HO track?

The short answer is yes – ‘OO’ models run on track with a gauge (the distance between the rails) of 16.5mm. So do the HO scale ones on sale in the US. The reasons why ‘OO’ models built to 4mm:1ft and HO model at 3.5mm:1ft share a gauge are historical.

What are the different gauges of model trains?

Model trains are sold in six different scales. The scales include G, O, S, HO, N, and Z. The most common model train scale in the United States is HO scale. It is also the most popular scale in Europe, the United Kingdom and Asia. The HO scale is 1:87 which is smaller than the G, O and S scale but larger than the N and Z scale.

What is the best model train scale?

HO and N scale (below) are the two most popular sizes of model trains. HO scale is the most popular scale for model trains, by far. It’s 1:87 scale, approximately half the size of O scale. Like S scale, it permits a decent sized layout on a ping pong table.

What does ‘gauge’ mean on railways?

What does ‘gauge’ mean on railways? Gauge is the distance between the rails. The gauge used for the first public railway, the Stockton and Darlington, in England, was 1.43 metres. It is called standard gauge.

How big is a model train in N gauge?

An N scale train is sized at 1/160, which means that 1 scale-foot equals 160 real-life feet. Most people can wrap an entire hand around this size of model locomotive because N scale locomotive models average about 3 or 4 inches long.