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Size comparison of scales

114K views 140 replies 67 participants last post by  DanielC  
#1 ·
I adapted this picture I found on another site and thought it might be useful to people trying to decide what kind of train they want.

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#5 ·
Although rail size can vary. How do you know you're comparing the same size of rail in scale? ;):D:p


(For example, "standard" HO track uses "Code 100" rail (the code is the height of the rail in thousandths of an inch). Code 83 is the next most common for HO. I've been handlaying Code 70 and Code 55 (yes that's half the size of the Code 100 found in most sets). Common N scale rail sizes are Code 80 (massively over-scale) and Code 55 (similar to Code 100 in HO, which is also over-scale for most rail).)
 
#18 ·
I recently sent a 2 pack of Cobra Head Street Lights to a guy in Canada and he said they were a little big for HO. I was told by others that they were nice lights and 4 inches was about right for city street lights. I also compared them to lights I saw in a hobby shop and they were the same size. Is 4 inches right? Frank's HO SCALE LIGHTING and BILLBOARDS at http://www.hoscalelighting.com
 
#20 · (Edited)
I know this an older post, but I had to get my 2c in. As I understand, HOn3 (commonly called 'narrow gauge') refers to the width between the rails and therefore the engines (and rolling stock) that can ride on them. HOn3 refers to a 3 foot (or 36 inch) width between rails, while HOn30 implies 30 inches between rails. An On3 would be 3 SCALE feet between the rails.
As it turns out, O narrow gauge can use standard HO track, and HO narrow gauge can use standard N gauge track.
BTW, great scale comparison photos! Wish I had seen them when I was younger. That distinction drove me nuts as a kid.
 
#58 ·
There are actually TWO OO gauges. British OO is HO for all intents and purposes.

American OO is halfway in scale between S and HO. A truly lovely scale.

I would post a picture as I have NYC steam in G-O-S-OO-HO-TT-N-Z for comparison purposes but I have not figured out the picture format here yet.

Check this out for an American OO primer. http://www.tcawestern.org/scale-craft.htm
 
#24 ·
OO runs on HO scale track and is very similar in size.

OO is 1:76 scale, HO is 1:87.

OO is mostly European, and European equipment generally has a smaller profile than North American equipment, which means OO and HO end up looking exactly the same size, although the European equipment should actually be a tad smaller that their North American counterparts.

There was actually a thread on this exact subject (OO vs HO) a while ago on this forum.

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=13216

I'm sure there's also been others actually.
 
#25 ·
As for which one is best suited to a person, it's all about the space you have, and your eyesight. I love the size of O scale trains, but it eats real estate if you want anything but an oval. I like N scale, but I can't see that well without the cheaters. G scale is fun, and if I have a barn I'd have G scale in the basement.
 
#26 ·
I've been model railroading for a long time, and I have to say a reference like this would have been helpful many years ago.

The picture is great, but the thing that is missing is a real world object of known scale for comparison. One that I've seen uses a dollar bill (6") for comparison. For newcomers to the hobby, this would be roughly the size of the N scale locomotive.
 
#28 ·
Modelers who know better seem to carelessly use the word "scale," when they mean "gauge," which I believe is a source of massive confusion for those who don't understand the distinction. It's perpetuated right in the forum titles, here.

O-gauge is typically 1:43 scale, gauge referring to the rail profile (1-1/4" centers, etc.), and not the scale size. Most model rail gauges are at odds with the true scale of the locos, as necessitated by reasonably small layout tables.

This confusion really gets people, when you start discussing On30, which is really HO gauge in O scale (~1:43). :lol


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#29 ·
O scale model trains are all proportioned 1:48 to the prototype?
Which is 1/48th the size of a real train?
O scale conveniently works out to 1/4 inch = 1 foot.

You could use 1/43 size structures and cars and trucks on the O layout. But they are a hair smaller then O?
That is what I always thought.:dunno:
 
#32 ·
Interesting. I've always read that accessories for O-gauge were usually scaled at 1:45, to split the difference between the 1:48 and 1:43. In fact, I thought most of the trains were actually scaled 1:43, with the track scaled at 1:48, but I guess I was probably just assuming, there.

All interesting, but aside from the point I was trying to make!


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