The Ins and Outs of Model Railroad Scales

In my previous article, Getting Started In Model Railroading I touched on the issue of scale, or what size you should model in. In this article I intend to expand upon this issue and delve more deeply into this most critical issue. For those who haven't read the previous, allow me to explain what this is about. In model railroading the trains, track, and accessories come in several scales which in turn have particular names given to them. In truth the names for the scales referred originally to the gauge of the track but over time they have expanded to include everything else. It is important to be aware of scale since, as you can guess, different scales are incompatible.

The more well known scales are HO, N, O, and G. Lesser known scales include S, Z, TT, OO, not to mention a few other finer points which I will get to later. First of all, the three most popular scales (in America) are without a doubt HO, N, and O, in that order. HO scale is the equivalent of 1:87, or 1/87 the size of real life. A diesel locomotive in HO scale might be about eight or nine inches long and a freight car is slightly less, give or take. A basic HO scale layout with a loop and a few sidings can be built on a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood, however not much more than this is allowable in this area. HO scale's advantages are its mid-size and its popularity; in fact I've heard that it is more popular than all the other scales combined. Because of its popularity it also tends to be one of the better deals price-wise, but for those with little room it has its drawbacks. Although I do believe that since most model railroads are built in basements HO serves as a mid-way between the sheer mass of what you can do with N and the superb detail of O, so its popularity is self-explanatory.

N scale is second to HO scale. N scale stands at 1:160, so in size its about one half of anything HO. However, because of the way things break down you can do four times as much in the same area as HO, or just as much in an area one fourth the size. So a basic 4 x 8 in HO which only affords a loop is HUGE in N. Imagine if you expanded that HO scale layout to 8 x 16 and you could do as much as you could with N on a 4 x 8. N scale is probably the best option for apartment dwellers, and with Americans waking up to the fact that not everybody can have a 2000 square foot home I expect more Americans to have less space (much like our counterparts in Europe and pretty much everywhere else) and as a result N will grow. N scale costs about as much as HO too. However, its diminuitive size, with a diesel engine about three inches or less, sometimes makes it harder to work with. There is also not as much room for details. However, if you have a big basement N is the scale to get into if you want to run realistically lengthed trains through vast scenery, whereas HO is more for operators and detailers.

O scale is right behind N in popularity. If you remember the classic Lionel Trains you know what I'm talking about, however there has been a recent move toward realism. While Lionel is still in business, serious modellers are turning more and more to MTH and its trains with full command control and sound. O scale, at 1:48, is about twice as large as HO but features superb details. It also boasts a wider array of operating accessories and the engines often include more realistic features. However, in spite of all this realism, O scale still commonly comes in 3 rail. Although they have beefed up the realism of the track since the days of Lionel's very fake tinplate track, it still looks slightly odd. Many people can overlook this, others cannot and either must look to a different scale or look to the limited, but growing variety operational in 2 rail or look to conversions. Unfortunately, 2 and 3 rail equipment is not compatible without modification. There is also the fact that there is still the "tinplate" or "toy train" element competing with the newer "model railroad" movement in O scale, and as a result you might find some unrealistic or slightly out of scale equipment. O scale is unique in that it was heavily wrapped up in a toyish past and is now trying to move to more realism. However, it is very expensive and takes up a lot of room. Unless you have a big basement and some extra money laying around, O scale might not be worth it.

Among the more popular scales there is also G scale. "G" stands for "Garden" and due to the size of these trains that is where they generally operate. Garden railroading often makes up a hobby unto itself and is sort of an offshoot of orthodox model railroading and includes some considerations that indoor modellers would not have to worry about. The complexity of G scale is where some people run into trouble. It generally runs on some of the same track, called 1 gauge. Now G scale models are often in narrow gauge (meaning that they represent real trains that ran on track narrower than 4' 8 1/2'', which is the standard gauge for most American and European railroads) at 1:22.5 or 1:20.3 (1:20.3 being the minority used to represent American 3 footers in exact proportion, although most are made slightly out of proportion at 1:22.5, at which virtually all European G scale is made). In addition, there are standard gauge models running on the same track at 1:32. There is also 1:29 which is slightly out of scale and is used to represent some American standard gauge.

In addition, much live steam is also considered G scale. Live steam is when model locomotives actually run on real steam power. Live steam can be in any scale but is more practical the larger it is. It often runs in the conventional G scales but also often runs in larger versions of G with specially built track. Due to the bulky and complex nature of this much has to be scratchbuilt at these levels and in certain cases people can actually ride on them. However, non-ridable live steam is available in smaller scales.

Beyond the more popular scales we also find some more obscure ones. S scale is at 1:64, a common scale for models outside of railroading, cars in particular. It is halfway between HO and O. Once made popular by the classic American Flyer trains it fell in popularity. I theorize that people were drawn to O because they wanted it a bit bulkier or drawn to HO because they wanted a bit smaller and felt that the moderation of S was not worth it. Also, bad business left American Flyer in ruins during the 1960s and since they dominated the S market, S fell with it. S is making a slight comeback and is available from several manufacturers, but it is hard to find at hobby shops and train shows, apart from the old stuff.

TT scale is even rarer than S and like S it lies between two more popular scales, in this case HO and N. TT was the first of the "small scales" but apparently it was not small enough. At 1:120, "Table Top" scale is an American invention that today only has a serious following in Europe. You may find some far-flung TT modellers in America but most settle for either HO or N. Most people don't find it worth it to go to all the trouble TT takes when two other scales are not too far off.

Z scale is a bit more popular than TT and is gaining popularity rapidly. At 1:220 it is very, very small (but not microscopic). Z scale is made primarily by the German firm Marklin and is made up of of a range of North American and continental European models. You can do a lot in a very small area and it is for those people who want a layout but don't have enough room even for N that Z is designed. With more room, however, Z could produce some serious vistas. I've only heard of a few large Z scale layouts, althought it would be interesting to see more of them. Unfortunately, the intensive manufacturing process and relative obscurity (in comparison to other scales) render Z more expensive than most, and many do not feel Z to be worth the price.

Now there is the special exception of OO. If you live in Britain, OO is your most popular scale. In fact, Britain is a unique situation as far as scale is concerned. In America and Europe (Germany being one of the hotbeds of model railroading) scales are generally the same, but in Britain they are different. OO is 1:76 but generally runs on HO equivalent track. The reason for this is that in older times small engines for locomotives were not possible and British locomotives tend to be smaller in size than American and continental ones so they decided to make them slightly out of proportion. British N is similar in that it is 1:148 and O is 1:43.5 (although this is also true in France, and in Germany it is 1:45, so 1:48 O is in its own case uniquely American). In recent years, however, versions of British scales with track spaced more accurately have taken off. When people seek this sort of extreme realism right down to the last millimeter it is known as "finescale." However, British readers should not distress, as the difference is actually so small that you won't even notice that things are slightly out of scale and let the nitpickers do their stuff.

Now, before this is complete there is the issue of narrow gauge. Remember that narrow gauge trains are those that run on gauges less than 4' 8 1/2'' (which itself was derived from the spacing of the wheels on Roman chariots). In America this was often 3 feet although there are different scales here and elsewhere. In railroading, narrow gauge is built often in the same scales as standard versions albeit with a lowercase "n" tacked on and the gauge itself on the end. On3, for instance, is O narrow gauge representing 3 footers. However, On30, representing two and a half feet is more popular due to the fact that it can run on HO scale track. In fact, oftentimes you'll have versions of narrow gauge that run on a specially built track and slightly fictional ones designed to run on the track of a slightly smaller scale. For instance, few two and a half footers actually ran in America, but there were many three footers and several two footers so models are generally based on these. On30 in particular is a fast growing scale since people who want the small track gauge to save space with the detail of O scale often resort to this scale. It is still 1:48, and is the most popular narrow gauge. HOn3 and Nn3 (super small!) are also able to be found. Sn3 has taken on a life of its own and is in some sense just as popular as standard S. As I said earlier, much of G scale is narrow gauge to begin with.

Now the question is, which scale should you choose? I personally would recommend either HO or N, depending on the space you have. On30 has also intrigued me recently and I see this is a new burgeoning market. You can find starter sets of HO, N, and three rail O at virtually every hobby shop in the country. The things you need to keep in mind are your preferences of what you want to do, price, and space. Space is obviously the most important things from which all else comes, then price, and finally preferences. Model railroading is a hobby of compromises. I am sure every model railroader would love to have a huge basement filled with highly detailed two-rail O with realistic operations, sound, and operating accessories (I know I would!) but it just can't be done. You will never get everything you want in life but you still can have fun, and limitations often breed ingenious that we wouldn't otherwise have.