Common Scales in Model Trains

Common Scales in Model Trains

Common Scales in Model Trains

There has constantly been a lot bafflement regarding the disparities involving size and gauge. Though the difference is not the main focus of this article, for our purposes it could be typically taken that scale refers to the ratio or proportion of size on a model when compared to the dimensions on the actual actual life item being modeled. Gauge on the other hand is far more model railroad specific. Most aficionados make use of the term scale to describe their trains and layouts. This really is a superb habit mainly because scale also refers to model train accessories an scenery though gauge is limited to the trains and the width of the rails they run on. You can find many different scales and possibilities to choose from in model railroading in brief, some of them contain O, S, HO, N, G and Z scales along with quite a few other adaptations of those mentioned above.

O scale

the origins of O scale probably begin with the Ives co. in the early 1900s, Ives toward trains had several track sizes with numbers 1 through 3. Eventually Ives introduced a smaller scale that was numbered zero or 0. The smaller scale became very popular and soon came to be known as simply O scale. Lionel trains eventually bought out that Ives company and O scale became even more prominent in the rapidly growing world of model trains. At the time Lionel was producing almost an equal amount of O gauge and Standard gauge trains. Standard gauge was an earlier, larger scale pioneered by Lionel as one of the first toy train standards to be adopted by the manufacturers of the time. With the rapid popularity of O scale, standard gauge was slowly phased out and Lionel went on to be known for their O gauge creations.

By the late 30s, Lionel trains were beginning to out grow their toy origins. Lionel railroading had an overlapping appeal to both adults and children alike. With that wider appeal, came more of a demand for realism and true scale. Many of the prior trains while conforming to the O gauge track size, were not accurately or realistically scaled to the proper 1:48 ratio. In essence, they were more toys than models. In 1937 Lionel sought to fix this by creating one of their finest museum quality, exact scaled masterpieces; the scale New York Central Hudson. The 4-6-4 Hudson locomotive was incredibly realistic and accurate to the most minute detail. Not only was this train the pinnacle of realism and accuracy for the time, it also represented a great achievement in machine tool and die technology as well as advanced in the companies manufacturing techniques and workmanship quality. Remaining in production until 1942 the Lionel O scale Hudson remains a valuable and cherished model train by collectors of today.

S scale

American Flyer trains were the main proponents of S scale. Having a size slightly smaller than O scale trains with a ratio of 1:64, the S scale standard was marketed to appeal to those who wanted more realism than that offered by the toy trains of the day while still capturing a substantial part of the toy train market. Today around 1% of model train operators run S scale trains. This makes locating items and accessories somewhat of a challenge.

HO scale

Created in the 1930s during the Great Depression, HO scale being about half the size of O scale was a perfect fit for the times. An HO layout could fit both a reduced budget and small confined quarters. After World War II, HO scale really took off in a big way, greatly increasing in popularity. To this day HO remains the most popular model train standard with almost 3/4 of the market share. One of the benefits of the size and popularity of HO is the ability to design and create ever increasingly complex layouts in a relatively small amount of space. Add to this though is huge variety of available hardware and scenery due to the popularity of HO and you can see why this standard is so widely adopted.

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