need question ansured


The scale of the trains refer to the proportion of the model train when compared to the real train. Pretty simple huh? For instance, if you are wondering what size is HO scale, the HO scale is 1/87. So you could say that your HO model Steam train is 87 times smaller than the real train out in the train yard. There is 6 most common types of scales in railroading. But 90% of all the rairoading hobbyists are in just two scales -- HO and N.

How big is N scale? Great question! The N scale is 1/160 of the real thing. Use this scale if you want to run very long trains or have small space available to run the trains. One drawback of N scale railroading is that its difficult to keep the track and wheels clean enough for stall-free operations. Also the proportion of the rails and the wheel flange is not close a match to the real thing. And the distance between the coupled cars is larger than it really is in the real world. But this scale is the 2nd most popular scale that railroading hobbyists choose (about 16 percent).

The Z scale trains are 1/220 proportion to the real thing and that is really small! You could build a layout on top of your computer ( but not recommended of course!). :)

Typical model railroad scales are (largest to smallest):

1:12 Large Scale
1:13.7 7/8 inch scale
1:20.3 G, Three-Foot Gauge on Gauge 1 Track
1:22.5 LGB and Bachman
1:24 Half scale
1:29 Aristo-Craft, USA Trains, standard gauge on #1 gauge
1:32 I scale
1:48 O scale
1:64 S scale
1:87.1 HO scale
1:120 TT scale
1:160 N scale
1:220 Z scale
 
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Thanks Mike
For the info,had a blond moment yesterday and could not think of the sizes to save my soul.
By the way I noticed that your name is Mike Moore
oddly enough so is mine,and I'm either Mikey or Boomer.
Later.
and thanks again
 
The scale of the trains refer to the proportion of the model train when compared to the real train. Pretty simple huh? For instance, if you are wondering what size is HO scale, the HO scale is 1/87. So you could say that your HO model Steam train is 87 times smaller than the real train out in the train yard. There is 6 most common types of scales in railroading. But 90% of all the rairoading hobbyists are in just two scales -- HO and N.

How big is N scale? Great question! The N scale is 1/160 of the real thing. Use this scale if you want to run very long trains or have small space available to run the trains. One drawback of N scale railroading is that its difficult to keep the track and wheels clean enough for stall-free operations. Also the proportion of the rails and the wheel flange is not close a match to the real thing. And the distance between the coupled cars is larger than it really is in the real world. But this scale is the 2nd most popular scale that railroading hobbyists choose (about 16 percent).

The Z scale trains are 1/220 proportion to the real thing and that is really small! You could build a layout on top of your computer ( but not recommended of course!). :)

Typical model railroad scales are (largest to smallest):

1:12 Large Scale
1:13.7 7/8 inch scale
1:20.3 G, Three-Foot Gauge on Gauge 1 Track
1:22.5 LGB and Bachman
1:24 Half scale
1:29 Aristo-Craft, USA Trains, standard gauge on #1 gauge
1:32 I scale
1:48 O scale
1:64 S scale
1:87.1 HO scale
1:120 TT scale
1:160 N scale
1:220 Z scale
Great post, I need someone like you on Model Railroad Tips!
 
Thanks, Mikey, for the scale summary. Quick question - What scales are the Lionel and American Flyer? And do I remember something about 027? Where does it fit in?
Thanks,
Jon
 
O-27 gauge

O-27 gauge

O-27 gauge is a variant whose origins are slightly unclear. Some historians attribute its creation to A. C. Gilbert Company's American Flyer, but Ives Manufacturing Company used O-27 track in its entry-level sets at least a decade before Gilbert bought Flyer.

The modern standard for O-27, however, was formalized after 1938 by Gilbert, who scaled the locomotives and rolling stock at 3/16 inches to the foot, or 1:64. After World War II, this practice was continued by Louis Marx and Company, who used it throughout its product line,and Lionel, who used it for its entry-level trains. O-27 track is spaced at the same width as regular O gauge track, but is slightly shorter in height and has thinner rails than traditional O gauge track. A shim underneath the 0-27 track enables the use of O and O-27 track together.

The O-27 name comes from the size of the track's curves. A circle made of eight pieces of standard curved O gauge track will have a 31 inch (787 mm) diameter. A circle made of 8 pieces of curved O-27 track is smaller, with a 27 inch (686 mm) diameter. Full-sized O cars sometimes have difficulty negotiating the tighter curves of an O-27 layout. Although the smaller, tin lithographed cars by American Flyer, Marx, and others predate the formal O-27 standard, they are also often called O-27 because they also operate flawlessly on O-27 track.

The Lionel Corporation is arguably the most famous producer of O-27 track & trains. Its tubular rail is a symbol of the tinplate era. Even today, it offers more or less every price range, from a $2 section of O-27 tubular straight track to a multi-thousand dollar 1:48 scale train sets. Today, it is Lionel, LLC
 



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