ABC's of Model Railroading - Donnette Dolzall (Editor), Donette Dolzall; Paperback
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Model railroading is a hobby shared by many people throughout the world. If you
haven't figured it out already, model railroaders try to mimic real life railroads
by creating miniature models in their free time. Track is laid on a 'layout' and the
trains are run in circles or patterns. Fortunately, it gets much more complicated than
that; scenery is created, tracks are run all over the place, and electricity is wired in.
Scale vs. gauge
These miniature trains come in many different sizes:
There IS a difference between scale and gauge:
- SCALE- the proportion to the real thing or 'prototype.'
- GAUGE- the distance
between the rails.
Scale and gauge
HO scale is the most popular, and is built at 1:87.1 of the prototype. When
written alone, it signifies standard gauge. HOn3 is a narrow gauge, still at
the 1:87.1 proportion, but the distance between the rails is smaller. HOe, HOn2,
HOn2 1/2 are all narrow gauge railroads, but still, again, 1:87.1
Some common American railroading scales:
- G Garden railways, 1:22.5 (1 boxcar is as big as a 2 liter pop bottle)
- O Lionel, others. 1:48
- S 1:64 not to widespread
- HO 1:87.1 is the most popular. (cars about 7-9 inches long)
- N 1:160 (smaller than HO- half the size)
- Z 1:220 (Extremely small)
Generally, the smaller the scale, the
more you can fit in any given area. But take into
consideration the size of the parts you'll be working with, as
well as the cost. It is because of the all-around
characteristics that I recommend HO scale to anyone who is
absolutely new to the hobby. There is the widest product line
available, and a large amount of action can fit into a tight
area without making the parts too small to handle. But if
you're convinced HO isn't for you, then I suggest talking to a
hobby store clerk.
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