Understanding Model Railroad Trains and Model Train Scale
When trying to decide where to set up a model train space becomes one of the most important assets for determining a model train layout. Obviously a larger train will take up more space than a smaller model train, but exactly which type of model train would be best. To determine where your layout will go it’s best you understand what model train scale actually means. It’s only through a firm understand of the model train scale concept can you come up with a workable solution to your model railroad trains layout.
Model Train Scale is an important concept to the model train enthusiast when trying to understand model railroad trains and describes the relationship between the size of the model train to an actual real live locomotive. There are 4 typical or popular scales of model trains and you’ll hear them defined as G, O, HO, and N. The larger category of model trains are the G and O scale, the G-scale has a ratio of 1:22 and the O-scale has a ratio of 1:48. These larger trains run on what is called a number 1 or No. 1 track. HO is about half the size of the O scale and has a ratio of 1:87. It’s easy to remember the approximate size of HO because H0 actually stands for “half an 0″. Next up is the N scale model trains set which is again about 1/2 the size smaller than the HO scale with a ratio of about 1:160. You’ll find fans of all these scales and they are situations where one scale is better than the other, so each will have it’s shining points. There are a couple of less known scales and they aren’t used a lot, that would be the S scale, the TT scale and the Z scale. Briefly the S scale’s ratio is 1:64th. The scale of TT is a little bigger than the N scale with a ratio of 1:120th. Finally the Z scale is even smaller than the already small N scale with a scale ratio of 1:220th.
Model Train Scale has it’s place when talking about model railroad trains and knowing what the scales are will help you determine how you want to setup your life like model trains setup. It’s helpful to go to your local hobby shop and take a look at the actual trains. I’ll give you a little hint. Make a cheat sheet out of the information in the above paragraph and take it to the hobby shop and compare the model train scales to the actual models. One more thing will help you to understand model train scales, take a digital camera, ask to hobby store owner if you can take some photos of each of the different models and scales. It’s a great way to understand model railroad trains scales!
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