new to building model trains

[dehusman]

Originally the gauges were numbered (like wire gauges). O was actually zero. Then the names of the various smaller gauges were marketing devices.
HO is "half O".
S is for Sixty-fourth, the scale (1/64)
TT is for Table Top
N is for Nine as in nine mm which is the gauge bewteen the rails.
Z is for Zed, the last letter of the alphabet, indicating the smallest scale.
G is for Garden, as in garden railroads.

Dave H.

[rrinker]

One minor nit to pick, there are actually TWO 'OO' scales. The one used in England is 1/76 scale but running on HO gauge track, which is why all those neat Hornby models can run on US layouts. Then there's the (is anyone still modelling in this scale?) US OO which is 1/76 scale running on the correct track gauge with is a bit wider than HO.

The best part about all these scales is going back in old Model Railroaders (I have a pretty extensive back issue collection) and seeing all the reader letters complaining about this scale or that scale, and why do we need another scale? I don't have any from back at the introduction of HO, but they probably did it then. I do have some from when N scale was introduced to the US, and there were plenty of complaints. And then in the early/mid 80's when Z scale started getting coverage - letter after letter, NO NEW SCALES! Seems the ones that got the most complaints are still with us.

--Randy

[IRONROOSTER]

Some more are:
Sn2 uses HOn3 track.
Sn42 uses HO track, popular in countries that had 42" railroads.
Enjoy
Paul

[DSchmitt]

These are the most commonly seen "scales"

O Gauge: "Tinplate trains" "zero" gauge or "Oh" gauge, 3-rail track the gauge of the outside rails is 1-1/4" Scale may vary but most commonly close to 1/4" = 1' Track is often tubular, not "T" rail. Lionel the most famous brand

O Scale: Models built to a scale of 1/4" = 1' (1/48 in the USA) 7mm = 1' (1/43 in Great Britain) that run on "zero" gauge "T" rail track which may be 2-rail or 3-rail. The track gauge actually equals 5 foot instead of the correct 4' 8-1/2" in 1/48 scale

HO scale: "half O" (approximate) 3.5mm = 1' (1/87 in USA), 4mm = 1' (1/76 in Great Britian often called HO/OO) both scales use HO track which is the correct gauge for 1/87 scale. Interestingly US HO scale is actually 1/2 the scale of British O scale or about 55% of the size of US O scale.

OO scale: "doubleO" 1/76 scale on track of the correct gauge (slightly wider than HO) More common in Britian than in the US.

S gauge: old American Flyer trains are best example.

S Scale: 1/64 scale

N scale: "nine" the track gauge is 9mm Scale is 1/160 or 13-1/3" = 1'. (Models of Japanese trains are usually 1/150 scale and the British use 2mm = 1' or 1/152 scale)
+ Correction British N scale is 1/148 2.06mm = 1' +

Z scale: "zee' or "zed" 1/120 scale.

G gauge: formerly #1 gauge popularized in modern times by LGB many different scales used from 1/29, 1/24, 1/22.5 probably the most common.

Adding a lower case "n" after the scale designation means narrow gauge. The number following the "n" is the gauge of track modeled.

On30 means O scale 30" gauge (also called On2-1/2), On3 means O scale 3' gauge (also called On36)

By coincidence, not design:
On30 modelers can use HO gauge track to represent the 30" gauge track in O scale
HOn30 modelers can use N gauge track to represent 30" gauge in HO scale
Nn3 modelers can use Z gauge track to represent 3' gauge track in N scale

[Anonymous]

Don't know about N, but I've always understood HO to stand for "half-O", since HO gauge stuff is about 1/2 the size of O gauge stuff.

[Anonymous]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH yes there is more than HO & N. But first welcome to the forum![#welcome]

Anyway, yes there are more scales than HO & N. There's Z, N, HO, HOn3, Nn3, On30, O, O-27, S, Sn3, and G scales. The difference is the size. G scale is big and most locomotives weigh 6 pounds or more. Z is VERY tiny, so tiny I don't even know how they fit a motor in those little things. I'm an HO scaler, myself.

As for what N, HO, O, etc. mean, I have no clue.

[Anonymous]

What kind of models are there. I know of the HO and N models but what is the meaning to these models and there differences? is the anymore models besides the HO and N?