Some explainations

What is narrow gauge :question We probably all know this, but to recap, narrow gauge describes any track width that is narrower than the standard. There are many differing narrow gauges, as even the "Great little Trains of Wales" use 3 different gauges. The Ffestiniog Railway uses 1ft 115/8" for example, whilst the Welshpool uses 2'6". So any tracks narrower than the standard 4ft 81/2" can be termed "narrow gauge" (including tramways) 

Just as an introduction to this section, I'll explain the most widely used narrow gauges.

N - 6.5      uses Z gauge tracks (6.5mm wide) with N scale models (2mm to the foot).

OO-9        uses N gauge tracks (9mm wide) with 4mm (OOgauge) models

O - 16.5    uses OO gauge tracks (16.5mm wide) with 7mm (O gauge) models

On - 30     uses HO track (same width as OO) with American O scale (1/ 48) models
                 This is probably the most widespread O gauge used, the models are to US
                O scale 1/48 and therefore slightly smaller that the UK  O - 16.5 (1 to 45)

SM - 32     uses O gauge tracks (32mm wide) with 16mm models

There are others, but the above covers most of what we are likely to see in "Railway Modelling" 

You should slide 0n30 in there Jeff.

Job done, Bob. That was a bit of a tester :exclam:exclam Hope I've got it right. thumbs 

Great start there Jeff

For a bit more information on 00-9 for members to grasp it.

If your existing layout is 00 or 4mm if you decided you wanted to add a same scale narrow gauge section to your layout you would use 00-9 as the locomotives are the same as 00 or 4mm scale size as its narrow gauge you use the 00-9 track which is 9 mm across which is the same size as N gauge track.

The 00-9 means 00 engines and rolling stock on 9 mm wide track 00-9

Ho-e is the continental or american equivalant Ho engines and rolling stock on 9mm track but i dont know what the e means:oops::oops:

cheers Brian

HOn30 is used for american outline
HOe is European outline

mikey

Some more info
http://www.nmra.org/standards/sandrp/S-1_2StandardScale.html

That just about covers all of them Sol.

thanks guys, a bit clearer now:thumbs

You know you learn so much on here, brilliant, thanks guys.

Phill

I am not sure if this is the right thread for this (if not perhaps a mod would be kind enough  to move it)

A friend who does not have internet access is considering building a small industrial layout that will have one or more narrowgauge feeders. He does not want to build the track but rather buy readymade and as most of it will be inset and buried the sleeper spacing being wrong shouldnt be a problem.

He has asked me which narrowgauges are represented in 4mm by the smaller gauge trackwork .

My answers so far are:

Standard TT (3mm) - 12mm gauge - equates to 3 foot gauge

Finescale TT (3mm) - 14.2mm gauge - equates to Metre Gauge

N - 9mm gauge - equates to 2 foot 3 inch gauge

Z - 5mm (?) gauge - equates to 15 inch gauge

T - 3mm(?) gauge - equates (as near as ) to 10 1/4 inch gauge

Not having had any experience of Z or the new T scale I am unsure of these two , can anyone advise ?

Richard

For 4mm narrow gauge it is 009 for british stuff track gauge same as N gauge

its Hoe for continental as i believe the US is the same

You can buy 009 track over the counter Peco make it they do flexitrack and points for it there are now 2 types the original is called a nickname crazy track as it has wonky sleepers and the new one has perfect sleepers

Yes thanks for that which I do understand however the question that I was trying to answer and probably didnt put over very well was which actual  prototype narrow gauges were represented by the different smaller scales .

Narrow gauge covers a multitude of different rail widths . For example Isle of Man Railway is 3ft gauge , Romney Hythe and Dymchurch is 15 inch gauge , Fairborne Railway is 12 inch gauge , Dinorwic Quarries  were 1 foot 11 1/2 inch gauge but all are known as Narrow Gauge Railways ie less than 4ft 8 1/2 inches . Mind you if Brunel had had his  way with Broad Gauge even that would have been known as Narrow.

Richard

Well i know T gauge is 3mm track width

and Z is 6.5mm you will need to get the calculator out to see which ones come nearest to the varying narrow gauge widths mind you as with many things a compromise is probably needed.

Mind you i must say having dealt with 009 itself i really wouldnt fancy Z or even consider the T myself i dont think my eyes could even condsider the T

cheers Brian

Thanks Brian it was the 3mm width of T gauge and 6.5mm of Z that I wasnt sure about .

I totally agree with you  - I would struggle to even see T gauge let alone work in it.

I built some models a few years back that were 10mm scale running on Gauge 0 track.  The idea being that 32mm gauge wasn't a million miles from 30mm - hence the 10mm scale stock running on approximately 3ft gauge.

The loco I built was a Tralee and Dingle Kerr Stuart - later ran on th Cavan and Leitrim.  I also did one of the bogie coaches.

However, ref your listing Jeff ……………… 10mm on 0 gauge …………………….. haven't a clue!!!

Talking of which ……………. following is OFF TOPIC, sorry ………………… the other morning on the car radio they were talking about good crossword clues.  One mentioned was "simply": 1, 6, 1, 4 - cracker!!

Apologies about the diversion - back to the more obscure scale/gauge combinations

Best

Adrian

Narrow gauge is a great way to get alot of train into a small layout but without having to resort to a tiny scale…..

The below is OO9 on a footprint of just 3ft x 2ft! The gravel works is an H0 Walthers Cornerstone kit (Glacier Gravel) and the wooden building on the left an Amercian Model Builders lazer-cut mill kit. Alot of fun can be had adapting stock too - the loco is a modified Bachmann Zillertal Bahn loco.

If you are in to GWR broad gauge any thing under 7 foot and a quarter is narrow gauge!

 

David

What a smashing pic.

This loco is for HOm (metre gauge represented in HO scale) from the Bernese Oberland Bahn (BOB) in Switzerland. The model, an HGe 3/3, is hand built brass made by the Swiss firm HRF. The loco measures only about 7cms long and has working rack gears for scale HOm Riggenbach rack. It has directional lights and the most delicately fine working pantograph. It is a superb model with slow and smooth flywheel drive. The HRF range is very hard to find with only a handful of shops in Europe selling these very limited run models.

A very fine model, maybe a bit strange to British eyes. I hate to think how much such engineering costs though.