I just returned from a honeymoon in England. While wandering around the town of Stratford-on-Avon, I saw a hobby shop so we wandered in. I had seen a British Pendolino train set in the window and thought it would be novel to have one. Unfortunately, there weren't any sets in Nscale. But there were some steam locomotives on display that said "N scale 1:148" I tried to ask the guy inside about it, but he was rather abrupt with"1:148 is N scale," and then he went outside to chat with a friend. So I put it to you here: have you ever seen this before? As an aside, there was also stuff in OO scale. And a rack of Woodland Scenics stuff.
I believe it is N scale. The 1:148 is what they call it in Europe, and is the same as the USA's 1:60 scale. I think theirs is more correct though, because it was actually originated in Europe (Germany to be exact). The 1:160 is our version of it, and turned out that way something to do with the metric/US standard measuring system conversion. They are both 9mm scale. N comes from the German word "Neun" which is the number "9" in German. This is not confirmed as accurate, but as I have read somewhere.
The guy in the shop was technically correct as far as the British are concerned. The reason for 1:148 scale is that british trains are considerably smaller than most other standard gauge prototypes and in the early years of N scale 1:148 was adopted in the U.K. to fit the larger motors then in use. They still run on N gauge track. The same reasoning lies behind OO scale which is 1:76 but runs on 1:87 HO track. A similar situation exists in Japan where N scale uses 1:150 scale to more closely represent the prototypes 42 inch gauge on normal N gauge track, except for models of standard gauge bullet trains which are 1:160.
Yes it is N scale because there is no standard N scale. In actuality it is N gauge not N scale. The "N" represents the number NINE which is the gauge of the track in millimeters. So something in 1:148 scale is N scale as long as it's gauge is 9mm. Similarly in other parts of the world the scale is 1:150 or 1:152 . Whatever the scale if it runs on 9mm track it is N gauge.
And then there is HOn30 in 1:87 which runs on N gauge track. It is used to model things like the Maine 2 foot gauge. It also has gone under other names like HOn2½ and HOe.
British N scale What is interesting about British N scale is that while most of the manufacturers used 1:148 as the scale for everything but the track gauge, MiniTrix, imported to the UK by Hornby, used 1:160, the same as it used for Continental European and North American models. One that is really off scale is the Atlas/MicroAce Mogul. It is a 1:130 reproduction of the two Porter Moguls exported to Japan in the 1870's! BTW, since the British "loading gauge" is so small (about the same as US 3 ft. guage), the 1:148 UK equipment still looks small compared to US prototype 1:160 equipment. :cat:
As said above, N is the guage, 9mm. Any scale rolling stock that can be guaged to it can run on it. That said, 4' 81/2" standard guage 1:1 track resolves to around 8.96mm at 1/160 scale, so 9mm track IS 1/160 scale of standard guage-more or less. It can get messy, as in Westfalen's example, with 3-4 scales running on the same guage subbing for standard guage (narrow guages, as in Russ' example are another thing.) The Brits at least use the OO, or sometimes OO/HO symbol to show 1/76 scale running on HO (1/87)track, the muddy it up by some running a "finescale" OO on "scale" track. O guage trains are 1/43 in Europe, 1/48 here. G guage can be 1/24, 1/22.5, and at least a couple of other scales, I think. Confusing enough to send me back tomodeling 1/48 scale airplanes!
HOe is the European reference. Although a few still use N, HOn30 now has it's own track available, with HO NG ties. Boxcab E50
Just out of curiousity, I computed the scale distance for track spacing for N scale: 1:160 4' 8+13/16" 1:150 4' 5+1/8" 1:148 4' 4+7/16" For HOn30: 30+13/16" (1:87) So none of the scales have an exact track spacing for 9mm (though 1:160 is really close). I think this shows how silly some of the rivit counting can be. Our miniature worlds are filled with compromises. Eric
I agree. I like "realism" but not necisarily "prototypical". I like things to look as though it "could" have been, or run that way. Sometimes I think the "rivit counting" can be kinda silly myself. I mean, at the scale we model, would you even be able to SEE a rivit? lol.. That said, I have a friend that is a rivit counter, and rags on me when I paint a passenger car and even though it is the right color, it may be a shade off. I pointed at one of the rivits on his and compared it to the hand of one of his figures. If I done the math, and wanted to get nit picky, the rivits on his cars would be in excess of 3" in diameter.. He got kinda irritated... hehheh
I wouldn't agree. N is a scale, or perhaps more accurately scaleS, since there are more than one. For example, I model N scale, 1:160. But my gauge is 6.5mm so the scale/gauge is called Nn3 1/2, or Nn3.5. In this case we are talking about 1:160 'N' scale models to 'n' for narrow gauge with a '3 1/2' foot - 3'6" track gauge. 6.5mm (Z scale) track scales to 3'4" - modellers also use it for 3' and metre gauge prototypes and call it 'Nn3' or 'Nm'. But irrespective of my gauge, I'm still an N SCALE modeller. I buy and convert N scale kits for locos and wagons which operated on narrow gauge. The rest of my stuff I scratchbuild using an N SCALE rule. Cheers Ben Ben
I've heard there's a difference in terminology between US and UK modellers. US modellers use the letters for scales, UK modellers for gauges.
I don't know how big a model has to be that you actually see the difference between those scales. I use Tomix cars and trucks which are 1:150 and I cannot tell the difference. Even looking at cars in the real world, hardly two models are the same length or hight.
QUOTE Thirdrail One that is really off scale is the Atlas/MicroAce Mogul. It is a 1:130 reproduction of the two Porter Moguls exported to Japan in the 1870's But realize that Atlas isn't marketing it as a model of the Benkei or the other two Porters built to 3'-6" gauge for Japan. I've seen the Benkei in Tokyo and it is a really tiny machine. Porter built the same design to many sizes... the 3'-0" machines built for the US may have actually been bigger than the Japanese ones; the standard gauge ones were definitely larger....but the same proportion. I'd say the Micro-Ace Porter Mogul, as imported by Atlas, works out really well for a US Standard gauge machine.... I'm glad it is 1/130.... if it were true 1/160 of the Benkei it would be dwarfed by the Con-Cor RGS "Goose".... it is plenty small as it is!!! Charlie Vlk
Interesting, I thought the Atlas Mogul was 1:150. As it is it looks tiny pulling Overland cars. The Overtons look pretty good behind it though.
Eric, not to split hairs or start a flame war here, but 9mm X 160=1440mm/25.4 (mm:inch)=56.693", or 4'8.693". FWIW, I agree they are all close enough as not to look odd for any of those scales running on that gaugeand that anybody who takes a set of calipers to your track and rolling stock to compare scales is silly and has way too much free time-but standard gauge track reduced to 9mm is much closer to 1:160 than any of the other scales running on N track!
Eric not to split hairs or start a flame war here, but 9mmX160=1440mm/25.4mm:inch=56.693"=4'8.693". How'd you get 4'10 13/16"?
I apologize for the double post-I did the first one at work, but couldn't see it after I posted, for some reason, even after refresh, closing my internet connection and re-logging in, or using a different computer! After doing the second one, I saw it, meaning the 2nd, but still not the orignial. Assumed it didn't go for some reason! from home I see them both-? So-I wasn't trying to badger you about the math, Eric, with 2 posts, just curious if you saw something I didn't.
