..Hi all, nice to be with you today as I sit in 80-ish Deg. (AC is on), Kodachrome, sunny evening Los Angeles, in what has to be the most gear-fab coffee shop en todos de el ciudad (You'd hav 2 BE here 2 know wha dat mean) !!....... ..My question today is: What, with all the 5 decades I've been in this wonderfully addictive hobby, I'm ashamed today to ask: In England they call their scale-size, '00'. And of course we all know what we be always callin' our scale, here in da great USofA, uh, dat bein' 'HO',, gauge-wise ! Is this the only difference ? That is, other than these continentally assigned logos (if you will) we're both the same 87:1 ratio in each and every aspect. Agreed ? (skip the 87.1 more exacting measurement)...Thanks..M Disclaimer: This question does not take in the various different types, shapes of RR equipment, IE. Whether they be those Flying Dutchman looking locos, or if they are 4 wheel wagons' or newer-era bogies there, and trucks here. Another way to put it: All the Human scale-figures we see would stand the same height, weight, age and breadth, whether it be Manchester or Manhattan, Provo Utah or Liverpool, period ! Do pease now hit the 'I agree' button if I pretty much, or totally nailed it....Whaad he tawin about !!?... .Hit the what! !!.!..1...!....!.....!......!.......!........!,,,,,,,,!,,,,,,,!,,,,,!,,,,!...!..!.! ! ! ! !??? < forced perspective..!
In actuality OO is slightly larger at 1:76.2. The references I've seen show it having started as 4mm scale, or 4mm to the foot. HO, as I recall, started as Half O.
00 uses H0 tracks - only very few prototype modellers using the exact gauge. You can use H0-tracks for 00 trains - 00 tracks for H0-trains - no problem. Like Hornby, Peco, Shinohare, Trix, Fleischmann, Walthers and so on.
English prototypes are smaller than the continental-european ones. The electric motors used in early H0 scale engines didn´t fit in Half-0 = 1:87 H0-scale engines. Therefore 1:76. Therefore German manufacturers like Maerklin, Trix and Fleischmann etc. did early locomotives in nearly 1:76 scale also. 1:76 scale - there are a lot of modelcars available from Oxford and other manufacturers. 1:72 - the scale of many plastic-model-kits matches the 00 scale quite well. In this little video You can see 1:72 scale planes with 1:76 scale cars and coaches in the background.
By the way Figures, rolling stock and cars in H0 and 00 can not be mixed - dont looks good. To much difference in the dimensions.
WOW, I was so sure you you'd all say 00 and HO are exactly the same !! All these years I'd been thinking it was just a logo difference !! But now I see it's a loco difference !...All seriousness aside, I guess then that since English track is the same gauge as American, but their equipment is at 1:76.2 scale they're actually running on slightly narrower than 1:1 scale's standard gauge of 4'8.5" ...which England, US, (France, Germany, Italy and most European countries, as well as Japan and China) do have in common. No? I think India and Scotland are 5' gauge. One final thing I have a theory about: Why is it 4'8.5" standard gauge ? Why the extra .5" ? All the rolling stock and engines across the country were already out there running on 4.8" gauge. But they found the flanges were simply too close to the railhead eventually causing friction and damage, especially on curves. it was decided it'd be easier to widen the gauge than shorten each and every car's wheel gauge, already in use..Does that sound right ?
Nope. Sorry. Standard gauge has been 56.5" since 1829. The U.S. went with it because in the 1830s, a fair proportion of equipment was imported from Britain. The same can be said of many nations worldwide, as Britain continued to export things long after the U.S. industry developed into a world-class operation. As for where that dimension came from, I've seen speculation that someone measured ancient chariot tracks dating back to the Roman Empire days, and that's how wide they were. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine, or that of the world's foremost railroad historians for that matter. No one seems to be able to prove anything. And the edit option expires on this forum. After that, you get as set in stone as those ancient Roman chariot tracks.
I believe the "edit" link remains for about an hour. After that, the Powers That Be figure you should create a new post, because no one is gonna look at an edit to a post that old anyway..
http://twhk.de/spurweiten/modell.htm A page with some 100 different modelrailroad scales and gauges Only in german - but ..... Maßstab = scale Bezeichnung = designation Spurweite 0 gauge Normalspur = Schmalspur = narrow gauge Industriebahn = industrial railroad
...Why on earth would anyone add a half an inch to any gauge from day one ? I've brought this up with guys in club meets as well as online. Allot of them agree about adding the .5" added later. I've also heard that in long straightaways/tangents, the gauge is actually pulled in (.5"?) so as to prevent the wheels/trucks from 'searching', maintaining a less rocky ride on passenger trains..I never searched this to confirm it. That one I have little belief in, though.
From what I understand, back in the early 1800s engineering (as in design) was very seat of the pants. Not much mathematical calculation going on, just trial and error. I think I read that it was easier to add an extra 1/2 inch between the rails than to regauge all the locomotives and rolling stock to 1/2 in less. It seemed to work better on the curves so they left it.
Why? Why do humans do anything? Why would they invent the most efficient means of transportation ever conceived by the minds if men, then look to Roman chariots for any part of it? If you worry yourself about why humans do the self-defeating things humans do, you'll have bleeding ulcers within three more election cycles.
