N scale is a popular model railway scale. Depending upon the manufacturer (or country), the scale ranges from 1:148 to 1:160. In all cases, the gauge (the distance between the rails) is 9 mm or 0.354 in.
The term N gauge refers to the track dimensions, but in the UK in particular N gauge refers to a 1:148 scale with 1:160 (9 mm or 0.354 in) track gauge modelling. The terms N scale and N gauge are often inaccurately used interchangeably, as scale is defined as ratio or proportion of the model, and gauge only as a distance between rails. To keep materiel exchange simple, the scale 1:148 defines the rail to rail gauge equal to 9mm or 0.354" exactly (at the cost of scale exactness). So when calculating the rail and/or track use 1:148 and for engines and car wheel base use 1:160.
All rails are spaced at 9mm but are different in height. Height is a measurement of schedule; i.e. schedule 55 is 60 mil rail height and the ties are brown while schedule 80 the rails are 80 mils and the ties are black. Real railroad rails are a min of 6" tall and can be taller, wider on some roads. So in scale the rails should be about 40mils high to be accurate. Older N scale cars and Locos will not work on Schedule 55 because the flanges on the wheels are too big. Presumably all currently made cars and Locos have shorter flanges and will work on schedule 55 and up.
An advantage of N scale is that it allows hobbyists to build layouts that take up less space than HO scale, or put longer track runs into the same amount of space, because the models are smaller (by nearly a half) than they are in HO scale (1:87). While N scale is quite small, it is not the smallest commercially available scale, as Z scale is smaller yet at 1:220 and T scale is 1:450 or 1:480. N scale is considered generally compatible with 1:144 scale for miniature wargaming.
The term N gauge refers to the track dimensions, but in the UK in particular N gauge refers to a 1:148 scale with 1:160 (9 mm or 0.354 in) track gauge modelling. The terms N scale and N gauge are often inaccurately used interchangeably, as scale is defined as ratio or proportion of the model, and gauge only as a distance between rails. To keep materiel exchange simple, the scale 1:148 defines the rail to rail gauge equal to 9mm or 0.354" exactly (at the cost of scale exactness). So when calculating the rail and/or track use 1:148 and for engines and car wheel base use 1:160.
All rails are spaced at 9mm but are different in height. Height is a measurement of schedule; i.e. schedule 55 is 60 mil rail height and the ties are brown while schedule 80 the rails are 80 mils and the ties are black. Real railroad rails are a min of 6" tall and can be taller, wider on some roads. So in scale the rails should be about 40mils high to be accurate. Older N scale cars and Locos will not work on Schedule 55 because the flanges on the wheels are too big. Presumably all currently made cars and Locos have shorter flanges and will work on schedule 55 and up.
An advantage of N scale is that it allows hobbyists to build layouts that take up less space than HO scale, or put longer track runs into the same amount of space, because the models are smaller (by nearly a half) than they are in HO scale (1:87). While N scale is quite small, it is not the smallest commercially available scale, as Z scale is smaller yet at 1:220 and T scale is 1:450 or 1:480. N scale is considered generally compatible with 1:144 scale for miniature wargaming.
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