Question of the Week

Model railroading has been around for over 100 years.  Can you answer these questions about model trains?

What is the difference between the scale and the gauge?

Which scales are the most popular?

See model trains in action this weekend, November 26-28, at the Model Railroad Show at the Science Museum of Virginia.



Answer:  A model railroad's scale is the model's measurement as a proportion of the original.  The gauge is the measurement between the rails of the track.

The most popular scales and their proportion are:

• G - 1:24
• O - 1:48
• HO - 1:87 (most popular scale)
• N - 1:160 (second most popular scale)
• Z - 1:220