Model Scales and Model Gauges

Although the starting focus of Forge Model Works has been on 7mm Narrow Gauge models it's exciting that we are able to adapt our products to most scale and gauge combinations.  When we create specific models for clients then of course we are able to design and make pretty much any scale and gauge combination from scratch. 

A personal experience of real-life railways (see Heritage) at an early age included the Talyllyn Railway (gauge 2’3”), the Ffestiniog Railway (gauge 1’11-1/2” ) and of course Standard Gauge (4’8-1/2”).  The latter seen particularly in the declining railways of west Wales and the Forest of Dean.  In written form, my copy of that wonderful book “Model Railways” by Henry Greenly, amazingly published over 100 years ago in 1924 included this Table of Standard Scales and Gauges. 

This shows the beginning of the rationalisation of model scale and gauge combinations which were at that time constrained by the technology, materials and power sources of the day. The Double O Gauge Association has an excellent history of this formative period in the development model of railway scales and gauges.

Model railways have crystalised into specific combinations of scale and gauge largely due commercial production necessarily needing to stick to certain mainstream parameters.   On the other hand, those modellers who scratch-build their own track and rolling stock have great freedom to model exactly what suits their prototype, budget or space constraints.

There is of course the question of accuracy, whether you are happy to have a track gauge that is close to the scale size or whether you need it to be an exact scale representation of a prototype, an issue that has given rise to several variations of gauge within a particular scale.  This is seen especially in 4mm scale where the standard gauge of 4’8-1/2” can be interpreted as 16.5mm in OO, 18.2mm in EM and (precisely correct) as18.83mm in P4.

The position modellers are in now is an interesting one; in the beginning with Henry Greenly, scale and gauge were constrained by the available technology. Now technology is bringing complete flexibility into the hands of modellers. This is through Computer Aided Design, where the smallest details can be created in a virtual model which in turn can be used to seamlessly drive production processes.  Of particular interest to modellers are 3D printing, laser cutting and computer controlled machining.  All of these processes take the design data from the virtual model and create highly accurate and detailed 2D and 3D physical models.  This means that if you don’t want to work with fixed proprietary scale/gauge combinations your options are wide open.  It’s an exciting time to be a modeller!