Hobbies And Interests
Standard Scales
Modern electric model trains are carefully scaled, making them nearly exact replicas of full-size locomotives. Their designers emphasize scale accuracy, fine detailing and precise color and graphic matches to the real locomotives.
The models are built to a variety of reasonably well-defined standard scales. Gauge 1 is the largest, scaled at 1-to-32. A 6-foot tall man would stand 60mm tall in Gauge 1. The next smallest is O Gauge at 1-to-48 scale, in which a 6-foot-tall man would be 42mm tall. Smaller still is HO Scale at 1-to-87 scale; the man is only 21mm tall in this scale. N Scale is a tiny 1-to-160, making the man just 12mm tall. The smallest scale is Z scale at 1-to-220. In Z scale, a 6-foot man would stand 8.4mm tall.
Scale and Gauge
While the words "scale" and "gauge" are sometimes used interchangeably, an important difference exists between the two terms. "Scale" refers to the ratio the model bears to its real-life subject. "Gauge" is the distance between the two rails of a railroad track.
Most of the rail in the United States has a 4 foot 8 1/2-inch gauge. Mining camps and lumber operators once used 3-foot gauge track, which is called narrow gauge.
A variety of different scale models can be run on the same gauge track. For example, a standard gauge diesel modeled in Gauge 1 is 1-to-32 scale. A small narrow gauge Shay logging locomotive, however, can run on the same track but is modeled in 1-to-22.5 scale.
Operation
Regardless of scale and gauge, model electric trains all run on the same principle: A transformer, plugged into a wall electrical outlet, sends a positive charge down one rail of the track. The positive charge is picked up by the metal wheels of the locomotive and used to turn the electric motor inside and returned to the transformer down the other rail.
Digital command and control (DCC) systems allow the user to operate a wide number of locomotives independently on the same stretch of track. DCC-equipped locomotives often include realistic motion-dependent sounds such as air brakes, throttle ups and downs, and horns and whistles.
Selection
If you are thinking about getting into model railroading as a hobby, you have two major considerations: space and budget.
Gauge 1 model railroad layouts are usually so large that they are built outdoors in a garden. Z scale railroads are so small that they can fit comfortably in a suitcase. By coincidence, locomotives for Gauge 1 and Z scale happen to be the very most expensive.
HO Scale offers a combination of lower price and compact size; a layout can be built in a 4-by-8 foot space. Starter sets can be purchased for as little as $100 (in early 2011).