A table of model railway scales.

ray_whiley

Active member
1 Gauge Scale 1:32 Trainz baseboard equivalent 22.5 x 22.5 metres 90 x 90 feet feet

0 Gauge Scale 1:42.6 Trainz Baseboard equivalent 15.125 x 15.125 metres 49.5 x 49.5 feet

S Gauge Scale 1:64 Trainz Baseboard equivalent 11.25 x 11.25 metres 36.75 x 36.75 feet

P4 Gauge Scale 1:78.2 Trainz Baseboard size 9.2 x 9.2 metres 30 x 30 feet

00 Gauge Scale 1:76 Trainz Baseboard size 9.47 x 9.47 metres 31 x 31 feet

HO Gauge Scale 1:87 Trainz Baseboard size 8.25 x8.25 metres 27 x 27 feet

TT Gauge Scale 1:120 Trainz Baseboard size 6 x 6 metres 19.62 x 19.62 feet

2mm Scale Scale 1:152.4 Trainz Baseboard size 9.7 x 9.7 metres 19.6 x 19.6 feet

N Gauge Scale 1:160 Trainz Baseboard size 4.5 x 4.5 m 14.7 x 14.7 feet

N Gauge UK Scale 1:148 Trainz Baseboard size 4.86 x 4.86m 15.8 x 15.8 feet

Z Gauge Scale 1:220 Trainz Baseboard size 3.27 x 3.27 m 10.7 x 10.7 feet

Garden Scale 1:22 Trainz Baseboard sizs 32.7m x 32.7m 107 x 107 feet

E&OE

My approximate working equivalents for a 10m baseboard square:

1 Gauge 0.3m 1'

0 Gauge 0.23m 9"

S Gauge 0.15m 6"

P4 Gauge 0.127m 5"

00 Gauge 0.13m 5"

HO Gauge 0.114m 4.5"

TT Gauge 0.08m 5.25"

2mm Scale 0.065m 2.5"

N Gauge 0.0625m 2.5"

N UK 0.22m 2.5"

Z Gauge 0.015m 1.75"

I remember someone once made live steam models to 1:240 scale, but this is not in common use!

Again, E&OE and note the word approximate - anyone who wishes can use exact equivalents but these, to me, are OK for making over-scale artefacts to set the scene and such artefacts can vary in size anyway.

Ray
 
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Trainz only works in one scale 1:1. To make life easy for those who convert model layouts the ruler can be set to the scale of the model. The ruler measurements are then shown as the exact size of the model so no conversion is needed.
 
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It is my understanding that only the Trainz Ruler changes, and sizes of track, railcars, and locos, remain unchanged over that of "Full Scale".

Absolutely correct and I have never suggested otherwise. A Trainz baseboard covers an area 720 x 720 metres in the real world and all models for it are made to prototype dimensions - or should be. It can be called any scale the creator chooses - what changes is one's perception of it.

Those who create virtual model railway layouts in a chosen scale do so by creating an illusion. In other words, as the size of anything in Trainz can't be changed, things are made to look smaller by positioning in the same area (room) artefacts which are larger or smaller than normal - for examble in 00, 1:76 scale, a table measuring 48 x 30 inches would be made measuring (48 x 76) x (30 x 76)
inches - or, as I do, made the "real world" size then increased by 7600%. Only a few everyday artefacts like this are needed to create the illusion.

The important number in my table is the equivalent in a given scale of a Trainz 10m baseboard square. To make my simulations as realistic as possible, I insist on having every track within reach - to deal with derailmants or give the odd poke with a finger. In 00, 1:76 scale, one inch in the real world is represented by 2m in Trainz, hence arm's reach of 2' 6" is 60m or 6 10m baseboard squarea. In N where the equivalent is 4m Trainz to 1" in the real world, the reach is thus 120m or 12 10m squares. Consequently one can have a wider baseboard for the same arm's length, hence more tracks or scenery. Nothing has changed, except the amount of space available - the models all remain the same size. It also follows that the larger the scale, the less the width of baseboard.

I hope this makes sense - it does to me - and it can easy be tried by using different scales in Trainz on the same layout or route.

Ray
 
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Oops. Operators at Lynborough station would be really cursing me then since it's 14 10mm squares away from the baseboard edge. But then I had sort of guessed it was too far away. My big mistake was building the town before I had it clear in my mind that I was going to build a model railway layout. Lesson learned and I won't do that again.
 
Ray, you missed out the Japanese

T Gauge Scale 1:480 (3mm gauge) Trainz Baseboard size 1.5 x 1.5metres 4.9 x 4.9 feet
 
Oops. Operators at Lynborough station would be really cursing me then since it's 14 10mm squares away from the baseboard edge. But then I had sort of guessed it was too far away. My big mistake was building the town before I had it clear in my mind that I was going to build a model railway layout. Lesson learned and I won't do that again.

Annie, someone recently said something like "It's my layout and I can do what I like!" Now, who was that?

I was talking about my rules for myself and I would not expect anyone else to follow them. I'm really enjoying following Lynborough as you make progress. Who would have thought when it began as a "real world" layout almost 60 years ago?

Ray
 
Um...... yes it was me who said that Ray. But in future I am going to make sure that the things that would need to be accessed by virtual person operating the layout are actually in reach. 'Lynborough' made its own rules in a sense since I realised that if I tried to modify it to have the main station within arm's reach it wouldn't really be Lynborough anymore.
 
Now that's a thought Ray. I'll have a look at that and see what I can come up with. Afterall I've already got a theoretical lift-out bridge across the doorway access so another of the species is quite plausible.
 
I think on a "real world" layout they are often concealed by hedges - but I never had enough space to need such a concealed access point!

Ray
 
Absolutely correct and I have never suggested otherwise. A Trainz baseboard covers an area 720 x 720 metres in the real world and all models for it are made to prototype dimensions - or should be. It can be called any scale the creator chooses - what changes is one's perception of it.

Those who create virtual model railway layouts in a chosen scale do so by creating an illusion.

Ray

That's interesting. I've read articles and seen HO layouts where "N" scale items (ie: house's) are used in the back to give the illusion of more distance. But when I see this in use my first thought is "I wonder if they know that's an N scale house and not HO". The "illusion" just doesn't work for me. I have not noticed "different scales" (size) on ANY Trainz Route, but perhaps I haven't come across this. Wondering if you could possibly provide the name of a Route on DLS/CM that uses this technique? Thanks.
 
It's not something I've done and not something I've ever come across in Trainz, but it's an idea probably worth trying. Perhaps others will comment. I usually use backscenes to create the illusion of distance, and have made quite a few from my own photographs. Others have made them from a screenshot collection of a collection of models.

Ray
 
That's interesting. I've read articles and seen HO layouts where "N" scale items (ie: house's) are used in the back to give the illusion of more distance. But when I see this in use my first thought is "I wonder if they know that's an N scale house and not HO". The "illusion" just doesn't work for me. I have not noticed "different scales" (size) on ANY Trainz Route, but perhaps I haven't come across this. Wondering if you could possibly provide the name of a Route on DLS/CM that uses this technique? Thanks.

I've not seen it used on a Trainz route, but I have seen forced perspective techniques used on real world layouts (RWLs) where handmade buildings are carefully reduced in scale over their length and fitted together carefully to create an illusion of distance. This method is very effective in town areas where space is restricted and streets disappearing towards a backscene can be made to look several times longer than they actually are.
 
@ ray_whiley & kotangagirl :
... carefully concealed theoretical lift-out section for access ...
lift-up-access.jpg
 
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