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Scales and Gauges Part 14 - HO Scale
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- Опубликовано: 23 янв 2023
- In the 1950s HO scale emerged as the most popular model railroad scale. By far! In fact, it launched fine-scale model railroading as an affordable, fun, realistic hobby.
HO scale is one-half the size of O scale model railroad models. These smaller and much more realistic model trains were also much more affordable. And coming at a time when plastic modeling was becoming a national pastime, HO scale was soon more popular than all others scales and gauges combined.
Great video, just a few corrections: Bings table top was available from the outset in both clockwork and electric.
Bing didn't actually become trix, bing went bankrupt in the early thirties, New management was forming trix but in the early thirties the Bings were ousted being of Jewish decent, Stefan Bing being sponsored by the legendary W J B-L, hence British Trix, whilst trix express in Germany marketed for their home market.
I'm curious you didn't mention Trix H0 which proceeded Marklin?
Also the British 00 scale came about due to axlebox widths, not the motors.
US 00 was actually on par with US H0 in popularity for a time, US 00 of course running on 19mm track.
The issue with AC and DC for some time was of course the lack of decent reliable anisotropic magnets, which the Japanese had made great strides with in WWII, and of course became readily available afterwards.
Also remember that most early trains were of course run by either dry cell or wet batteries i.e DC. All motors being wound with a field so they'd run on either AC or DC since the early 1880's.
An example is the 1882 Planck which used a bobbin induction motor so no poles, no fields, (unfortunately no self starting either!) But ran on wet batteries (DC).
Just having a quick squizz at the 1886 radiguet monorail and that's using the good old safe as houses for a toy sulphuric acid glass jars. Bit of an advance though: has a field and poles...
Excellent viewing, really enjoying your channel :)
Thanks! Oh those early days. Did you know the Egyptians had wet batteries? No idea what they used them for. But they have found them. 3,000 years old? Not sure. I’m betting they ran toy trains. Okay not… quack medicine? Perhaps. Or just experimentation. Probably. Bing is such a great history. A bit later than Egyptian science but more interesting. I’m betting that running trains on batteries took much of the fun out of it. Perhaps not. I dislike live steam because I had a steam boat model. I’d spend two hours getting ready to run. Getting the alcohol fuel, going to the park.. after arriving I’d spend about an hour firing and getting up to pressure. Then run the boat for about 10 minutes. Anyway I like building much more than running so it’s sort of moot.
@@ToyManTelevision the Egyptians appear likely to have used their batteries for electroplating. Very conjectural, but quite within the realm of probability.
I know what you mean by small gauge live steam: its cantankerous at best. That's something I feel that modern day eyes overlook when it came to early layout design. We think they weren't aware of realistic track design, however it had just as much to do with model control as anything else. Both live steam and clockwork generally demanded straight forward running with very limited loco control, and layout design reflected this. Even with electricity it was still very much on or off control. The advent of dry cell batteries and rheostat helped an awful lot, by dry cells then were expensive, so owners tended and understandably wanted to get as much run time in as they could.
This is a great conversation :)
Nice to hear about John Allen, who in my opinion was an artist/genius. He invented a world that we all loved.
After starting in 1970 I am still with HO. The Gorre & Daphetid was a master layout made by a master modeler, maybe the best ever. With Marklin the motor size was a problem with the analogue steam locos, the motor hung out the back of the cabs, and they never used tender drive as that space was used for the reversing unit. They were 16v A.C with a 24v pulse to reverse (electromechanical). In 1983 Marklin introduced Delta digital and continued until the superior MFX was developed. This uses 18v A.C square wave and the motors use A.C (so no need to rectify like other DCC systems). You can run digital locos with analogue controllers and vice versa, just with reduced functions. Z scale from 1972 and 1gauge are both D.C
You mentioned that building plastic models was the number one hobby of the 50's and 60's. I spent many hours with my tube of glue and them my Plastic paints. The problem was, I did not realize I was supposed to enjoy the head ache I got from the fumes.
Like… wow.
My father was into RC Planes, I remember his transmitter was like 18 X 18 X 24" with a 24 foot antenna and had to keep an eye to the sky so he didn't get hit from an Electrical Storm.
Tom and I were also doing the model airplanes in a kit that was of Balsa Wood and silk. We also did model cars but like the young fools we would take firecrackers and put them into our models and blow them up.
I bought the Aoura CVA 65 Enterprise and took it to the Lagoon and sailed it and it was fun but built another Aircraft Carrier and put M 80s and firecrackers on it.
I also did the Aoura Submarine and it was Awesome. At the Lagoon it would sail and even dive. One time I captured about 6 fishing lines and had a bunch of fisherman p o at me. Boy, I wish I hadn't done all the destruction but the memories come back watching your channel. Sorry if I bored anyone.
Best of times!!!!! ❤
Never boring, always informing!
Thanks
Well about 50 years ago Santa's Ho ho ho ment HO trains for this kid and that engine and cabosse still sit on top of my fridge and that TYCO F 3 still runs... Thanks for the video...
😊Ho. Classic great scale.
Never ever boring. I enjoy your stories. Tell Karyn when you get older you do run out of steam. Trust me I missed my nap this afternoon and I am dragging. Want to see the details on her caboose. Lookin good Billy Ray.
Billy Bob. I think. I’m forgetful. Anyway hi! Stay warm. Damnnnn it s cold outside.
@@ToyManTelevision To funny!
@@ToyManTelevision “Lookin Good Billy Ray” is a quote from the movie “Trading Places”. It is what Dan Ackroyd say to Eddie Murphy at the end of the movie after giving the Duke brothers a taste of their own medicine.
Yeah it cold here as well.
Hornby is as far as I know a company based in the UK. They bought the spanish company Electrotren, and the italian Rivarossi, the french Jouef...but they were and are from the UK.
Ho ....lots of fun Have a great day
All Marklin HO is AC. And the Marlin System has an amazing longevity. Locomotives, cars, track system, accessories all work together for the most part from the 1950's onward. The Z Scale Markin Mini-Club model strain system introduced in 1972 is DC... along with their 1 guage large trains.
THANK YOU!! I found information on Märklin being DC but no reference as to in which scale..
@@ToyManTelevision When you get to Z Scale in this series.... if you go that small! Feel free to reach out for research. I model in z scale and know a lot of the groups here in the US.
I have more ho than any of the other scales I model in. For the past 2 years I've been converting engines to dcc. Also running dc and dcs. The only oo set I have is a hornby Stevenson's Rocket. Your series on scales is very important from a modelers perspective. Thank you 😊👍!
I do love HO scale, it’s the perfect size for me, not too small, and not too big. It is unique how here in Utah for years it seemed like N scale was all you’d see at shows, but like I commented on the Thanksgiving Point show video, it was nice to see the new HO modular layout.
Thanks for sharing! Stay safe in this bad weather. Unless you’re in the only place where the weather is good. If so TELL US WHERE IT IS.
My brother and I would take the Christmas Tensile and lay it across our 027 track and see it glow and burn. Mom and dad found out and yelled at us to please stop before burning the house down. Tom and I were living on the 3rd floor and we had the run of the whole 3rd floor which was about 30 foot by 50 foot. We moved up there in 1962 to 1969 when I enlisted into USMC.
Dangerous fun!! But not boring. Thank you for joining up! When I see guys running around in combat gear with an AR I think… the recruitment office is just over there! If that’s what you want to do join up!!
I went to dogulas models at least once a month as a kid. i really miss that store. great memories and the best place to get blueboxs. still get them today.
Hi! These are brilliant explainer videos - thanks for making them :D By the way, Hornby is still in fact a British owned company (owned by Phoenix asset management based in London). However, Hornby also own several European model train brands, hence the possible confusion: Jouef (French), Lima (Italian), Electrotren (Spanish), Rivarossi (Italian), and Arnold (German) among others. Hope that helps!
I have some British outline 00, and they are brilliant models (can send photos if you’d like) - you can slightly tell they look a bit too big for the track gauge though, but I don’t mind. Some people in the UK do though, so they model 4mm fine scale, there’s also EM, and modify the track gauge to suit. A bit like Proto 48 but for a smaller British scale. That might be worth a video…
Interesting ❤
Loved my HO layout and the coal train is so accurate. Weight and all.
Dale, I'm always surprised at how much I learn from your videos.
HO is very hard to beat. It feels like home, maybe because it's what I grew up with.
Right on. And Nancy Sinatra. I always had her on when building my first layout. So it’s stuck.
One of the things I really like about this series is, the history involved. There is a ton, no 2 tons, of research involved here. By this time my head would have exploded researching this stuff.
Thanks for all of your diligence, for "your time" with an aching head. ;-)
A wealth of information in this video.
There is one thing about using OO scale locomotives on HO track. Some locomotives, especially the larger ones like Pacifics will only run on Code 100 track. They will derail on smaller code switches. Ask me how I know! My smaller OO locos, like 0-4-0 and 0-6-0, are more forgiving, and I haven't had trouble with rolling stock. At least some, maybe all, of the newest OO locomotives are designed to run on Code 70 and Code 100 switches and track. At least that is what the manufacturers told me. I am about to order a couple, so fingers crossed. Love your videos!
Hello from Kansas 🇺🇸
Hello for the Wasatch!
That is interesting and understandable why HO became so popular... you can put a lot in a "small" space.
Those are some very impressive layouts you shared with us. I find it fun to see how creative some of the people are with their layouts and what they put in them.
Some years back in one of the model railroad magazines they were showcasing one HO layout that had a small grass field airport that ran next to the track on a straight heading out of town. Sitting at the airport among the airplanes was a UFO... okay kinda cute, if looked back in town there were two green aliens coming out of the auto parts store with a bag in hand. There were other nuggets like that found in the photos of the layout. That's the fun and silliness you can have with building your own layout.
Classic 😅. I’ve always had silliness on my layout. But that is great
You are definitely still a very good teacher Dale. Thank you.
I appreciate that! My students would disagree. Well I’m hoping after all these years most have now gotten the point. The head fake. The best teacher I EVER worked with taught me the head fake. Randy Pausch. He made a great video. The last lecture where he explained the head fake. Like 100 million views. If you have an hour watch it. He was amazing.
@@ToyManTelevision thank you Dale 😊 I'll have to check it out. Your still an excellent communicator and Teacher like my Dad was.
Excellent show, you finally got to my gauge and scale. Yay.
Thanks. The great scale.
Thanks for another amazing video 😃
Thanks Guys , Mike
HI Mike!1 Thanks!!!
Even Santa Claus likes HO scale. Santa say, “HO, HO, HO.”
I remember the Atlas track with the fiber ties, I think they were thinner than when they switched to plastic (and had a more realistic matte finish). I also had that same AHM “4 Trackside Buildings” kit!
Yup! Much thinner. Not compatible with the plastic. Not good at all!
Thanks cleared up some questions.🙂
Hornby is headquartered in England, they now own Airfix Models and Humbrol Hobby Paints too. But they have been all over Europe in their travels to stay relevant, but I believe in the 1990's they made England their permanent home, then a few years later they purchased Humbrol, then in the early 2010's they bought Airfix from receivership (British term of Bankruptcy) and now all of which are now a major powerbase in the model industry.
Hornby trains has actually been in England for the last 103 years, with Frank Hornbys meccano business being there for the last 120 years. A few changes in ownership from the mid-sixties, with manufacturing being moved to differing countries, but they've always been headquartered in England.
Super!!! I know they have bought out several companies. Airfix is my favorite. I’ve loved Airfix for ever. So glad to see it thriving again. I’ve seen Hornby Spain.. I assume a manufacturing facility? Something like that?
Ps. Love humbrol paint.
@@ToyManTelevision hornby in the not too distant past had a bit of a buy up. Essentially there were too many manufacturers in Europe for the market: and theres been a few buy outs and amalgums, but for some it just wasn't enough. Hornby with whatever owners it had at the time had fairly deep pockets (a la General Mills and Lionel trains) and did a bit of a whip round. Some of it was to increase hornbys presence in certain markets, but like all buy outs, theres that grab it before a potential competitor (with even bigger pockets) gets it before you do. Hornby Spain is the old electrotren brand (not to be confused with Elletren, sold through Fulgurex), and still sold under that name, but under Hornby ownership.
Interesting you mention Airfix. Ralph Ertmers Airfix empire had a meteoric rise in the sixties, whereas Hornby dublo (which was still in the hands of the original Hornby family) was faltering badly, indeed on the brink of bankruptcy, triang was being successful, indeed they bought out Hornby Dublo, however the triang empire was not as sound as it appeared, being bankrupt only a few short years after the hornby buyout. It was essentially the scalextric which was of any value, the trains almost now a tradition.
Airfix was doing very well with the kits, however a short venture into the slot car boom was withdrawn as a total flop.
As I'm sure you're well aware, Lionel's foray into diversity wasn't nearly as successful as hoped.
From what I can reasonably deduce the whole model railway world was in a state of transformation in the sixties. The going from a wonderful mass production toy for the kids and adults, slowly transforming into the rather cold and sterile scale models mainly for adults that we see today.
Although we see the model trains of the sixties as being cheap etc, we must remember that spare spending power, especially for the younger buyers, was only just starting to emerge. And the traditional parent bought train was now starting to step aside for either kits or slotcars, but much moreso for Beatle and Rolling Stones albums, or motorbikes, muscle cars (Mr Shelby GT owner ;) or even dare I say it... fashion...
My comment is far too long! Sorry!
@@muir8009 hi. My memories are of everybody building plastic kits in the 50’s and sixties to about 1965. My father had a card table in the living room with a model being built after dinner every night. After finishing he would hand the project off to my brother and I and we would “play” with them. Sigh. But he rarely kept them. I have one left. In grade school they would hold model building contests. Every boy brought at least one. Often several. Then it stopped. Slot cars. Every boy had slot cars. And then nothing. No trains. No models. No slot cars. About 1968? In about 1975 I opened a hobby shop with a friend. HO trains. Plastic models. Neither sold well. Radio control aircraft payed the bills. But in time the military modelers showed up. And hard core HO train people. And I took a big chance. I bought Heller and Airfix. And Tamiya. And nichimo plastic models. The radio control still payed the bills. But the plastic models and trains were the fun. The joy in fact.
The story behind OO gauge that I heard was that motors would not fit into the bodies of models made to the British loading gauge which is smaller than just about anywhere else. The problem then is that with 16.5mm track your scale gauge is only 4' 1.5". So of course this is no good to the purist so P4 was developed running on 18.83mm track, exact scale 4' 8.5". It is not only exact gauge but also scale rail and wheel profiles are used meaning that all chassis need to be sprung or rolling stock jumps off the track. Also the side rods on steam locos need to be slightly over scale to be robust enough to be used thus adding to the width of the models. So yet another compromise was arrived at with EM Gauge with EM standing for 18mm. It is in fact 18.2mm giving a scale gauge of 4' 6.6" at 4mm to the foot but running to OO finescale standards thus not needing sprung chassis. The joys of 4mm modelling in the UK, that's why I steer well clear. I hope that this has been of interest to you.
It actually wasn't the motors that were the issue (fairly obviously Bing were using electric motors in their tiny locos since the twenties) but castings standards and aesthetics. 19mm gauge 00 was on par with H0 in popularity for a time on both sides of the Atlantic, 16.5mm H0 winning out in the end...
Great series about guage and scale. It has been very informative AND entertaining. But the more I learned, the less I know.
That’s how it works right? The more you learn the more questions you’ll have.
Ok y’all it’s time to get back to your g scale layout I’ve seen all your pictures of it now I would love to see it again
Working on that now..
Here is an interesting scale and gauges in New Zealand where I live the trains run on 3 foot 6 inch gauge so our model trains are s scale but run on HO gauge track
I’ve heard of that. Fun!
Hi. I did mention that Bing predated Märklin. I understood Bing became Trix. Or was bought? Much more interesting history. Thanks.
Many years ago in Orange and Tustin CA there were two model railraoders that had fantastic OO gauge railroads. All of the equipment was American style. Wonder what happend to the two layouts. I"m sure both owners have made their final call.
Never seen American 00!! Wow. Love to see that. Doesn’t surprise me though. The British manufacturers probably made all kinds of things like that.
If you hook AC to the AC motor, you get DC. If you hook DC to the DC motor, you get AC. If you hook AC to DC, you a wormhole to the 4th dimension.
The time tunnel. Loved that show. Now we know how they did that.
I've got a soft spot for Ho scale trains, my very first train set was an Athearn Coca-Cola-themed freight set from 2005. I still have that set and the locomotive runs like a watch as all the old Athearn locos do. What do you guys think of the little Ho model of the Genoa that Bachmann is making?
Gee. Haven’t seen it!!!
@@ToyManTelevision I think it is coming out this year, I was considering picking it up with some of the V&T passenger cars so I could have a fun little V&T train set!
I have to disagree. I am into N Scale but I watch all scales and enjoy them all but here lately the O and HO Scale look like boxes sitting on top of a set of trucks. They sit up so high that they don't look real at all, my brother and I had an 027 Lionel train sets back in the early 60s and they sat down and looked better than what I have seen lately.
I have since I seen my first N Scale in the 60s, fell in love with them. I am 72 now and have trouble with my hands but still enjoy building my N Scale. I enjoy your videos very much.
Most HO is very accurate.
The first electric model trains ran in DC with lead acid batteries, not a transformer
Indeed. Dc is so much simpler. But making DC.... Tricky
Or doorbell batteries as I remember reading about being used.
@@royreynolds108 early ones used the good old suitable ages 3+ of having open jars of sulphuric acid. Dry cells were available a bit later (fortunately).
But there were some thoughtfully provided ways and means to get power C&F providing basically a dynamo water wheel, and one fortunate early modeller who got provided a pedaling sister
Some beautiful layouts shown there.
Why oh why did I choose F Scale? 😂
Cause it’s wonderful.
@@ToyManTelevision Of course 😁
Just a small bit of uninteresting information Mr Toy Man: there was always a certain amount of speculation about when exactly the Bing table railway (H0) was first engineered. I was having a good discussion regarding this and through that wonderful medium of speculation we did come to a bit of a consensus.
Reason being: the table railway was on the market in late '22. The table railway was produced by Bing, for Bassett lowke, designed by Greenley solely for the British market.
the "birth" date was brought up due to the artwork: it's very prewar, quite Edwardian, looking dated by the early twenties.
This has caused speculation that the first H0 set was going to be prewar.
However chatting to a knowledgeable enthusiast in Northern Europe the almost Edwardian dress styles depicted were still current in the early twenties, although obsolete in England.
Obviously the question is why would that be relevant for a German company? But of course the Bing sets were solely for the British market, via B-L.
Very likely Bing did their own artwork through their normal provider or inhouse. The stones were likely prepared entirely on the basis of familiarity, depicted with the table railway as the focus.
Just a couple of things about the table railway as well: had the first prefabricated track with the base: those wonderful clip on accessories.
It was also the very first scale/gauge that was introduced for its function, not for the reason of value I.e smaller size stripped down for the less well off.
The Bing table railway was sold as a good looking complete railway system you can fit in a small space.
Fairly obviously H0 no longer fulfills this niche, an absence notably lacking, surprising even more as TT comfortably fulfils this gap, pioneered by the Swiss and Germans and given a scale by the Americans, it initially didn't have a purpose, but with H0 becoming huge scale behemoths necessitating large curves and large space its probably more relevant nowadays: N still just lacking that "bulk". However that's a digression...
Someone mentioned you were a teacher? I hope so, you have a wonderful explanatory personality, that just makes one want to listen and learn.
Wow yes! I could bore an entire room full of people. No matter. Great information thanks!!!!! The tendency was always to go smaller as technology progressed. I’ve seen several “nano scale” railways down to about 1:600 scale. Why? Because they could I guess. Didn’t look like much but surprisingly ran quite well! Anything below T is really quite pointless.
@@ToyManTelevision if theres ever a least boring person that'd be you. I find your videos fascinating. Oh yes, I may appear to be that annoying person who always has to nitpick, but it's actually just solely about providing some further information that may not be known. You spend a good amount of time researching what you know, and moreso have that phenomenal enthusiasm (and your wife of course!).
Interesting your views on the smaller scales. I've had a fair few over the years, 3/4", Std (2), 0, G, 1, S, Sn3 1/2", 00, H0, TT, N and Z, and likely still too many. They all have there features and pros and cons, however I have noticed that for me, the balance of pros and cons start to tip to the cons the smaller the scale.
I could also add I feel that this modern fixation on attempting to replicate in detail a prototype can be self defeating for many. With so many RUclipsrs projecting (often parrot fashion) the usual do's and don'ts seemingly without understanding the whys, overlooking practicalities, and without considering what an individual's aim might be, or interests, or even what they're intending to run.
This often defeats the purpose about why many desire a particular scale in the first place, or even a style of layout, forsaking what may actually be of interest to them, in the belief that they should be making a particular layout style. I've noticed that many British and US modellers seem to be of this ilk, whereas German and Japanese modellers seem to be a lot less rigid in their perceived modeling aims, the Japanese especially where it appears the whimsical or sheer enjoyment of running trains well outweighs prototypical fidelity. And good on them too.
Ha ha, I bet I am the most boring person you've had comment on your videos...
(P.S I don't do it that often but everytime I set up even a simple oval of 100 year old standard gauge it still gives me the biggest smiles: you probably get that same simple enjoyment watching your G scale)
Lionel did 00 in the 30s
As the first "HO" trian was Bings wind up, it may have bee 00. Or at least called 00 as it didn't really have an accurate scale. But in the beginning when all scales and gauges were numbers.. less than 0 is 00. and then 000
@@ToyManTelevision lionel's 00 venture was 1:76 19mm gauge, and highly scaled with both 3 rail (outside or centre pickup) or 2 rail.
Cars were from scale craft which lionel brought out.
Likely a flirt with scale after the 0 scale hudson, and to add another fiddle after the demise of std gauge.
Unfortunately after the war with the sell anything market lionel forsake their 00 range in favour of 0. Gilbert's prewar H0 range did have a postwar history though...
So this might throw you a loop. I model 5 country's in HO and one is Japan. Now japan is 1:80 scale for there HO gauge. this is easy to figure out why they did that when you look at there main line track gauge. the main line is 3'6" and only the shinkansen is standard. I do run OO with Ho and it dosn't look bad together and actually the American and Australian cars are bigger then England. I guess you will be doing the narrow gauges for Ho in a later video. Hon3 and Hon30?
The 1/80 is just a fairly arbitrary pick. Correct scale for Cape gauge being 16.5mm is 1:64. Same as Japanese N is 1:150, and same reason as for British 00: it's just what looks most aesthetically pleasing. Some Cape gauge is represented as 1:76: looks fine and the gauge as scaled is 4'1", so basically smack in the middle.
Bemo of course is H0, but very conscientiously allows their models to run on more than one gauge
So easy for us. Standard gauge at 4’8.5” or three foot gauge. Where it gets difficult is gauge 1. We model gauge one almost exclusively now. In “F” scale. But… also 1:22.5. A bit of 1:32 scale. A smattering of 1:29. And more than a little 1:24.
@@ToyManTelevision isn't it ironic that gauge 1, which realistically is the only genuine surviving original gauge, has diversified so much? It's generally acknowledged that the heyday of quality gauge 1 products (those rather expensive near scale models by Bing, Marklin and whatever other manufacturer BL or gamages commandeered) was the years shortly before WWI.
Marklin of course kept going with it, but it was really the advent of the Lehmann Garten Bahn in the late sixties that slowly rekindled interest in the size. As of course it gained popularity, the whimsical rolling stock really being a much missed novelty to the train market.
Of course narrow gauge was in use, but it was always a bit home built in nature, and the mechanisms not really lending themselves for really plug and play reliable running. It seems to have been the US market that brought all the scale differences for the same track. US modellers wanting something a bit more US inclined rather than the little Stainz loco. And with this of course came the larger US style locos. And to fit with the general size these were all scaled accordingly.
Gosh you're great to talk too: pity we're in different countries :(
Ahem!
Us too. We have colds.
So you say that the German’s had AC/DC before there was AC/DC 😁😁👍
Did you do American OO vs European OO ?
Don’t know of an American OO??
@@ToyManTelevision check out lionel OO its a real thing only made two years before the war.
Hello 👋
There is a fellow who built an OO narrow gage unknown scale model RR and model canal system in the cargo hold of a still functioning, full-scale narrow boat in Britain. I thought you would enjoy a look. ruclips.net/video/4tBrPJ5AbpY/видео.html
Wow!!!!! I love narrow boats.
In my purist klunk-headed mind, model railroad history notwithstanding, a scale of 3.5 mm = 1 foot makes little sense, as it mixes metric and feet in the scale conversion itself. Yikes. Even 4.0 mm = 1 foot doesn't make sense to me for the same reason. Very unfortunate that such a conversion has become the most popular modeling scale. 1: 87.085714285714285714285714285714285714285714. . . . No such thing as exactness, there.
I prefer more pure math and easier arithmetic I can do in my head, using more "natural" scales. "Natural Scales" come down to something like this: 3 [some rational fraction of an inch) = 1 foot:
N scale is a "natural" scale, as one foot = 3/40" (1:160).
TT Scale is a "natural" scale, as one foot = 3/30", or reduced, 1/10" (1:120).
A more pure or "natural " replacement for HO scale might be one foot = 3/24", or reduced, 1/8 (1:96).
S Scale is a "natural" scale, as 3/16" = 1 foot (1:64).
O Scale is a "natural" scale, as 3/12" = one foot, or reduced, 1/4" = one foot.
Gauge one, or the "Kings Gauge" is a natural scale, as 3/8" = 1 foot (1:32).
But HO is not a "natural scale" at all. It is an unwieldly contrivance. Woof.
It is also so unfortunate for me that American TT has fallen into near complete disuse. It is a much more practical "small" gauge than N, as even with my reading glasses, I can hardly see N at all going down the track. Looks like a string of cockroaches. (My late wife loved N scale, however, as she thought it was so "stinkin' cute.") But at least N is a "natural scale." But TT as a small, "natural" scale might give a senior citizen like me a fighting chance to actually see and appreciate the trains and their detail.
I model in "FInescale S". What could be more "natural" and easy? 3/16" = 1 foot. 1/16" = 4 inches 1:64" = 1 inch.. To find a scale dimension, I take the prototype dimension and divide it by 2 six times in my head. In another example, I'm constantly converting the rail height of various sizes of model rail (code .100, code .083, etc.) to prototype-size rail in my head (doubling the dimension six times in my head, or else by 64, which is the same thing), to insure scale fidelity to actual rail size, or any other dimension. It's easy, and you certainly can't do that in your head using the obnoxious HO scale ratio above, even if you do round it to 1:87. I don't need to use a "scale ruler" in S.
I've seriously contemplated starting a new model railroading "natural" scale. 3/10" = 1 foot (1:40), which I would call "R" scale. A bit bigger than O, but if I were to do this, I would do it with this stipulation: "R Scale" would only be a "proto" scale, or in other words, "Proto-40." S is a great natural scale, and O is also a great natural scale (except for the uncorrected scale track gauge of five feet in O), but both of these otherwise natural and pure scales are polluted by the toy train influence Hey, I also did Lionel as a kid, but the toy train or tinplate influence in these two otherwise marvelous scales is a serious distraction, in my view, from real authenticity to the prototype. For example in S, the "Finescale" and "Hi-rail" or "'Flyer" crowds both have theoretically "1:64" scale equipment that won't operate on each other's track!! Not only that, but the electrical power systems are also different. Same for O, and such a shame. So if I were to ever do 1:40 scale or "R", I would promote it only as a pure, "Proto-40" scale. Plus the larger size of 1:40 would be easier to deal with "Proto" track and wheel dimensions. Getting the "Proto-40" dimensions is easy. I simply mathematically interpolate the NMRA standards for "Proto-48" and "Proto-32" (which I have done) to have the standards for Proto-40. You don't need a PHD.
So this is my rant. I remember as a five year old tyke when I got my first HO train set, hearing what a marvelous quality it was to have the railroad or model equipment look "realistic." What I describe here is the natural extension of this early model railroading lesson.
Hello! And yes, that is quite the rant. The problem has been the 4’8.5” gauge. The Proto 48 crowd has the best idea. Use what we cal an “imperial” scale. Some even subdivision of 12” to the foot. So 1/48. 1/32. 1/96. Then gauge accurately to a scale 4’8.5”. Sure the gauge is wack. But that’s because the prototype gauge is wack. The 3’ narrow gauge and 2’ are simple. But the scale is basic and easy. For metric scales of metric divisions are simple. 1/10. 1/30. 1/100. But I like the imperial scales. But hard to work with in metric. 1:24 of a meter is 41.66666