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Model Railroad Terminology Articles

25 Tips for Beginning Garden Railroaders

Lots of info about getting started in this hobby.

Basics of Scale and Gauges

This beginners article describes the differences of all the scales and gauges from Z to G.

Buying Your First Train Set

Calculating Scale Speed

Formulas and text describe how to calculate scale speed. A programmable calculator's code is shown that will make calculating the scale speed easy.

Conversion Numbers

Converting between O and S and HO and S.

Hi Rail Standards Committee Progress Report

What is an S-scale "hi-rail" modeler? What materials are available for the hi-rail modeler?

Introducing Scales and Gauges

This article describes most of the model railroading scales.

Jeff's Junction

What is the definition of "modern" when it comes to the era of modeling that one engages in? The author proposed anything 1975 and newer.

Naming Names

The various ways in which things in railroading get named.

Narrow Gauge

Jim answers the question, What is "narrow gauge"? Includes terminology, how to model it in various scales, and why one might want to model in narrow gauge.

President's Message

The author indicates that we should continue to call ourselves "S gaugers".

President's Message

Another recruitment message for both S and the NASG.

Proto:48 A New Dimension in 1:48 Modeling

This article describes the new true-to-scale Proto:48 designation, and how and why it was developed. Includes photos that show the difference between Proto:48 and normal O-scale materials.

Questions and Answers for Beginners

This article poses and answers a lot of the questions beginners have about model railroading.

Scale Miles-per-hour At a Glance

This article covers the formula used to calculate your locomotive's scale speed. The author made some handy tables for determining a locomotive's speed without needing to use a calculator.

Scale Real Life Items Down to the Scale You Want

The author shows the math needed to convert the dimensions of a real manhole cover into the various model railroading scales.

Scaling Drawings to S

What it takes to converts measurements from another scale into S, and how to handle drawings that are not standard model railroading scales.

Sn3 How It Got Started Big Time, What is its Future?

Bruce Blalock is asked to detail the history of Sn3. Includes a group photo of Houston-area narrow-gauge modelers who met in 1970. Includes photos of models that Bruce built early on. Also, briefly covered is Sn3 modeler Don Wilde.

Track and Wheel Standards

The author explains what the difference is in hi-rail and "scale" S-scale wheels and track, and why there are compatibility issues between the two.

Track Terminology

Covers all parts of track. Includes a nice track model photo, track historical timeline, and tracklaying tips

What Is Scale

An explanation of what "scale" means, and a listing of the various scales in various hobbies.

Wheel Detail

This article covers the shape and profile of a prototype railroad wheel and how that translates to the NMRA standards.