Here is a list of some of the most popular model railway gauges available.
00 Gauge.
4mm to 1ft or 1:76 scale. 16.5mm inside track width.
Most popular British scale and well provided for.
0 Gauge.
7mm to 1ft or 1:30.5 scale. 32mm inside track width.
More popular now but can take up a lot of space.
N Gauge.
2mm to 1ft or 1:148 scale. 9mm inside track width.
Half the size of 00 so you can have a larger layout in the same or smaller space.
Z Gauge.
1.5mm to 1ft or 1:200 scale. 6.5mm inside track width.
One of the smallest gauges available.
HO Gauge.
3.5mm to 1ft or 1:87 scale. 16.5mm inside track width.
The major gauge used outside of the UK, virtually exactly to scale. Not to be confused with 00 as its 15% smaller.
Depending on what size and shape your baseboard is effect how you will layout your model railway track. As there are so many ways to layout a model railway I will list just a few here.
Oval: The favourite among first time train sets and still my preferred track layout as you can have continuous running of your trains and you can make the oval any size you like from 6ft by 4ft (the size of my model railway) for a 00 layout up to the size of the area your model railway is in. You can have multiple tracks for the continuous running of several trains as well as an operating cut-out in the centre if needed.
End To End: When you go to a model railway exhibition you will see many end to end layouts, these are the long but narrow layouts. You can have a very detailed model railway layout with a terminus at either end or a terminus at one end and a fiddle yard or sidings at the other.
L Shape: These layouts are very similar to end to end layouts but as the name suggests in a L shape. Depending on how big the L section is you may have enough room for a return loop, turntable or a large fiddle yard.
As will all aspects of railway modelling, there are many different ways to fix down the track.
Should you use underlay? Several manufacturers offer foam underlay to put under your track, the only downsides I have found with foam underlay is it doesn't always look realistic and it can be difficult to fit under points and other track accessories. I have used cork tiles as underlay in the past as they are cheap to buy and easy to cut to shape however you should paint them grey before laying the track as after ballasting the cork can show through and look unsightly.
Should you use pins or glue to fix down the track? I think you should pin down the track for the following reason, once track is glued down it is usually impossible to take back up without damaging it. When pinning down your track dont be tempted to pin every single pin hole. I try to only put a pin in every third pin hole of the track and I never pin down points or diamond crossings as they are easily damaged if they need to be taken up.
With regards to ballasting, I have stopped using the loose ballast and glue method for the following reason, although it looks the most realistic, once the ballast is glued down it is virtually impossible to take the track up again if needed without damage and gluing ballast around points can be very difficult plus if you get it wrong the points will be ruined. The method I use now is to get some granite effect mat and cut this to shape before gluing it to the baseboard and pinning the track on top, it still looks fairly realistic if the track is weathered but it is much easier to take up the track if needed. |
