What is the difference between gauge and scale?
“Gauge” refers to the distance between the rails. The ILS has three different gauge railroads on the club property. “Scale” refers to the relative size of the model equipment with respect to full size trains. “1 inch scale” equipment implies a 1 inch measure on the model equals 12 inches on full sized train equipment. It is possible that a hobbyist could build a 2.5″ scale locomotive to operate on 7.5″ gauge track. This represents narrow gauge modeling. There are several examples of this type of modeling at the ILS.
These two terms can be confusing to a new model railroader, but there is a difference, and it is quite simple. Gauge The distance between the inside edges of the rail heads. Most real railroads in North America and Europe are built to a standard gauge of 4 – 8 1/2″ . Narrow gauge means rails with a width less than standard gauge.
