An alarm clock? Hmm…I’ve heard of these ancient torture devices…
Andy Clarke said:
I’m just glad I model 1:29th, so I’m never cornfused…
Agreed Andy
1/29th rules…
Shouldn’t F scale be standard gauge 1:20.3…meaning the 1:20.3 that most run is really Fn3. Not sure what size track standard gauge 1:20.3 would run on. Someone else can do the math.
Doesn’t matter much to me though as I run the weird 1:22.5 scale. Fun size but not very accurate. Kind of like 1:29.
Bruce Chandler said:
Korm Kormsen said:
at 1:20.3 a narrow gauge of -> 3’ 9.7"
— that was just a mistake.—So, 45 mm gauge gives us
- …
- 1:20.32 G*20.32= 36.0000093 (VERY close to 3’)
- …
- Yes!
I’m not sure what you’re doing with
as far as that it’s easy and logic. take four and a half centimeters(4.5) multiply it by the scale, divide by 2.5 to get the 1:1 gauge result in inches.
But, why not just multiply by 1.8? (4.5/2.5) = 1.8.
— because i’m not thinking in inches, but in metric. so i calculated in metric and finally divided by the aprox. 2.5 to get inches.----
And if you really want to pick nits, 2’ narrow gauge on 45mm track would be
24 / 1.771654 = 1:13.54666317, not 1:13.7.
SE is 7/8" to the ft. or 96/7 = 13.71.
Gauge One is: 1.75" (44.45mm)
24" / 1.75" = 13.71.
Andrew
…and as I mentioned in another post regarding scale / gauge, even the G1MRA calls both 44.45mm and 45mm as the track gauge … so which is it???
British gauge 1 is imperial, 1.75" or 44.45mm. Used for standard gauge prototypes in 1:32, 1:30.
European gauge IIm is metric 45mm. Used for meter gauged prototypes in 1:22.5.
The term ‘G scale’ was first used by LGB and typically uses 45mm gauge.
Andrew
This is all very informative and thanks for enlightening me. Now please excuse me while a take an asprin for this throbbing headache. 
But wait, there is more…
SM is 16mm to the ft. about 1:19.
SM32 is 2ft prototypes running on 32mm track.
SM45 are models often adjustable to run on the wider gauge of 45mm.
As for the original question I believe it is 15mm to the foot for 1:20.32.
‘F’ I am told, is for Fifteen.
Andrew
Andrew - I LIVE in 16mm world, and I’ve never heard of SM or SM32, let alone SM45.
We say that 16mm to the foot is 1/19th scale, but we never refer to it as 1/19th scale - that’s why the 16mm Association is called the 16mm Associaition, and not the 1/19th scale Association.
The ‘F’ in Fn3 stands for Fine scale, the ‘n’ for narrow gauge, and the ‘3’ for three feet gauge.
tac
16mm Association Member #9405
G1MRA #3641
Actually tac, the F in Fn3 means F scale, which came out of the NMRA Large Scales working group that Marc Horovitz, Lee Rielly, Stan Ames, Gary Raymond, etc were on in 1994.
http://www.tttrains.com/largescale/nmra_large_scale_report.pdf
But does it mean F = Fifteen? I never heard that before, I’m curious.
I’m glad I run what looks OK, without cariing about scale. I just use an “eyeball” proportion scale to keep some realism combined with enjoyment.
Andrew
Sandbar & Mudcrab Railways
Tac, yes 16mm to the ft. is 1:19.05. not 1:18 as I said.
The SM terms may not be in widespread use but I do see it from time to time. I think Peco has it on it’s products.
I used to think the ‘F’ is for ‘Fine’ scale but was told recently it is for ‘Fifteen’ but it works either way so whatever.
Andrew
I was gonna make a sarcastic/joking comment about how a certain poster hasn’t weighed in on this discussion, but because everybody is playing so nice, I’ll just lurk quietly in the shadows.
tac Foley said:
Andrew - I LIVE in 16mm world, and I’ve never heard of SM or SM32, let alone SM45.
We say that 16mm to the foot is 1/19th scale, but we never refer to it as 1/19th scale - that’s why the 16mm Association is called the 16mm Associaition, and not the 1/19th scale Association.
The ‘F’ in Fn3 stands for Fine scale, the ‘n’ for narrow gauge, and the ‘3’ for three feet gauge.
tac
16mm Association Member #9405
G1MRA #3641
Tac,
Referring to it as “16mm scale” conforms to the usual practice in the larger scales of referring to the scale ratio to 1 ft. Thus 1/12th scale is called 1" scale. 3’ gauge models on 7.5" gauge track are referred to as 2.5" scale. Our 1:20.3 models are 15mm scale (though I use Fn3,) and the 2’ guys already conform with their 7/8" scale (or 7/8n2 if you prefer the model railroad nomenclature, instead of the outdoor/ride-on crowd’s name.)
I’ve never heard your 16mm scale referred to as 1/19th or 1:19, but I have heard of SM32. As mentioned, Peco, Coopercraft and several vendors refer to it (my understanding is that it means Sixteen MM scale on 32mm track.)
Making F = Finescale does a dis-service to every other scale - there are finescalers in all of them. My understanding is that it means “Fifteen” as in 15mm:ft, or “15mm scale”.
I hadn’t seen the NMRA working group doc, but the original proposal had 1/29th as “A” scale, where A = American. Seems reasonable to me . .
But I like Gn3!
Doug Arnold said:
But I like Gn3!
Which is kinda why the NMRA could never get anything passed for our scales. Too many variations of opinion and too little member representation by people using our scales.
It may not be called 1:19 but that’s about what the scale’s ratio is.
Accucraft specify it on some of their models.
Another is H scale, I believe it is for Half inch scale 1:24.
The Gn3 scheme goes astray when specifying standard gauge.
Andrew
But if they “settled” it we’d have to find a new topic. Oh ya, we always find something!