Comparing Model Train Scales: T, Z, N, TT, HO, S, O, G Scales

Comparing the sizes of all the major model railroad scales from T Gauge to G Gauge (I left OO scale at 1:76 out of this one since I didn’t have a small diesel in that scale, and it isn’t that far off HO, plus uses the same gauge track as HO).
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[@TheyMakeItLikeThat]

Next week “let’s compare T scale to 1:1 scale!” 😂

[@StevesTrains]

Ahh!!! I’m going to take these all out and put them next to a 1:1 locomotive. I have to do that. That would be awesome. But film it at first so the perspective makes it look like it is just a little larger than G.

[@PS-nf3xw]

No 1:1 is OMG gauge

[@joehoeing6590]

Thank you for your clear explanations and your dedication to the hobby!

[@wolfgangkuechle9085]

Interestingly the T Scale 1:450 is close to the square of G-Scale 1:24. So you could model a model railroad within a G-Scale model railroad ...

[@jamfjord]

So meta and I love it!

[@avlisk]

You may accuse me of being pedantic, but I think it's worthwhile to differentiate among all the G gauge scales. I got burnt early on when I got into large scale, buying what was advertised as 'G scale". When I put the trains together, it was obvious that they weren't all the same scale. I have learned that I model in "A" scale, or 1:29, which is most of USA Trains models, (but not all, so be careful). Almost all of large scale runs on 45mm gauge track, so, it's all arguably "G gauge", but G scale is only 1:22.5, the original LGB. Thanks for letting me vent. PS When I was a kid in the 1950's, it was said that in a perfect world, the two best and most popular scales would be S and TT. We dabbled in both. My brother still has a basement full of American Flyer that he's had for over 60 years, but I settled on HO very early on, since TT was hard to find and mostly wooden kits at that time.

[@StevesTrains]

Yeah, I’m just learning about G and all the various scales and differences. Kind of a mess of standards there.

[@avlisk]

I settled on 1:29 scale because of the quality and availability of USA Trains from Charles Ro. 1:32 scale is actually correct for standard gauge, but the supply just isn't there. I can live with the slightly under-gauge 45mm track, just as the OO 1:76 guys in the UK live with it, running on HO gauge track. Get the sleeper-spacing right, and it's not noticeable. @@StevesTrains

[@tammylovescats]

Thanks for showing the different sizes gauges there are

[@fredashay]

Yes! I've been waiting for someone to make a video comparing EVERY scale to each other! Thank you!!! I have it in my mind to built a loop of T track around someone's house on my HO layout to simulate someone's garden railway... Standard = 1:1 G = 1:25 (varies a little from this by manufacturer) O = 1:48 S = 1:64 OO = 1:76 HO = 1:87 TT= 1:120 N = 1:160 Z = 1:220 T = 1:450

[@brodrick3164]

Steve I think you need a layout similar to your hat layout. How about a G gauge flat car with a T gauge layout on it? Simple with minimal scenery or better yet a detailed T layout as a G gauge car load.

[@StevesTrains]

I actually want to try the T gauge layout on a G gauge flat car.

[@rhendricksonn]

Pilentum just put out a large T scale layout.

[@donaldraver]

I like the T gauge layout idea or street car scene on the G scale flat car

[@davidztog9011]

​@@StevesTrains an operational Z layout on a G flatcar has been done, so T should be rather easy. 👍

[@jetseekers]

We all look forward to the comparison vid from T all the way up to Grand Scale in about a year or so :3

[@ghostfox3560]

Thanks. Needed to find the scale on a toy Caterpillar train cars i got from a coworker. Looks like it is needing S or 2 rail O track. The wheel spacing being an inch and a quarter between the rails has me thinking it's s gage track. Thanks for putting out a basic comparison video. It's kind of handy without having to dig for some books.

[@MorrisHGT]

now i´m missing scale 1 haha cool comparing!

[@muir8009]

This was really good. Funnily enough of course, a very popular scale is Sn3 1/2. Now, definitely no criticism for it's non-inclusion, as it's very popular outside the mainstream markets. Sn3 1/2 being of course, the standard gauge for South Africa, Indonesia, parts of Australia, New Zealand, the main system of Japan etc. There are sizeable home products being made for those markets, and some extraordinarily good quality kits

[@isaiahtheclassichistorian]

I have nearly every scale/gauge including Standard Gauge. The only ones that I don't have are T, OO, and On30 (If you want to count it). I don't know what it is but a variety of things in model trains can be so fascinating.

[@loispadgett6306]

Thanks for the look at the sizes side by side know most of the differents in sizes but the TT one I heard of just had not seen it before. I like the TT may have to look for one. Hope your house repairs go well for you. GOD BLESS 🚂💖🚂💖🚂💖🚂💖

[@StevesTrains]

Thanks!

[@FlyByWireYT47]

TT is most common in Europe. Most of the manufacturers are German/Austrian. Like Tillig and Roco. TT scale serves the same role in Europe as N scale in the US. With small european apartments and mostly shared basements, there is not much space for proper H0 layout and TT scale is great compromise betwen small size of N and level of detail of H0. N scale is not that common in here in Europe.

[@DrSoftShoo]

You didn't cover F scale! Just kidding. I don't know of any F-scalers running anything but narrow-gauge on G scale track and narrow-gauge stuff seems to be a non-candidate for the list (for good reason I'm sure!). Thanks for yet another great video!

[@raykiii]

Steve, haven't you done micro layouts with all those scales? Looking forward to more. Thank you.

[@StevesTrains]

Not the big ones yet

[@ravenlorans]

I love that you can use the Smaller Scales as layouts for others. HO is Garden Scale ( maybe 16gage ) on a Garden Scale Layout N can be a HO in a Garden Scale Layout or the Kind you Ride on a O Scale? Why not do a Video about Mixing the Gauges like that. Have a Garden Sized House with a HO-T Scale Outside or Inside of it?

[@adp5R3x]

Mixing Gauges 👉 There you go ! I've been obsessing about different GAUGES on the same Layout for ages ⏳ Think Outside of the Box ...

[@fredashay]

That's exactly what I want to do! I want to set up a T gauge loop around someone's house on my HO model railroad to simulate someone's garden railway...

[@nickname5447]

This was really helpful for me, since I don't know much about model trains, and it was nice to see it get put into comparison with the different sizes. I just wonder which ones are the most popular to own.

[@StevesTrains]

HO, N, and O are the most popular by far.

[@nickname5447]

Yeah, most train shows I've seen use HO

[@hilltoprccrawlers1979]

I feel that I can see a 7.5 inch gage backyard railroad in the future. :p

[@fredashay]

There are a number of 7.5 inch gauge railroads around the world. I wish you luck with that! But you'll need several acres of land to do it justice!

[@naptime43x]

all aboard the banana train, choo choo

[@JamieChristensen-hu9lv]

Wasn't expect to see TT get some love!

[@TheyMakeItLikeThat]

TT is rare!

[@michaelquinones-lx6ks]

@@TheyMakeItLikeThat But, It's a smash hit in Eastern Europe where that scale is common, Also, 'TT' scale originated here in the U.S. An American invention.

[@TheyMakeItLikeThat]

@@michaelquinones-lx6ks my dad had a bunch when I was a kid but gave up on it because it was so hard to find. I kept a small train to put on display.

[@michaelquinones-lx6ks]

@@TheyMakeItLikeThat Thank you very much for answering my comment.

[@FlyByWireYT47]

@@TheyMakeItLikeThatNot really. TT scale is very common in Europe bc it's still small to fit in tiny European apartments, but can pack a lot of detail like H0. Here in EU it's much more common than N scale.

[@Joliie]

Nice, but you are really going to make the British sad, no OO (You knew this was comming didn't you :)) . I love how the T makes the N scale looks massive :)

[@StevesTrains]

Yeah, like I noted in there, I have one OO engine, but it is a steam engine so wasn’t a good comparison being much longer.

[@Joliie]

​@@StevesTrainsthere we go :) and now there is a reason to make a new one, also Gauge 1 (1 gauge) it is one of those we see here at shows., but ussually the same group that is there with a "layout" :)

[@fredashay]

I own a couple of British OO scale train sets (the Rapido APT-E, the Hogwarts Express, a Hornby Class 56, and a few others). They run fine on my HO layout. OO trains use NEM sockets so it was so super easy to replace their British couplers with American Kadee couplers. If you place the OO locos right next to the HO locos, you can see that the OO locos are ever so slightly smaller than the HO locos, but you have to look carefully to see the size difference.

[@thomasetesta5641]

thx, very interesting Steve

[@dennissnow2674]

great vid ty cant wait to see the next one tc

[@jakehackney1718]

Nice video, fuels my expensive hobby. Please don’t tell my wife

TT looks interesting.

[@Slip-Art_S14]

Great line up🔥🔥👍

[@stevegarcia9098]

Steve, I've researched Marklin and Kato for T scale and neither makes it. Are there any other quality makers of T scale? As you know, the Germans and Japanese only make quality. Thx.

[@StevesTrains]

I’m really not sure. It is obviously a very niche scale so I’m guessing not many make anything for it.

[@Joliie]

G is for Garden.

[@briancooper562]

The other consideration is Narrow gauge and to a lesser extent Broad gauge, The scales are as you show but the track gauge is less (or more), example, commercially available HO 1/86 scale 16.5mm track gauge, HOm 1/86 scale 12mm track gauge, HOe 1/86 scale 9mm track gauge and HOf 1/86 scale 6mm track gauge there is also an options of say a model garden railway with HO(T) !/86 scale 3mm gauge. Of course ultra realistic track gauges would be hand built and so would the rail stock running on it. The mix of scale and track gauge applies across the full range of model and miniature railways (except T)

[@muir8009]

And of course the national scales. Fairly obviously Sn3 1/2 is the most obvious that comes to mind

[@historybuff7491]

Good explanation.

[@bikerbrian6452]

Super cool video. Thanks.

[@Sergio-re4in]

Sorry , if I diecast car 1/64 , what scale I need for train ??very thx

[@StevesTrains]

That is basically S scale, which is halfway between O scale and HO scale. You can buy trains and structures and such in that scale, more than you might think, but still not nearly as much available as HO or O.

[@Abrahams_stuff]

My local club is 7.5″ Gauge or 1/8 scale it is a really fun but expensive scale

[@sergioarroyoguerrero5434]

G, O , S , HO, TT, N , Z and T scale. N scale is the best scale in the trains.

[@ed1011]

can you do a video on power requirement for each scale? thanks

[@StevesTrains]

That’s a good idea. I’ll see if I can work that into the schedule.

[@Poliss95]

You missed out American OO scale Steve. 😁 No, it's not the same as British 00. American OO is 1/76 scale but runs on 19mm track. (I won't mention ZZ Scale which was the smallest until T Gauge came along.). 😂😂 Really sorry to hear about your water problems. I know exactly how you feel as it's happened to me a few times. One time the water did leak onto my layout. Thankfully only the board was damaged, not the trains.

[@StevesTrains]

This is our third one in four years. We replaced the whole line this time instead of just fixing the segments that broke.

[@JamieR74]

What would on30 scale be compared to I kkow it used ho track but the locos are bigger

[@StevesTrains]

It is O scale. It just runs on HO track. Basically represents 3 foot narrow gauge.

[@mpetersen6]

Which scale to choose should be a matter of just what your primary interest is. Highly detailed models that just happen to run on rails. Sounds like O scale. Operations. HO and N. TT for American modelers is likely very deviod of equipment. Scenery, especially in the mountains, Z and T the mountains really begin to dwarf the trains. To me G Scale is just so space hogging it is unlikelyfor a home layout unless you have a disused Wamart to hand. In terms of scale l for one am surprised a true Metric scale never caught on in Europe. Say 1/100th. And then there are the national scales. OO in the UK. The various N Scales. N ranges from 1/148th to 1/160th. The N scale layout on Chandwell is 1/148th. Michael there does some really amazing sctrutures with little more than paper, chipboard and acetate. In the future l think the revolution will be onboard power supply via a battery source and bluetooth or similiar control. Then the only wiring required would be for effects and switch machines.

[@muir8009]

Interesting you mention 1:100. Funnily enough it's a very popular architectural modelling scale, hence so many manufacturers make their building kits to that scale

[@Istoeumapemba]

You could make a T scale layout inside an HO scale layout, representing an O scale model train... That's twisted!

[@williamgottlieb8723]

You should refer to the "G" items as "G gauge" because of the many different scales that operate on the same gauge of track. If a letter designation has many different scales assigned to it, it actually has no scale.

[@rockerseven]

You could probably put a T scale track between the rails of a G scale track, and run both trains at once lol.

[@Mike__B]

No HOj scale? No 1/4 scale!? how dare you! j/k. Nice break down of things that you have.

What is the difference Lionel standard gauge and the Lionel wide gauge? Lionel Standard Gauge 402 Diesel Locomotive to Lionel Wide Gauge 402 Diesel Locomotive.

[@muir8009]

Lionel never advertised or marketed standard as being wide. That was solely the realm of Ives, Flyer, and dorfan. Boucher advertised as being standard, same as Lionel. Although to confuse things "standard" (wide) was advertised as being 2", 2"1/4", then finally 2" 1/8". Also Ives did advertise their products as being gauge II as well.

[@jamesdenny4734]

It looks like a G scaler could take the T scale n make it into a model railroad layout for its G scale model people! 😮 🤔 hmmm!

[@ajkleipass]

You forgot ZZ 1:300 and K 1:180. LOL! The list of scales, gauges, and combinations thereof, have been in flux for as long as there have been model trains. And even a scale's singular name, say G or O, can represent several different ratios on the same gauge of commercial track. It gets confusing really fast when you start looking at the hobby globally and inclusively from the early days to nowadays. And yes, ZZ and K are or were real scales. ZZ was introduced in Japan in 2005, while K dates back to 1948 in Hanover, Germany - I'm guessing that K stood for klein or small.

[@koenraadprincen7212]

K-scale was also produced in Japan (apparently) but seems to run on N-gauge tracks.

[@TheCasualDeathworlder]

Forgive my ignorance, but what about Lionel scale?

[@StevesTrains]

Lionel is O scale/gauge. Some Lionel O is O scale, and some is semi-scale, but all run on O gauge track. The O scale locomotive here is a Lionel locomotive.

[@reggierandom5031]

Lionel is a completely different brand

[@timbonjovi]

I like HOn30

[@HumancityJunction]

What about narrow gauge?

[@jamfjord]

Wouldn't they be the same scales but on different gauge tracks? Unless there are exceptions I'm not aware of (which is entirely possible!🙂)

[@TheMadYetti]

HO is tempting but i think TT is enough for me, not much space for tracks...

[@haramaschabrasir8662]

Sorry, I have to be that guy 😅You didn't include 1 and OO which are very common too.

[@StevesTrains]

This is true. I do have one OO locomotive but it is currently in pieces. One day I’ll get a 1 gauge locomotive to add to the collection.

[@jogmas12]

Z is my scale

[@rhendricksonn]

Cool

[@Tilosigi]

i have ho scale locos

[@raymondmarkesteijn3198]

You forgot english n gauge 1/148 and 00 gauge 1/76😊

[@JakeSweeper]

What? No L[ego] scale? How disappointing. *runs away* 😀

[@StevesTrains]

I do have a couple no powered lego trains. A Lego train layout would be super fun.

[@mynx_uk]

OO?

[@StevesTrains]

I didn’t include it because I only have a steam loco in OO so it didn’t compare well with the other shorter diesels.

[@muir8009]

Which 00 though?

[@mimi-qq3mt]

Et l'échelle OO😂

[@StevesTrains]

Right, I mentioned I only had a steam loco in OO so I didn’t include it (since it is so much longer).

[@pascalcolery4258]

Schaal 1 Marklin 1/32

[@felipesanchezcuriel]

Still missing the OO scale. Hahahaha, sorry had to joke about it

[@StevesTrains]

I have an OO scale hogwarts express, but didn’t want to bring that into the small diesel mix.

[@Poliss95]

Miniatur Wunderland has a model of Minitur Wunderland inside Miniatur Wunderland and that model has a model of Miniatur Wunderland inside it. 🤣

[@StevesTrains]

Really?! That is great. I need to get there sometime so I can see that place. It is on my bucket list.

[@cglaurer]

Your videos are great but IDK about this. At 4:13 while you’re saying they’re all similar locomotives you make it look like N, TT, and Z are identical because of your choice of locos. I think you should’ve arranged to use the same loco in every scale or just not bothered to try this comparison. It doesn’t work.

[@kettusnuhveli]

Easier said than done! TT, while actually originating from the US (as 1 foot to 10th of an inch scale), is extremely rare in there nowadays and I haven’t seen any US locomotives in T scale so far either. Also I doubt Steves pockets are bottomless and because these toys are not cheap! 😂

[@StevesTrains]

Yes, I’ve never seen a TT in a US prototype, and Z scale locomotives smaller than a GP38-2 are hard to find as well since it gets hard to cram dcc boards in stuff that small. I’d like to eventually have the same loco in all scales, so I’ll be on the lookout, but not sure if that is possible. I didn’t include OO either because of similar issues to TT. But TT is much more widely used, just not in the US.

T scale seems ridiculous to me. How can you enjoy a train set you'd need a microscope to view?

[@fattywithafirearm]

I model in N guage, but I have multiple locos and rolling stock in Z and T