One of the first and most imprortant decisions a model railroader must make, is what scale he or she wants to model in. Although this can be confusing at first, the wide variety of different equipment sizes is actually what makes model railroading the right hobby for just about anyone regardless of the physical space they have available. But before we get into the the pros and cons of the various model railroad scales, let's talk a little bit about what the term "scale" means and how it relates to our hobby.

Scale as it is used to describe our hobby, is the ratio between the size of something in real life, and the modeled representation of that same thing. Many model railroaders use the industry terms such as HO scale, or N scale to describe the size of the equipment they have, but there is a numeric value associate with these terms that is very important to understand as well. Here is a basic chart listing the numeric differences between the common model railroad scales modeled in the US:

Seem confusing? It's not really. Remember that most of the model railroading equipment uses the common scale name, and not the numeric equivalent, so you don't really need to understand the mathematical side of things assuming you are purchasing items designed for that scale. When scratch building equipment or structures, the numeric scale becomes much more important as the raw materials used to create the structures are not readily identified by the scale name. Keep this in mind and make sure you have a basic understanding of scale before purchasing these kinds of products.

Now that you understand the basics of scale, which one is right for you? The answer usually comes down to one simple word, space. The space (or area) required to build a layout in, and this includes temporary layouts, should be the largest factore concerning your decision about which scale to model in. One thing to keep in mind however is that there are no hard and fast rules here, and exceptions within the scales can be found everywhere so be sure to ask questions if you have any doubts about something "fitting in" with your chosen scale. That said, here is a very basic list of pros and cons compiled by us over the years. Much of the information that follows is opinion of course, and all of it is based our experience in sales and personal use.

G scale is possible the most diverse and difficult to understand from the perspective of scale. Part of the problem is that there are so many different scales within what is commonly referred to as G scale. This makes choosing the right size equipment difficult, and in some cases almost impossible. That said G scale is a great deal of fun due to it's large size and diverse range of equipment. This is also the only scale where much of equipment is built to be used in the great outdoors!

Generally speaking the numeric scale range within G scale is from 1:20.3, or Fn3 on the large end, to 1:32 or Gauge 1 on the small end. It is important to note that G scale is unique in the fact that the track size always remains the same, regardless of the scale of the equipment used on it. Because of this, the narrow gauge equipment which is smaller than the standard gauge equipment in real life, actually ends up being bigger in the model world! This can be confusing at first, but once you understand the relationship between the track gauge (width) and the equipment being modeled for a specific gauge, it all makes more sense.

For example the standard G scale track uses a 45mm width. In 1:20.3 or Fn3 this makes 3' or narrow gauge trackage. In 1:32 or Gauge 1, the same 45mm width makes for standard gauge or 4' 8 1/2" rail width. A full explanation concerning the differences between these scales certainly goes beyond the simple description here, but the elements that make this scale enjoyable are pretty much universal. Here is a brief list of the good (thumbs up), and bad (thumbs down) things about G scale.