N-Gauge data and information

[Pete]

Essential for planning a layout and scratchbuilding, here's some simple scale conversions for N-Gauge. The track gauge for both Continental (including the US) and GB N Gauge is 9mm (i.e. distance between rails).

GB N Gauge is 1:148 Scale
6.8mm in model world = 1m in real world
6.8mm in model world = 1km in real world

or for those still in old money: 2.06mm=1 foot

GB N-Gauge standards:

http://www.worcsngauge.co.uk/NStandards.htm

Continental N Gauge is 1:160 Scale
6.2mm in modelworld = 1m in real world
6.2m in modelworld = 1km in real world

1.91mm=1 foot

Although the track stays the same, some care should be taken in putting Continental buildings alongside GB rolling stock (and vice versa), some look ok, others look over/under sized.

Will update this post if I think of any other useful info, of if anyone would care to post some.

Pete

[pointstaken]

Mr Moderator, SIR (Anyone notice the creep part ?)

Useful link for general gauge information -
http://www.ontrackscart.co.uk/old/model ... gauges.htm

[saslord]

New Modellers Scale list is here.

http://www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk/narrow-gauge.htm

Scroll down to see it. Provided by the 7mm Narrow Gauge Association

[Kentman98]

Hi Pete,

Sorry for being a pain in the A""" but on the basis that GB N gauge is 1:148 isn't it 6.8 mm = 1M ?

Just couldn't figure out where the 7.1 came from! I realise the difference is negligible but just curious as you went to the trouble of detailing it to tenths of a mm.

Trev

[Pete]

Sorry for being a pain in the A""" but on the basis that GB N gauge is 1:148 isn't it 6.8 mm = 1M ?

Your absolutely right, my error!

Have corrected it, thanks for pointing that out, and it show's somebody is reading this stuff

Pete

[Kentman98]

Glad to be of help for a change! I was thinking I must be wrong but I kept getting the same answer on the calculator

[ianboz]

[quote
GB N Gauge is 1:148 Scale
6.8mm in model world = 1m in real world
6.8mm in model world = 1km in real world
[/quote]

I suspect an error here: 6.8mm can't be 1metre and 1 kilometer. Did you mean 6.8 metres in model world = 1km in the real world?

[Asterix]

Can anyone tell me why the UK N scale is different from the Continental one?

[Pete]

Hi

I think, UK N is half OO scale not 160th as continental N.

Pete

[Ironduke]

for the same reason OO is different from HO
technically british N is called OOO

[Asterix]

Yes, thank you, but why?

[Motors]

thanks for the info guys being new to N gauge,well modeling,these links will prove to be priceless me thinks....


Steve

[votkov]

guys i know this is very very slightly off topic, but i thought it would be better to post in this thread about sizes rather than start one about speed

I was planning on working out how fast my model train would need to tavel to be a scale speed of the prototype

I'm calculating this for a Shinkansen series 500 which travels at 300km/h

so using the scale of 6.8mm = 1m I calculate that

1m real world = 1000mm
1000mm / 6.8mm = 147.058

so as long as i am correct then 1m in the real world would be 147m in the model world

so with the info that I need a train to travel 147m at 300km/h I looked at a few online speed calculators & found out it would take 0.02 seconds to travel that distance

surely that cant mean i need to make my 16 car train (that i dont actully own yet ) travel 1m (3 & a bit foot) in less than 1 sec? doesent that seem a little fast?

p.s. maybe the calculator is broken, aparently if i slowed the tain fromm 300km/h down to 10km/h it would still need to travel that 1m distance in 0.90 seconds

sorry again for being slightly off topic

[Odd Socks]

Hi,

I think that you have got your units in a twist.

1m = 6.8mm

1Km = 1000m

1000m x 6.8mm = 6800mm = 680cm = 6.8m

So 1 Km = 6.8m scale distance

At 300Km/h that is 300Km/3600s

3600s / 300Km = 12s per Km

So your model needs to cover 6.8m in 12s or

12s / 6.8m = 1.77s/m

1m in 1.77s

This is still fatst but I hope it helps

Tim

[votkov]

yeah thats a great help thanks, I can see where I messed up on the calculations & appriciate them being resolved, but yes, that is still a little fast for the size of my layout, maybe on the faster trains I'll run them at "A speed that looks pretty" rather than burn out the motors by sticking 240V to the rails in an effort to reach those speeds

**DISCLAIMER** Kids, dont use 240v to power your trains, its probally going to be in the form of AC & it will probally result in shocking you too 300km/h (not scale speed, real speed)

but yeah, back to the topic, I know the room i am using for a train room has a longest wall of about 2.4m so there is no chance of me being able to represent 1km of nice flat stright shinkansen goodness tracks, so I guess all my trains are going to be running on the "pretty speed" settings

but then thinking about it another way, since my line does pass through a station, then it would probally be advisable to not run through at full speed since they are platform tracks & not thru-tracks, maybe a 150km resriction would be advisable (yes that would berather fast if your standing on the yellow line) I guess that would work out at about 3-4 seconds per meter

lets say 3 seconds /meter so about 1second per foot, that seems much more reasonable

woot i'm happy now thanks for the help

/edit I put 240v completly forgeting that we are on 230v now silly me, i must just not be having a numbers day at the moment