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OO gauge
The terms OO gauge and OO scale (or more correctly but less commonly, 00 gauge and 00 scale) relate to the most popular standard gauge model railway standard in the United Kingdom, outside of which it is virtually unknown. "00" is a variant of "H0", meaning Half-0, which historically derives (in increasing size order) from 0 scale, 1 scale and 2 scale, the most popular scales in the early 20th century. Since railway modellers invariably pronounce the zero as "oh" rather than "zero" (e.g. "double-oh" or "aitch-oh"), the scales are often written as OO, HO and O.
00 scale is one of several 4 mm-scale standards (4 mm to the foot or 1:76.2), and the only one to be marketed by major manufacturers of British-outline models.
Logically, to replicate the full-size ("prototype") standard gauge of 1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) the track gauge at 4 mm-to-the-foot scale would be 18.83 millimetres (0.741 inches). However, the gauge is 16.5 mm (0.65 in), which is the same as in H0 scale – 3.5 mm to the foot or 1:87. This oddity has historical origins: essentially, 00 scale involves 4 mm-to-the-foot bodies being mounted on 3.5 mm-to-the-foot track. The result is that 00 rolling stock appears to be running on narrow gauge. The anomaly led some 4 scale modellers in the 1960s to adopt a gauge of 18.2 mm (EM scale), soon followed by some who decided to adopt 18.83 mm and wheel/track proportions very close to full-scale practice (Protofour standards).
Scale is the ratio or proportion of the model to the prototype. Gauge is the distance between the rails. The terms are not interchangeable.
Double-0 scale model railways were launched by Bing in 1921 as "The Table Railway", running on 16.5 mm (0.65 in) track and scaled at 4 mm to the foot. In 1922, the first models of British prototypes appeared. Initially all locomotives were powered by clockwork, but the first electric power appeared in 1923.
"00" describes models with a scale of 4 mm = 1 foot (1:76) running on HO scale 1:87 (3.5 mm = 1 foot) track (16.5 mm/0.650 in). This combination came about since early clockwork mechanisms and electric motors were difficult to fit within H0 scale models of British trains, which have a smaller loading gauge than their European and North American counterparts and locomotives with smaller, often tapered, boilers. A solution was to enlarge the scale of the model to 4 mm to the foot but keep the 3.5 mm to the foot gauge track. This also allowed more space to model the external valve gear. The resulting HO track gauge of 16.5 mm represents 4 feet 1.5 inches at 4 mm to the foot scale, which is 7 inches too narrow or approximately 2.33 mm too narrow in the model.
In 1932, the Bing company collapsed, but the Table Railway continued to be manufactured by the new Trix company. Trix decided to use the new HO standard, being half of French 0 gauge (1:43.5 scale). However, European 0 scale is 1:45.
In 1938, the Meccano Company launched a new range of 00 models under the trade name of Hornby Dublo. The combination of 4 mm scale and 16.5 mm gauge has remained the UK's most popular scale and gauge ever since.
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OO gauge AI simulator
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OO gauge
The terms OO gauge and OO scale (or more correctly but less commonly, 00 gauge and 00 scale) relate to the most popular standard gauge model railway standard in the United Kingdom, outside of which it is virtually unknown. "00" is a variant of "H0", meaning Half-0, which historically derives (in increasing size order) from 0 scale, 1 scale and 2 scale, the most popular scales in the early 20th century. Since railway modellers invariably pronounce the zero as "oh" rather than "zero" (e.g. "double-oh" or "aitch-oh"), the scales are often written as OO, HO and O.
00 scale is one of several 4 mm-scale standards (4 mm to the foot or 1:76.2), and the only one to be marketed by major manufacturers of British-outline models.
Logically, to replicate the full-size ("prototype") standard gauge of 1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) the track gauge at 4 mm-to-the-foot scale would be 18.83 millimetres (0.741 inches). However, the gauge is 16.5 mm (0.65 in), which is the same as in H0 scale – 3.5 mm to the foot or 1:87. This oddity has historical origins: essentially, 00 scale involves 4 mm-to-the-foot bodies being mounted on 3.5 mm-to-the-foot track. The result is that 00 rolling stock appears to be running on narrow gauge. The anomaly led some 4 scale modellers in the 1960s to adopt a gauge of 18.2 mm (EM scale), soon followed by some who decided to adopt 18.83 mm and wheel/track proportions very close to full-scale practice (Protofour standards).
Scale is the ratio or proportion of the model to the prototype. Gauge is the distance between the rails. The terms are not interchangeable.
Double-0 scale model railways were launched by Bing in 1921 as "The Table Railway", running on 16.5 mm (0.65 in) track and scaled at 4 mm to the foot. In 1922, the first models of British prototypes appeared. Initially all locomotives were powered by clockwork, but the first electric power appeared in 1923.
"00" describes models with a scale of 4 mm = 1 foot (1:76) running on HO scale 1:87 (3.5 mm = 1 foot) track (16.5 mm/0.650 in). This combination came about since early clockwork mechanisms and electric motors were difficult to fit within H0 scale models of British trains, which have a smaller loading gauge than their European and North American counterparts and locomotives with smaller, often tapered, boilers. A solution was to enlarge the scale of the model to 4 mm to the foot but keep the 3.5 mm to the foot gauge track. This also allowed more space to model the external valve gear. The resulting HO track gauge of 16.5 mm represents 4 feet 1.5 inches at 4 mm to the foot scale, which is 7 inches too narrow or approximately 2.33 mm too narrow in the model.
In 1932, the Bing company collapsed, but the Table Railway continued to be manufactured by the new Trix company. Trix decided to use the new HO standard, being half of French 0 gauge (1:43.5 scale). However, European 0 scale is 1:45.
In 1938, the Meccano Company launched a new range of 00 models under the trade name of Hornby Dublo. The combination of 4 mm scale and 16.5 mm gauge has remained the UK's most popular scale and gauge ever since.