List of rail transport modelling scale standards

MOROP (the European federation of national model railway associations) is a European organisation which publishes NEM-standards. NEM-standards are used by model railway industry and hobbyists in Europe. The standards are published in French and German and both versions have an official status. Unofficial translations in English from third parties exist for certain NEM-standard sheets.

Model railway scales and gauges are standardized in NEM 010,[1] which covers several gauges for each scale. Narrow gauges are indicated by an additional letter added after the base scale as follows:

• no letter = standard gauge (prototype: 1,250–1,700 mm or 49.2–66.9 in)
• m = metre gauge (prototype: 850–1,250 mm or 33.5–49.2 in)
• e = narrow gauge (prototype: 650–850 mm or 25.6–33.5 in)
• i = industrial (prototype: 400–650 mm or 15.7–25.6 in)
• p = park railway (prototype: 300–400 mm or 11.8–15.7 in)

For instance, a metre gauge model railway in H0-scale would be designated H0m. In German text letter 'f' (stands for Feldbahn) is sometimes used instead of 'i'. Letter 'e' is derived from the French word 'étroit' which translates to 'narrow'. NEM gauges are arranged conveniently to use normal gauge of smaller scales as narrow gauges for a certain scale. For instance, H0m gauge is the same as the TT scale normal gauge, H0e same as the N scale normal gauge and H0i same as the Z scale normal gauge

For H0 and 0 -scales, NEM uses the number zero or the letter 'O', whereas NMRA uses letter 'O' (HO instead of H0). Regardless of whether a letter or number is used, the scale is the same.

The NMRA (National Model Railroad Association) standardized the first model railway scales in the 1940s. NMRA standards are used widely in North America and by certain special interest groups all over the world. To some extent NMRA and NEM standards are compatible, but in many areas, the two standards specify certain model railway details in somewhat incompatible ways for the same scale.

There are two NMRA standard sheets where the scales have been defined. NMRA standard S-1.2 covers the popular model railway scales and S-1.3 defines scales with deep flanges for model railways with very sharp curves or other garden railway specific design features.

In certain NMRA scales an alternative designation is sometimes used corresponding the length of one prototype foot in scale either in millimetres or in inches. For instance, 3.5 mm scale is the same as HO. For HO and O -scales, NMRA uses the letter 'O' whereas NEM uses the number zero (H0 instead of HO).

NMRA has defined alternative, more prototypical, track and wheel system standards in standard sheet S-1.1 for the purposes of reproducing the prototype proportions in scale model more realistically. These model railway standards are based on the full size prototype standards and the scale model operational reliability is therefore reduced in comparison to the models conforming to the normal NMRA standards. Proto and finescale rails and wheels are generally not compatible with the normal scale model railway material with the same scale ratio.

Proto scale was originally developed by the Model Railway Study Group in Great Britain in 1966 and later adopted into NMRA standards with modifications necessary for the North American prototype railway standards. Proto scale reproduces faithfully the prototype wheel tread profile and track work used by the Association of American Railroads and the American Railway Engineering Association.

Finescale reproduces the prototype wheel tread profile and track work used by the Association of American Railroads and the American Railway Engineering Association with minor compromises for performance and manufacturability.

Note: to interpret the number in the left hand column, these examples illustrate:

• 3.5 mm scale (HO): 3.5 mm scale measurement = 1 foot (304.8 mm) prototype. The ratio is therefore 1:87.08571, usually reported as 1:87.
• 1" scale: 1" scale measurement = 1 foot prototype, the ratio is reported as 1:12.

The main railways in Great Britain use the international standard gauge of 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) but the loading gauge is narrower and lower than in the rest of Europe with the same standard gauge. This is one of the main reasons why the country has traditionally used its own distinctive model railway scales which can rarely be found outside the British Isles.

When H0 scale was being introduced, the motors available were too large[4] to fit in scale-sized bodies and so as a compromise the scale was increased from 3.5 mm to 4 mm to the foot, but the gauge was not changed so other elements could be shared. For 00 therefore the track is narrower than it should be for the scale used. EM and P4 standards correct this anomaly by adopting a wider track gauge.

The globally more-widespread international NEM and NMRA scale standards are relatively rare in Great Britain and used almost exclusively by those modelling foreign prototypes.

While there are Japanese model railway manufacturers that export their products to other parts of the world and follow the scale standards of the export destinations, in Japan there are several domestic scales that are popular in the country but virtually unknown elsewhere. International NEM and NMRA scales are also used by some Japanese modellers. The main reason for the domestic scales different from international standards is the smaller prototype loading gauge and unusual gauges of Japanese railways: 600 mm (1 ft 11 ⁵⁄₈ in), 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) and 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) are used, along with standard gauge of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in).

Live steam model railways are not standardized systematically by any single standardization body. There are, however, certain scales and gauges which have become de facto standards and in some cases correspond to either NEM or NMRA standard scales. One example is the "IBLS" (International Brotherhood of Live Steamers), an informal organization which has published standards for some of the gauges. Many clubs have their own standards, which also may vary slightly from country to country. Hornby Railways have pioneered commercial model live steam in 00 (1:76 scale on 16.5 mm gauge), the existing models are heated using a controllable electric current through the two running rails and have the steam pressure chamber in the model tender.

In addition to these scales, the United Kingdom has, over the last forty years, fathered a scale that is based on the predominant British narrow track gauge of 2 ft (610 mm). Using 32 mm (1.26 in) - 0 gauge - track, there is an extensive range of 16 mm to the foot scale [1:19] live-steam and other types of locomotives, rolling stock and accessories. Many of these models are dual gauge, and can be converted to run on 45 mm (1.772 in) track (gauge 1), and radio control is common. Locomotives in this scale are generally large and 'chunky', and can range from the tiny 0-4-0 seen on Welsh slate quarry lines all the way up to the very largest found in the UK, such as the ex-ACR NG/G16 Beyer-Garratt locomotives, seen running on the Welsh Highland Railway in North Wales. The hobby is supported by a number of 16 mm live steam and electric traction builders, dominated by the likes of Roundhouse Engineering and Accucraft UK.

There have been many short-lived and often promising model railway scales which are very much defunct nowadays. Quite often these were backed by only the company that created a new scale in the first place.