101 years of n scale

[cteno4]

interesting history done by a german forum. looks like 9mm gauge modeling started in 1912! interesting to see the evolution.

 

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://www.1zu160.net/nspur/geschichte.php&usg=ALkJrhhqFz0j3C7-2_pyAHw11dVUc5GB9A

 

jeff

[Ochanomizu]

Isn't the Arnold products of 1962 that were the first standardized N-scale?  At least, that is what I heard.

[cteno4]

Yes that was when it was standardized. The stuff before was using 9mm and there abouts gauge track and varying scales from 1/150 to 1/200. Title should really be n gauge, not n scale, that's not actually universally standardized!

 

Jeff

[Ochanomizu]

I think I understand you:

 

"N" is not a scale.  It is a track gauge.  It is 9mm.  HOn is another use for "N-gauge", right?  The scale is 1:80. So it is another use for N-gauge track.

 

My meaning:

 

N-gauge track was commonly associated with 1:150 - 1:160 scale by the Arnold products of 1962.

 

So many people confuse the terminology that it has become acceptable in Japan to refer to "N-scale".  But really, the scale is 1:150 and the track gauge is 9mm, or N.

 

I just received a new Tomix catalog.  Page 340 it is written: "1/80 Scale - 16.5mm Gauge".  The word is written 40mm tall.  That's education!

 

I hope you understand me.

[Martijn Meerts]

"Scale" and "gauge" often gets used as meaning the same thing, even if it's not ;)

[cteno4]

Well, there is n scale, but that just is not universal, it varies by region (americas and euro 1/160, england 1/148 and 1/152) or as in Japan between Shinkansen models (1/160) and everything else (1/150). N gauge is universal at 9mm.

 

HOn refers to narrow gauge HO scale (usually 1/87) models that run on N gauge track so HOn scale is not N scale but HOn gauge is N gauge both 9mm!

 

It does cause confusion!

 

Jeff

[Guest Closed Account 1]

Ah ha so 2mm fine scale began first.

 

Wiki shortened the entire history,

 

It has N history originating in 1964.

 

I print the wiki N page on standard sized card stock and display it on the museum layout for the visitors.

[Guest Closed Account 1]

Ah ha so 2mm fine scale began first.

 

Wiki shortened the entire history,

 

It has N history originating in 1964.

 

I print the wiki N page on standard sized card stock and display it on the museum layout for the visitors.

[Guest Closed Account 1]

Moderator please delete my double post.

 

Weird.

[KenS]

Cool link Jeff.  And interesting that 2mm scale came first.

 

Here's another history, from a collector's perspective.  It mentions both "Seiko", typo for Sekisui, (precursor to Kato), and Tomy were producing N-scale trains by the late 60's.

 

http://reviews.ebay.com/Early-N-scale-oddities?ugid=10000000005717001

 

and another noting a 1964 Model Railroader article that referred to the new 1:160 scale as "triple O" and Con-Cor importing Sekisui trains in 1966.

 

http://tycotrain.tripod.com/n-scale-resource/index.html

[cteno4]

Ken,

 

thanks, excellent articles!

 

Jeff

[Ochanomizu]

This thread is very interesting.  What is the forum concensus?  I read the articles.  I am confused.  I accept that n-gauge is 100 years old, but not "known" as n-gauge.  I am not clear on what the forum agree is the first successful commercialisation of n-gauge.  I don't mind if the scale was 150, 152 or 160.  I hope you understand my question.

[Guest Closed Account 1]

The key term to remember everyone is 9MM.

 

Named for the German number 9.

 

(Whether you're new to N Gauge or not)

 

N gauge track is 9mm globally today.

 

Sure the manufactures may have interpreted differently about the century.

 

The body shells may be different since its birth and HO may have adopted 9mm track as their narrow gauge but, we can boast about N gauge being 100 years old.

 

Add in digital, and N Gauge is exploding.

Edited January 21, 2013 by Webskipper

[KenS]

This thread is very interesting.  What is the forum concensus?  I read the articles.  I am confused.  I accept that n-gauge is 100 years old, but not "known" as n-gauge.  I am not clear on what the forum agree is the first successful commercialisation of n-gauge.  I don't mind if the scale was 150, 152 or 160.  I hope you understand my question.

 

Well, clearly in 1964 not everyone was using the name "N" to mean the 9mm track system and trains for it since the author of the Model Railroader article called it "OOO" scale.  That's the year (apparently, from the article) that the name was associated with both 9mm track and 1:160 trains.

 

It sounds like Arnold introduced 1:160 in 1962, and perhaps they also used the name "N", but obviously not everyone did even two years later.

 

If you want to be a purist, "N scale" would mean the ratio, like 1:160 and 1:152, and the modern ratio seems to have been established in 1962.  But lots of people today call other scales "N Scale", and purists tend to stick to "N gauge" (which just means 9mm track regardless of scale).

 

It's one of those "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin" arguments.  What the answer is depends on what you mean by the question.  I'd suggest that "N" started 101 years ago with the introduction of trains on track with a gauge of 9 ("neun") mm by Gebrüder Bing (Bing Brothers) in Germany, regardless of the scale ratio used or the name it was called by.  Modern "N" can probably be dated to Arnold's 1962 introduction of 1:160 models, regardless of the name they went by.

 

Note: Bing also created the 4mm OO scale still used in Britain. Interestingly the above wikipedia link doesn't mention N at all.

 

But since most of us on this board model in 1:150 scale, and call it "N", you could argue that our version of N goes back to the introduction of 1:152.3 scale models in 1927.  Or you could date it to the first Kato/Tomy models in the late 1960's. It's all just words.

[Ochanomizu]

Thankyou Mr KenS,

 

Better to say that it was popularized in the early 1960's by Arnold, I tink.