Determining what scale your model railroad set may be the single most important decision you will need to make as you choose out your starter train set because it affects all the other decisions you will make thereafter regarding your model railroad.

In this particular instance, scale means something completely various that perhaps to what you are accustomed-unless you’re a model builder or have worked in architecture and engineering. When model railroaders speak about scale, what they’re really talking about is the size from the trains that they’re operating.

Well, why don’t they just say size?

Grand Scale is what the extremely large model railroad hobby is known as and its most popular big size is 1:4 scale-the colon in 1:4 is study as "to." So it is 1 to 4. That means that one inch on the model railroad represents four inches on the real thing. This really is really a train by which you can ride. The next size down is 1:8 where one inch on the model railroad represents eight inches on the real deal. This is a ride-able train. You’re not getting in it, but you are able to ride on top of it. You’ll look just a little funny-kind of like when you were a kid whenever you attempted to ride the dog-except this time it'll operate with the train. With 1:12 scale, exactly where one inch represents 12 inches on the real deal, you can still ride, but you look a lot funny. Now it’s like you are riding a dachshund. However-believe it or not-the ride-able size train go all of the way down to 1:24 scale. Kind of like riding a mouse, I guess.

Following that, you are getting into the size of model railroad that are generally known as Garden railways. You will find a number of scales across the world Fn3 (1:20.3), llm (1:22.5), half-inch scale (1:22), gauge 2 (1:29), gauge 1 (1:32), but far and absent probably the most popular garden model railroad scale is G-Scale, that is both 1:19 or 1:29 relying on where within the world you discover it. These trains are designed for outdoor use and could be set up nicely in all but the very smallest of yards.