3' Gauge rail modelling is a specialisation in

rail transport modelling Railway modelling (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are Model building, modelled at a reduced Scale (ratio), scale. The scale models include locomotives ...

. Specifically it relates to the modelling of

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

prototypes of gauge. This

gauge Gauge ( ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, especia ...

was the most common narrow gauge in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Apart from some other lines in North, Central and South America, the gauge was uncommon elsewhere. Therefore, most 3 ft gauge modellers model either United States or Irish prototypes.

United States

gauge railroads were widespread in the United States in the period 1880-90. While most of these railroads were converted to

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

by the start of the 20th century, a number of lines survived till the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and became popular subjects for modelling. Probably the most popular prototype is the

Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad , often shortened to ''Rio Grande'', D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a narrow-gauge line running south fr ...

, followed by other

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

railroads such as the Rio Grande Southern and

Colorado and Southern The Colorado and Southern Railway was an American Class I railroad in the western United States that operated independently from 1898 to 1908, then as part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad until it was absorbed into the Burlin ...

. Other railroads from California and the eastern states are also popular. Scale and gauge combinations used in modelling include: :* Nn3 – Using

N scale N scale is a popular model railway scale. Depending upon the manufacturer (or country), the scale ranges from 1:148 to 1:160. Effectively the scale is 1:159, 9 mm to , which is the width of standard gauge railway. However the scale may ...

(1:160 ratio) with Z () gauge track. :* HOn3 – Using

HO scale HO or H0 is a rail transport modelling scale using a 1:87 scale (3.5 mm to 1 foot). It is the most popular scale of model railway in the world. The rails are spaced apart for modelling standard gauge tracks and trains in HO. The ...

(1:87 ratio) with gauge track. Historically the most popular of the scale/gauge combinations. :* Sn3 – Using

S scale S scale (or S gauge) is a model railroad scale modeled at 1:64 scale, S scale track gauge (space between the rails) is . S gauge trains are manufactured in both DC and AC powered varieties. S gauge is not to be confused with '' toy train standar ...

(1:64 ratio) with gauge track. Limited commercial support. :* 55n3 - Using 5.5 mm scale (1:55 ratio) with gauge track. Supported by 5.5mm association. :* On3 – Using

O scale O scale (or O gauge) is a scale commonly used for toy trains and rail transport modelling. Introduced by German toy manufacturer Märklin around 1900, by the 1930s three-rail alternating current O gauge was the most common model railroad sc ...

(1:48 ratio) with gauge track. Probably the second most popular scale. :* F scale – using 1:20.3 ratio with gauge track. This scale uses the same gauge as, and is derived from, the popular

G scale G scale or G gauge, also called large scale (), is a track gauge for model railways which is often used for outdoor garden railways because of its size and durability. G scale trains use a fixed track gauge of to accommodate a range of rai ...

. It is the largest popular scale/gauge combination, and is suitable for use in the garden. Perhaps not surprisingly, most narrow gauge modellers in the United States model US gauge prototypes. However, these prototypes are also popular modelling subjects outside of the United States.

Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Britain

gauge was the narrow gauge used in

, and the gauge of almost all the railways on the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

. It was also used on a handful of railways in Britain. However, modelling these gauge railways is very much a minority pursuit, especially when compared with other prototypes such as the Welsh narrow gauge. Scales and gauges used include: Generally these scale/gauge combinations do not have much commercial support, and therefore modellers are required to construct most of their models from scratch. 00n3 is the exception and there is good support from manufacturers like Branchlines (Isle of Man Railway and some Irish lines),

Worsley Works Worsley Works, is a manufacturer of kits for model railway carriages and locomotives, owned and run from Worsley, near Manchester, England UK, by Allen Doherty. Worsley Works is well known in the finescale modelling world, especially in less-po ...

(mostly Irish railway 'scratch aid' brass kits) and Alphagraphix (mostly card Irish rolling stock kits). Some model kits are not available new due to production having ceased but can be found on the preowned market including the Backwoods models of Irish narrow gauge locomotives and rolling stock.

References

External links

Lex Parker's On3 model of the D&RGW

Another On3 layout - the Paisley Mill & Timber Co.

Slim Gauge Guild HOn3 and Sn3 layouts

Nn3 Home Page

15mm to the foot scale garden railway based on an Irish 3' gauge railway
{{H0 scale Rail transport modelling, Modelling 3' Gauge Railroads Model railroad scales Narrow-gauge railway modelling

United States

Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Britain

See also

References

External links