5.5 mm to 1 foot scale (1:55.4 or 1:55) is used for

modelling A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided into ...

narrow gauge railways 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 tighter curv ...

. gauge track is used to represent to gauge prototypes. gauge track is used to represent gauge prototypes. Very narrow industrial or rural lines can be represented by N-gauge (9 mm gauge) on OO9-track do give . These 5.5mm could be called "5.5-ind".

History

5.5mm scale narrow gauge model railways were developed by GEM in 1963, using gauge track, which was the smallest commercially available gauge at the time (

TT gauge TT scale (from "table top") is a model railroading scale at 1:120 scale with a track gauge of 12mm between the rails. It is placed between HO scale (1:87) and N scale (1:160). Its original purpose, as the name suggests, was to make a train set ...

).Why 1/55th scale?
/ref> GEM produced kits for locomotives and rolling stock from the

Ffestiniog Ffestiniog (; ) is a community in Gwynedd, Wales, containing several villages, in particular the settlements of Llan Ffestiniog and Blaenau Ffestiniog. It has a population of 4,875. History Ffestiniog was a parish in Cantref Ardudwy; in 12 ...

and Talyllyn railways. Following the development of

N gauge 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 ...

, using gauge track, the popularity of 5.5 mm scale declined as modellers adopted

OO9 OO9, often also denoted as 009 or 00-9 and commonly pronounced as Double-Oh Nine, is a model railway scale and gauge combination of 4mm scale, 4 mm scale and gauge tracks, which models a Prototype#Scale modeling, prototype track gauge of ...

which could combine N gauge track and mechanisms with the widely supported 4 mm scale. However 5.5mm scale remained in use and, following an article on the Gwynant Valley Railway by Malcolm Savage in Railway Modeller, October 1984, th
5.5mm Association
was formed. The tooling for the GEM kits was purchased by Malcolm Savage in 1996 and he reintroduced and upgraded the range. Following Malcolm's death in 2018 the tooling was purchased b
55th Studios

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 ...

has also produced "scratch aids" for the scale. More recently, 3D printing techniques have expanded the range of available models even further, while in the USA there's a quietly flourishing 3' gauge modelling fraternity, using OO track and mechanisms. There are many other sources of modelling aids for 5.5 mm scale. Siku's Super Series of vehicles are to 1/55 scale, while in the military modelling and wargaming world, 28mm scale (the height of a 6' tall figure) is a close match. Historical and contemporary figures, buildings and accessories are all readily available from a variety of manufacturers.

References

External links

5.5mm Association
Narrow-gauge railway modelling {{Model-rail-stub

History

See also

References

External links