Garden Railway Scale/Gauge Combinations
There are a few scale/gauge combinations which are considered to be ideal for use in the garden. Some people have successfully built garden railways using smaller scales but the main ones in use are:
O Gauge
Gauge 1
G Scale
Gauge 3
16mm Narrow Gauge
7/8th Scale
Ride-in 5 inch/7 ¼ inch
O Gauge
1:43.5 Scale, runs on 32mm gauge track to represent standard gauge mainline of 4 foot 8 ½ inches. This is probably the smallest practical scale for use in the garden, but there is a wide range of both RTR and kit items available from various manufacturers.
Gauge 1
1:32 Scale, runs on 45mm gauge track to represent standard gauge mainline of 4 foot 8 ½ inches. There is a choice of locos (both track powered and live steam) and rolling stock from various manufacturers along with a range of kits to represent British outline.
G Scale
1:22.5 Scale, runs on 45mm gauge track and is designed to represent primarily European Narrow Gauge Metre Gauge. There is very good trade support for this scale/gauge combination with RTR items from LGB along with a wide range of track.
1:20.3 Scale also runs on 45mm gauge track and is designed to represent 3 foot gauge, USA narrow gauge.
Gauge 1 USA is 1:29 Scale and represents USA outline. Again there is a good choice of RTR items from manufacturers such as USA Trains and PIKO and others.
Gauge 3
1:22.5 Scale, runs on 63.5mm gauge track to represent British standard gauge mainline of 4 foot 8 ½ inches. GRS can supply a good range of British outline kits for both locos and rolling stock. There are also various other manufacturers who supply kits for Gauge 3. It is possible to also run G Scale narrow gauge and Gauge 3 side by side and dual gauge if desired as they are both the same scale.
16mm Narrow Gauge
1:19 Scale, runs on either 32mm or 45mm gauge track to represent either 2 foot narrow gauge or 2 foot 6 inch to 3 foot British outline narrow gauge. GRS can supply a range of kits and there are many RTR items available from both Roundhouse and Accucraft for both live steam and battery radio control.
7/8th Scale
1:13.7 Scale, runs on 45mm gauge track to represent European metre gauge. There are a few manufacturers that supply locos and rolling stock in both RTR and kit form.
Ride-on 5 inch and 7 ¼ inch
5 inch (1/12th Scale) and 7 ¼ inch (1/8th Scale) track gauge. The “big boys” of the garden railway world for riding on and pulling passengers. Locomotives and rolling stock are available from various manufacturers for both RTR and kit items. GRS supply a range of coal fired British steam outline locos in both gauges.