# Gauge 1 track - Is that the 45mm stuff or something different?



## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

I have a question on what Gauge 1 track is. Is it the 45mm (rail-to-rail) or something different? 

I was told Gauge 1 track is not 45mm, that it's slightly wider. 

Accucraft 1:32 and MTH 1:32, do they run on 45mm track?


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## dawgnabbit (Jan 2, 2008)

Wikipedia has this to say: 

“No 1 gauge was standardised, according to Model Railways and Locomotive magazine of August 1909 at 1.75 in (44.45 mm). The distance between the wheel tyres at 1+17⁄32 in (38.894 mm) and between the centre of the track 48 mm (no inch equivalent suggesting it was metric users requirement only). The wheel width was set at 19⁄64 in (7.541 mm).” 

FWIW, 

Dawg


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Gauge One Standards

Gauge One Standards Part 2


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Charles on 09 Apr 2010 10:30 AM 
Gauge One Standards

Gauge One Standards Part 2 


And the Gauge 1 Model Railway Association (G1MRA) has been around how long?? They are the standard.


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## Polaris1 (Jan 22, 2010)

I have 50% MTH Gauge 1 RR stuff. It runs on 45 mm track just fine...... I use Aristo 332 Stainless steel 8' rail segments with loose ties.


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## Rod Fearnley (Jan 2, 2008)

I run all of my Aristo, USAT , and single LGB diesels on Peco 1 Guage nickel silver track. It works just fine. Looks good too.
Rod


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## jobusch (Feb 29, 2008)

Gauge 1 is nominally 45mm track gauge ... 1:32 standard gauge models are to proper scale and gauge on this track (Scale 1), as are models of meter gauge prototypes in 1:22.5 scale and models of 3-foot gauge prototypes in 1:20.3 scale (Standard gauge models in 1:22.5 scale run on 64mm Gauge [2 or 3 depending on whether you are a continental European or a Brit] - standard gauge models in 1:20.3 scale run on "F" gauge track) ... in 1:29 scale 45mm would be correct for models of 42" (narrow gauge) equipment, but commercially I think the decision to use 1:29/45mm was based on one of two things ... matching the bulk of LGB (1:22.5) models, or just multiplying the linear dimensions in the HO (1:87.1) tooling by three.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

A correction to Pete's post - 1:29 on 45mm is 51.3" 

Later, 

K


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Yup. Those all run on 45mm track. Different companies call it guage 1 for marketing purposes. 

Long ago, there were 0 gauge, called "O;" 1 gauge, 45mm; and 2 gauge. 

Why they didn't call them 32mm, 45mm and whatever, is way beyond me. Kindof like we talk about "Code 332, Code 250, Code 215" instead of .332, .250 or .215 

It's all a bit silly, actually


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

I believe the following is correct as to the original Marklin track gauges 0 (Zero) - 5.
(If the link comes out as plain text then copy and paste to browser's address field)[/i]

Marklin Track Gauges PDF file
http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/stevec/MLS-Topic-Article/MarklinGauge-02.pdf[/b]


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## Axel Tillmann (Jan 10, 2008)

Posted By Torby on 10 Apr 2010 06:43 PM 
.......Kindof like we talk about "Code 332, Code 250, Code 215" instead of .332, .250 or .215 

It's all a bit silly, actually








Or gauge 12, 14, 16 wires which is acutally not getting thicker with increasing numbers but thinner becasue it is actually 1/12, 1/14, 1/16. I have have to tell you the one thing I cannot adjust to...... even after 19 years....???


Yes you guessed it right the imperical system, verus the metric. I find a wire thickness of .1mm .2mm 1mm .... so much easier to understand.

But now back to the topic.

In garden scale trains we actually have the following gauges:

II, IIm, IIe, IIf, I, F (and for some even O and Om - mostly in the swiss market)

II= 1:22.5 mainline runs on 64mm track (gauge 2 track)
IIm= 1:22.5 Narrow gauge 1m lines runs on 45mm track (gauge 1 track)
IIe = 1:22.5 Narrow gauge .75m lines runs on 32 mm track (O gauge track)
IIf = 1:22.5 Industrial gauge less than .75m runs on track from 26.7mm - 30mm
I = 1:32 mainline runs on 45 mm track (gauge 1 track)
F = 1:20.3 US 3' Narrow gauge runs on 45mm track (gauge 1 track)
O = 1:45 mainline runs on 32 mmm track (O gauge track)
Om = 1:45 Narrow gauge 1m runs on 22.5 mm track (S gauge track)

Now in my case it is easy I model the Swiss RhB (prototpye 1m) so IIm on 45 mm track. And a lot of things fall into place. With American rolling stock it is not as easy (at least if you like to be prototypical).

Aristocraft and and USA Trains massaged their US mainline rolling stock to be optically compatible with the standard that LGB had set. LGB initially modelling 1:22.5 but extending its product line to to .75m prototypes, mainline prototypes, as well as US narrow gauge. That created the requirement to stretch and sqeeze creatively. Hence Aristo and USA came up with 1:29 nomenclature which of course didn't exit in the real world. The correct guage is 1:32 on 45mm track or 1:22.5 on 64mm track. The is a true gauge II community in Germany and pictures can be found here: Interest group for gauge II

I hope this doesn't make it any more confusing. But of course there is one additional caveat - an old modelling "standard" the 1/2" community which is actually 1:24. I had once mistakenly bought 1/2" scale wheel sets and they were just too narrow to run on 45 mm track but of course too wide to run on 32mm track.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

I hope this doesn't make it any more confusing. 
Well, like all these lists, it does! 

II= 1:22.5 mainline runs on 64mm track (gauge 2 track) 
Outside Europe (and esp in the UK,) 1:22.5 is Gauge-3. For some reason [which I'm sure will now be revealed] the Germans switched G-3 to gauge II. Gauge-2 in the UK is 2" gauge, which is so close to Gauge-1 that few people bothered, so I am told.


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## LogSkidder01 (Jul 30, 2009)

Challenge! 

Just for the Standard or metrically challenged - Why is an August 1909 measurement at 1.75 in (44.45 mm) not 1.75 inch? Or could 1.75 inch equal 45 mm? A hint - In 1954 I used a marker to label my trusty 12 inch wooden ruler OBSOLETE. What is, or was, and inch? That is the question. 

Ken 

And yes I did grow up in a government run, technically oriented community where metrics mattered.


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

whatever became of gauges 2 and 3? I think they had some garden stuff back in the 50s but all you hear about now is 45mm track


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By SE18 on 14 Apr 2010 12:30 PM 
whatever became of gauges 2 and 3? I think they had some garden stuff back in the 50s but all you hear about now is 45mm track 

Gauge 2 is pretty much dead outside of collectors, but Gauge 3 is alive and doing relatively well in the UK, albiet a small niche hobby that is almost exclusivley live steam. 

Link to the Gauge 3 Society in Britain.

http://www.gauge3.org.uk/


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