Model Railway Forum

Hello!
I wonder if anyone can explain why some N gauge card kits are so much bigger than others.

In the image, the building on the left is the Metcalfe Redbrick station building N gauge and the one on the right is Prototype Models 2 mm to the foot GWR station building Chalford. This difference makes choosing what to put on my new N gauge layout very difficult. The Metcalfe Platforms I have look right, but the building is huge and dwarfs everything else. It seems that I can't mix and match.
Cheers,
Colin

I would say the Metcalfe station is a more important building that the one on the right which looks like a small village station building?
An average N gauge figure at 2mm/foot would be about 11mm to 12mm tall (5ft6" to 6ft) so use that to see what the doorway openings are like on each item. Bearing in mind most doorways are around 6ft 3" or so and many on public buildings are taller.

The one on the left looks more like OO gauge to me. Looking at the doors windows and gable ends. Well everything really. Other looks N.

One OO branch line station (not finnished) and one main line station notice the doors are the same height. Would be nice to see your buildings next to a train.

Could the difference be down to differences in UK N-gauge and European N-gauge their locos certainly look smaller than UK stock when side by side.

Richard

A good way of calibrating scale is to measure the doors. These should be approximately 2m (scale) in height, which equates to 13.5mm (approximately) high in reality. If an ordinary looking door is much taller than this, then it may be out of scale.

Diferent stations as mentioned before had diferent size doors a large importent station would have large grand size doors. Then you better get a drawing of the station first. Or go and measure it. Often with models it is what looks right rather what is right..

My dad had an OO Superquick terminus station on his N gauge layout and it looked perfect.

Do agree though, on houses the door dimension usually indicates what gauge.

Yes I have that OO Dapol country station (in my Picture) which I was going to use on my country terminus station but have decided not to because I think it looks too small. I recon those old Dapol ex Airfix kits were HO scale. Least they look it to me. Mind you my eyes are not what they were.

Don’t think so. They are definitely OO. Think I built them all.

Yes OO gauge without doubt.