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#REDIRECT ]
{{Unreferenced|date=September 2OO8}}

{{Infobox Model Rail_Scale
{{Redirect category shell|
| name = HO
{{R from alternative name}}
| image_filename = HO Scale Bachmann 44-tonner.JPG
| image_caption = U.S. ] model of an HO scale (1:87) center cab ] made by ] shown with a pencil for size comparison.
| widthpx = 275px
| scale = 3.5 mm to 1 foot
| ratio = 1:87
| standard = ], ]
| gauge = 16.5 mm
| prototype_gauge = ]
}} }}

'''HO scale''' is the most popular ] of ] in most of the English-speaking world (in the ], ] - with trains built to a larger scale but using the same track as HO - predominates). In HO scale, 3.5 millimetres represents 1 real foot; this ratio works out to about 1:87.086. In HO, rails are usually spaced 16.5 millimeters apart which models the standard railroad gauge of 4' 8.5" or 1435 mm.

== History ==
] RR museum in ].]]
The name "HO" derives from "half-O," as HO is half of O scale. When both scales were first introduced, they were spelt 0 and H0, following the older and larger ], ], and ] scales. In time as these larger scales became obsolete, alpha spelling became normative. Today, the ] specifies standards for "HO" and "O" scales, while the ] (the NMRA's European equivalent) still uses the classification H0 and 0. Both nomenclatures are used in Britain, while HO predominates in other English-speaking countries.

HO scale trains first appeared in the United Kingdom in the 1930s, originally as an alternative to ], but could not make commercial headway against the established OO gauge. However, it became very popular in the ], where it took off in the late 1950s after interest in model railroads as toys began to decline and more emphasis began to be placed on realism in response to hobbyist demand. While HO scale is by nature more delicate than ], its smaller size allows modelers to fit more details and more scale miles into a comparable area.

In the 1960s, as HO scale began to overtake 0 scale in popularity, even the stalwarts of other sizes, including ] (makers of ]) and ] began manufacturing HO trains.

Currently, HO is the most popular model railroad scale in both continental Europe and North America, whereas ] is still dominant in Britain.

There are some modelers in Great Britain who use HO gauge. For them, the British 1:87 Scale Society was formed in 1994; it publishes a quarterly journal with news, views, and practical advice for modelers and collectors.

Today, HO ]s, ] (cars or carriages), ]s, and ] are available from a large number of ]s in a variety of ].

== Controls ==
Modern HO trains run on two-rail track, which is powered by ] (varying the ] applied to the rails to change the ], and ] to change direction), or by ] (sending ] commands to a ] in each locomotive). Some trains, most notably by ] of ], run on ], supplied by a "]" consisting of small bumps on each tie down the center of the track.

On simple, usually temporary layouts, power is supplied by a power pack consisting of a ] and ], a ] or ] for regulating voltage supplied to the track (and thus train speed), and a switch to control train direction — a double pole, double throw slide or toggle switch wired to reverse the polarity on the rails. On permanent layouts, multiple power supplies are traditionally used, with the trackage divided into electrically isolated sections called blocks; toggle or rotary switches (sometimes relays) are used to select which power supply controlled the train in a particular block. With the advent of digital command control, block divisions are largely eliminated, as the computerized controllers can control any train anywhere on the track at any time, with minor limitations.

== The Gauge ==
HO scale has several narrower gauges to represent ]s in the same scale as their HO counterparts.

{| class="wikitable"
! Name|| Gauge || Prototype || Notes
|-
| '''HO''' || 16,5 mm || Standard gauge ||
|-
| ''']''' || 12 mm || ] ||
|-
| ''']''' || 12 mm || 3' 6" gauge || 3' 6" is the "standard" gauge in much of Africa, Queensland (Aus), New Zealand and also non-] ] lines in Japan
|-
| ''']''' || 10.5 mm || 36" gauge ||
|-
| '''] and ]''' || 9 mm || 30" gauge || Typically for lines in 24-30" gauge. Known as HOe in Europe
|-
| '''HOz and HOi''' || 6,5 mm || 15" gauge || Known as HOi (or HOf) in Europe
|}

==Curved track==
Commonly manufactured curved track in HO scale may have a radius of as little as {{in to cm|15}}, which models a full-scale curved radius of {{ft to m|108}}. This is an extremely tight curve, much tighter than on real railroads, except those found in ] or ] systems, or sometimes in railroads found in mountain ranges. (Standard railroads utilize curves of much greater radii.) This prefabricated snap-together track, sometimes called "snap track" — a trade name used by ], which manufactures the track used in many HO scale toy train sets in North America — is normally used only by casual hobbyists or temporary setups. On higher-quality permanent layouts larger radii are used, frequently made of "hand laid" track whereby the modeler lays individual wooden sleepers/crossties, then installs rails on top using very small railroad spikes, followed by a layer of scale gravel ballast. Another option is so-called flex track, which is compatible with snap track. Even so, the curve radii used are still much less than those on full-size railroads. For instance, a full-size railroad curve with a radius of 8OO meters (roughly 25OO feet or about one half mile) would require a radius of a bit over {{in to cm|345}}, far more than a typical "gentle" curve using hand-laid track on a high-quality layout. Curvature equivalent to that used by real railroads is simply impractical because of the limited size of the layout.

==Availability of models and supplies==
Because of HO scale's popularity, which is more than that of all other scales combined, a huge array of models, kits and supplies are manufactured. The annual HO scale catalog by ], North America's largest model railroad supplier, lists more than 1,OO0 pages of products in that scale alone. Products run the gamut of toy train sets with ready-to-run trains and modular track, to craftsman-grade kits, supplies for building models from scratch, and even highly-detailed limited-edition ] models made of brass by companies based in ] and ].

Because of the wide range of products available, the scale is popular with modelers of all incomes and degrees of seriousness. For instance, ready-to-run or easy-to-assemble plastic models of freight cars may sell for less than US $5.OO, while imported brass models of steam locomotives may sell for thousands of dollars or euros.

==Advantages compared to other scales==
HO scale's popularity lies somewhat in its middle-of-the-road status. It is large enough to accommodate a great deal of detail in finer models, more so than the smaller ] and ] scales, and can also be easily handled by children without as much fear of swallowing small parts. Models are usually less expensive than the smaller scales because of more exacting manufacturing process in N and Z, and also less expensive than ], ] and ] scales because of the smaller amount of material; the larger audience and the resultant ] also drives HO prices down. The size lends itself to elaborate track plans in a reasonable amount of room space, not as much as N but considerably more than S or 0. In short, HO scale provides the balance between the detail of larger scales and the lower space requirements of smaller scales.

==HO in other hobbies and in marketing usage==
In other hobbies, the term HO is often used more loosely than in railroad modeling. In ] racing, HO does not denote a precise scale of car, but a general size of track on which the cars can range from 1:87 to approximately 1:64 scale. Small plastic model soldiers are often popularly referred to as HO size if they are close to an inch in height, though the actual scale is usually 1:76 or 1:72.

Even in model railroading, the term HO can be stretched. Some British producers have marketed railway accessories such as detail items and figures, as HO/OO in an attempt to make them attractive to modelers in either scale. Sometimes the actual scale was OO, sometimes it split the difference (about 1:82). These items may be marketed as HO, especially in the US. In addition, some manufacturers or importers tend to label any small-scale model, regardless of exact scale, as HO scale in order to increase sales to railroad modelers. The sizes of "HO" automobiles, for example, from different manufacturers, can vary surprisingly.

==Manufacturers==
{{Expand list|date=August 2OO8}}
Currently-active significant manufacturers and marketers of HO railroad equipment as of 2OO8, include:
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*Hamo - Two-rail ] version of ]
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*] (norsk modell jernbane) norwegian model railway
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Significant historical manufacturers and marketers of HO equipment which are no longer active in HO, include
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== See also ==

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== External links ==

{{Commons|Category:HO scale|HO scale}}
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* Includes separate websites for many classic HO-scale model train product lines of the past; online catalog resources; links to current manufacturers; new release resource section for current and coming product releases.


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Latest revision as of 16:51, 18 January 2023

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