1 gauge
1 gauge, gauge 1 or gauge one is a model railway and toy train standard that was popular in the early 20th century, particularly with European manufacturers. Its track measures 1.75 in (44.45 mm), making it larger than 0 gauge but slightly smaller than wide gauge, which came to be the dominant U.S. standard during the 1920s.
| Gauge 1 | |
|---|---|
Gauge 1 model of a Ruston & Hornsby locomotive | |
| Scale | 3⁄8 in (9.5 mm) to 1 ft (305 mm) |
| Scale ratio | ca. 1:32 |
| Model gauge | 1.75 in (44.45 mm) |
| Prototype gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Gauge one was standardised, according to Model Railways and Locomotive magazine of August 1909, at 1.75 in (44.45 mm). An exact 1:32 scale would yield 1.766 in (44.85 mm) for standard gauge prototype. The distance between the wheel tyres was set 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).
Definitions using gauge, rather than scale, were more common in the early days with the four gauges for which standards were adopted being No. 0 (commonly called O gauge currently), No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3.