Scale — Model railway
O scale
O scale
1:48
At 1:48 a person is 36.5 mm tall and a 19 m locomotive is 39.6 cm long. Everything below is drawn at 1:48, by an atelier that builds architectural models at the scales either side of it.
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Scale1:48
Subjectlocomotive, person
Grid1 cm on the model
DrawnAtelier AMOD
Sheet15 / 20
Person36.5 mm1.75 m
Track gauge32 mmbetween the rails
Carriage50 cm24 m long
Locomotive83.3 mm4 m tall
01Converter
Real size,
Real size,
1:48 size
For a whole building at every scale at once, use the scale calculator.
| Standard track gauge 1.44 m | 29.9 mm |
|---|---|
| A person 1.75 m | 36.5 mm |
| A locomotive, height 4 m | 83.3 mm |
| A signal 6 m | 12.5 cm |
| A locomotive, length 19 m | 39.6 cm |
| A carriage 24 m | 50 cm |
| 1 mm on the model | 4.8 cm |
|---|---|
| 1 cm on the model | 48 cm |
| 5 cm on the model | 2.4 m |
| 10 cm on the model | 4.8 m |
| 30 cm on the model | 14.4 m |
| 50 cm on the model | 24 m |
| 1 m on the model | 48 m |
02Large and detailed
At 1:48
I
Track gauge
32 mm. O is 1:48 in the United States, 1:43.5 in Britain and France (7 mm to the foot) and 1:45 in Germany, all on the same 32 mm track.
II
Where it is used
The scale of the early tinplate toy trains, and now of large, finely detailed models.
III
For architecture
1:48 is close to 1:50, where an architectural model shows individual bricks and window mullions.
03One figure, every scale
The same person
The same person
at every scale
Architecture
Model railway
04From the archive
Built near 1:48
The archive's models at 1:50, the architectural scale closest to 1:48.
05The scale rule
Every scale
Architecture ↑Model railway ↓
06Questions
On 1:48
What is the ratio of O scale?
O scale is 1:48. One millimetre on the model is 4.8 cm in reality and one centimetre is 48 cm. 32 mm. O is 1:48 in the United States, 1:43.5 in Britain and France (7 mm to the foot) and 1:45 in Germany, all on the same 32 mm track.
How tall is a person in O scale?
A person 1.75 m tall is 36.5 mm in O scale, and a child of 1.2 m is 25 mm. A 4 m locomotive stands 83.3 mm above the rails.
How long is a train in O scale?
A 24 m passenger carriage is 50 cm and a 19 m locomotive 39.6 cm. A twelve-carriage train of 300 m would be 625 cm.
Can O scale figures be used in an architectural model?
1:48 is close to 1:50, where an architectural model shows individual bricks and window mullions.
Your building, at 1:48, built by hand.