Important legal notice: The linked sites are not under my control and I am not responsible for the contents of any linked site, or any changes or updates to such sites. I am not responsible for webcasting or any other form of transmission received from any linked site. I am providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by myself of the site.
common scales
| II | 1:22.5 |
| G | 1:29 |
| I | 1:32 |
| 0 or O | 1:45 (NEM) or 1:43.5 (older European models) or 1:48 (USA) |
| S | 1:64 |
| OO | 1:76.2 (used mainly in the UK, uses the same gauge as H0) |
| H0 | 1:87 |
| TT | 1:120 |
| N | 1:160 (UK: 1:148; Japan: 1:150) |
| Z | 1:220 |
While the scale abbreviation without a suffix means a normal-gauge train (prototypical gauge of 1435mm), suffixes to a scale abbreviation mean corresponding narrow-gauge trains, e.g. -m (prototypical gauge of 1000mm) or -e (prototypical gauge of 750mm).
rolling stock manufacturers
magazines
| Classic Trains Magazine | by Kalmbach Publishing Co., focus: US prototypical operations from the 1930s to the 1960s (English) |
| Continental Modeller | by Peco, focus: Continental model railroading from a British perspective (English) |
| CTC Board Railroads Illustrated | by CTC Board, focus: US present-day prototypical operations (English) |
| MIBA (Miniaturbahnen) | by MIBA-Verlag (Verlagsgruppe Bahn GmbH), focus: German model railroading (German) |
| Model Railroader Magazine | by Kalmbach Publishing Co., focus: US model railroading (English) |
| Model Trains International | by Kristall Productions, focus: smaller layouts with British or international prototype (English) |
| Railway Modeller | by Peco, focus: British model railroading (English) |
| Trains Magazine | by Kalmbach Publishing Co., focus: US present-day prototypical operations (English) |
manufacturers of digital equipment (supported protocols in parentheses)
| Atlas (USA) | Commander [= Lenz compact] (DCC) |
| Bachmann (USA) | E-Z Command Control Centre (DCC) |
| Digitrax (USA) | Zephyr, Super Empire Builder, Super Chief (DCC) |
| Fleischmann (Germany) | Twin Center (DCC, FMZ, Selectrix) |
| Lenz (Germany) | compact, 90, 100 (DCC) |
| Modellbahn-Digital-Versand-Radtke (Germany) | distributor of Rautenhaus Digital (Selectrix as well as limited DCC) |
| Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC) (USA) | Prodigy Advance, Prodigy Express (DCC) |
| Müt Digirail (Germany) | Multi Control 2004 (Selectrix) |
| North Coast Engineering (NCE) (USA) | PowerCab, Powerhouse Pro (DCC) |
| Rautenhaus Digital (Germany) | SLX850 Multifunktions-Zentraleinheit (Selectrix as well as limited DCC) |
| Roco (Austria) | Lokmaus 3 (DCC) |
| Trix (Germany) | Central-Control 2000 (Selectrix) |
| Uhlenbrock (Germany) | DAISY (DCC, Motorola), Intellibox (DCC, Motorola, Selectrix) |
| Zimo (Austria) | Zimo (DCC as well as now obsolete Zimo) |
| ZTC Controls (UK) | ZTC Controls (DCC as well as now obsolete Hornby Zero 1) |
other links
| Beginner's guide to building a layout | an excellent tutorial on how to build your first layout by the N Gauge Society |
| Great Western Railway Layouts | layouts based on the most famous British railway company |
| Micro Layouts for Model Railroads by Carl Arendt | maybe the single best web site on model railways -- simply fantastic! |
| Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg | great photo gallery of this giant model railway exhibition in Germany |
| Model Railway Layouts by Chris Nevard | great photos of great layouts -- some of the most beautiful layouts I've ever seen (take a look at The Combwich Branch!) |
| National Model Railroad Association | the US based organization offers much information on its web site |
| Small Layouts & Shunting Layouts by Adrian Wymann | good introduction for those without a lot of space |