What exactly is Gn15?

Carl Arendt: Gn15 is a scale/gauge used in railway modelling. “Gn15″ is American-style notification, telling us that models in this scale use the same scale as standard ‘G scale’ garden railways (between 1:20.3 and 1:24), the “n” tells us that it’s a scale used on narrow gauge railways and the “15” that the scale is intended to represent 15 inch gauge prototypes.

What this effectively means is that you get the dual benefits of working in a big scale with plenty of detailing possible but in a very small space, which means you can bring garden railroading indoors.

Alternative notations would be G16.5 (G scale using 16.5mm gauge track) and Gn1¼ (G scale representing a 1′3″ prototype gauge). Gn15 seems the easiest of the three to type, say and remember!

Emrys: Gn15 is also the only one of the three options I could use as a URL.

I’m intrigued by the Gn15 pages at the “Micro Layouts for Model Railroads” website and am thinking of having a little dabble in this scale. What’s the easiest way to get started?

Carl Arendt: It’s simple to get into Gn15, but the easiest way would probably be to go for a kit such as Sidelines’ “Gnat”, a couple of wagons and a couple of yards of HO flexitrack.

Pick one of the basic layout designs at my Micro Layout Design Gallery, such as the Gn15 starter layout, which you’ll find in the ‘Continuous/Single Level’ category.

If you’re already experienced at building kits and scratchbuilding you could always build your own loco and wagons, of course, using a chassis from a HO model like Model Power’s four-wheel DDT diesel switcher (under US$15/£10) - or better still, though dearer - a Bachmann On30 four-wheel trolley. Both will give you excellent slow running, and you can put almost any kind of superstructrure you want on them.

Once you get going, it’s a great scale to learn about laying your own track and pointwork as well as painting and detailing models.

That sounds straightforward enough, but my local hobby shop doesn’t seem to stock this stuff. Can I buy online?

Yes. The Pepper 7 website has a shopping cart where you can get up Sidelines’ locos, wagons as well as some of the figures from Supply Line Miniatures.

If all you need are the figures, you can buy direct from the Supply Line Miniatures site.

What is this “Review” of which you speak?

It’s Roy C. Link’s quarterly magazine “Narrow Gauge & Industrial Railway Modelling Review - an Illustrated Journal of Modelling & Prototype Information dedicated to all Aspects of Narrow Gauge & Industrial Railways and more“.

Besides possibly having the longest magazine title in the field, it’s also arguably the best model railway magazine in English.

For more info go to www.narrowgaugeandindustrial.com.

Other indispensible magazines are Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette, Bob Brown’s mag in the U.S., and of course Voie Libre from France (with English translation folder).

There’s also the Mittelpuffer magazine in Germany as well, though it doesn’t (yet?) provide translations.