I know the gauges but not the actual width of N, HO, S & O. I have Vernier calibers. Fractions of what? I'm not going out there to measure the real thing.
So the width is 9mm X 160 = 1,440mm. Is that between the inside or outside? About 1 1/2 yards. Now where is that calculator that converts to American.
Gauge is measured IS rail to IS rail, or simpler, between rails. Converting mm to inches, then subtracting 48" or 4', I came out with 4'8.69296". Maybe that's why different parts of the world have different scale ratios for N scale, ie; 1:148, 1:150, 1:160. T<----- 9mm ----->T
Measure between the rail heads. There might be very slight variances, between all of the many manufacturers.
Don't understand the question. Standard gauge is 4' 8 1/2". The scales are various approximations of that distance. Some are closer than others.
Divide 4'8.5" by the scale ratio (48, 64, 87, 160, 220 etc.) and Bob's your uncle and Fanny's your aunt. HO = ~16 mm or ~5/8". Applies to standard gauge. Narrow and broad gauges may vary. Bob and Fanny may or may not be related to you. Consult your doctor if your head spins for more than four hours.
Simply asked about the size of the TOY tracks we play with. 'MRLdave' said the N in N gauge stands for 9mm. So, I went from there. 1:160 X 9mm = 1,440mm. I found the chart to convert to 56 11/16" (56.6875"). I don't have any to check. HO 1:87 checks to .6516". Looking for the chart I did find a piece of track and that's what it measured. S 1:64 checks to .8857". O 1:48 checks to 1.181". Just what the plastic track I was given checked to. The nice lady also found the toy train that went with it. And gave me that also. The triangle track would fit nicely around a little Christmas Tree. It's an 0-6-0 steamer (4 AA batteries in the tender), a passenger car and a caboose. In Christmas colors of course. It runs real well. Now I also have an O gauge set-up. Hope that answers the questions. Back to playing with the kids. Rich
The crucial part of the wheels and rails that has to work lies in the fact that the wheels have flanges that help to the train to stay on the rails. That fact, the flanges, should help you to see that the measurement MUST entail the distance between the rails because the flanges MUST be able to fit between them.