Narrow Gauge – H0m, H0e, H0f and H0n3z
Narrow gauge in H0 means: same 1:87 scale, narrower track. The letter added to "H0" tells you the gauge of the prototype – H0m metre gauge on 12 mm, H0e narrow gauge on 9 mm, H0f field railway on 6.5 mm. You cannot tell them apart by the scale, but you will notice on the track straight away: a narrow gauge vehicle will not run on a standard H0 layout. Here you will find all 877 narrow gauge models in the catalogue – from the Rhaetian Railway to Austrian and Saxon narrow gauge lines and on to the field railway – filterable by gauge, manufacturer and category.
Which H0 narrow gauges are there?
The scale stays 1:87 across every variant – what changes is the distance between the rails. Which letter gets appended depends on the gauge of the prototype, not of the model. This is laid down in standard sheet NEM 010 issued by the MOROP association:
| Gauge | Prototype gauge | Model gauge |
|---|---|---|
| H0 (standard gauge) | from 1250 mm | 16.5 mm |
| H0m (metre gauge) | 850 to under 1250 mm | 12 mm |
| H0e (narrow gauge) | 650 to under 850 mm | 9 mm |
| H0f / H0i (field railway) | 400 to under 650 mm | 6.5 mm |
| H0p (park railway) | 300 to under 400 mm | 4.5 mm |
H0f and H0i mean the same thing. The NEM specifies the suffix i for industrial railway and expressly permits f for field railway in German-speaking countries – both stand for 6.5 mm.
What this means for your layout
A narrow gauge model will not run on ordinary H0 track, and the reverse holds too. So check the gauge before you order – the scale will not tell you, it is 1:87 either way. One thing helps in practice: the model gauges match those of smaller scales. 12 mm equals TT gauge, 9 mm equals N gauge, 6.5 mm equals Z gauge. Many narrow gauge modellers therefore start out with track from those scales – though sleeper spacing and rail profile will not automatically suit an H0 prototype.
Who builds H0 narrow gauge?
The largest share in the catalogue comes from Bemo (Rhaetian Railway and Saxon narrow gauge), Halling with Austrian prototypes, Tillig (Harz narrow gauge railways, DR narrow gauge), Roco, Liliput and Busch in the field railway segment. The rack railway models by Ferro-Train run under the manufacturer designation H0n3z.