Beginner's Guide to Model Railroading

What Does Prototype Mean?

Definition of Prototype
The word ‘prototype’ refers to the real actual-size locomotives and rolling stock that you see at railroad crossings and train yards. Model trains are exact replicas of the prototypes.

If you have an HO-scale model locomotive in your hand, the model locomotive is only 1/87th the size of the real prototype. Stated another way, if you enlarged your HO-scale model locomotive by 87 times its size, you would be standing next to the actual prototype (or the real locomotive).

Toy trains are not model trains. Toy trains are made without any consideration to scale, detail or accuracy to their prototypes. They possess little resemblance to real trains. Model trains are exact replicas and scaled versions of their prototypes. It’s important to understand the difference between toys and models, and why we call the hobby model railroading.

Image The model locomotive at the top of this web page looks exactly like the real steam locomotive or the prototype. The picture at the left illustrates a toy locomotive and does not look like a real steam locomotive.

The same principle is true for all model hobbies. Model warships and model planes look exactly like their prototypes, but toy ships and planes do not. Now you know the difference between models of prototypes and toys!

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What Is Scale?


Prototypes

In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a prototype is defined as an original item from which a copy or a model is made. The prototype may be a bicycle, motorcycle, car, plane, rocket, even a steam locomotive. A copy of the prototype, usually on a smaller scale, that retains exactly the same physical characteristics of the prototype, is referred to as a model. Thus, a replica of a fighter jet that merely resembles a fighter jet and is not scaled to the original fighter jet is a toy and not a model. The true test of a model is that it retains a true-to-life likeness and a scale ratio to the prototype. That is, if the model were enlarged to the same size of its prototype, you would not be able to tell which is the model and which is the prototype.