The Difference Between 2-Rail Models and 3-Rail Models

If you spend enough time in the model railroading world, you’re bound to hear mention of 3-rail trains at some point. As the name suggests, 3-rail trains have a third rail that runs down the middle of track pieces and helps power the train. Read on to discover the difference between 2-rail models and 3-rail models.

It’s An O Scale Thing

If you’re working with 3-rail model trains, you’re likely building with O scale or O gauge trains. This is because larger trains needed to run on three rails in the early days of model railroading. Since power systems weren’t very sophisticated, the third rail helped larger trains run smoothly.

Historically, 3-rail trains were mostly toys. They had unrealistically large couplers that some people nicknamed “lobster claws.” They could also make much tighter curves than 2-rail models.

O Scale vs. O Gauge

O scale and O gauge are almost the same, but they have a few small differences. Scale refers to how many model trains it would take to make a real one, while the gauge is the measure of the track width. In the past, O gauge trains might have had the right track width, but the trains themselves weren’t quite to scale.

Today, it’s even more complicated. When you do the math to convert standard gauge track width to O scale, you end up with a width that’s slightly off. If you’re serious about realism and work with O scale, you may need to make some corrections to your equipment by hand to make up for the problem. Some people also prefer not to use 3-rail O scale trains because of that unrealistic third rail.

Using 3-Rail Trains Today

Today, there aren’t many differences between 2-rail models and 3-rail models. You can even combine 2-rail and 3-rail models, though you’ll need to do some modifications. Besides removing the third rail, you’ll have to adjust the pickup on the locomotive and change out the wheels on the cars. But the nice thing about this size is that you don’t need very many cars to make an impressive train.

If you’re looking for a place to shop for model trains, there’s no better place than Midwest Model Railroad. We have one of the largest in-store and online collections of locomotives, rolling stock, scenery, wiring equipment, and train memorabilia. Visit us today at our physical location in Independence, MO, or shop online in our virtual storefront.