O Gauge

O gauge or O scale was introduced by the German toy company Märklin sometime around 1900.  This scale is commonly scaled as 1:48 scale.  O scale was the second best selling scale behind Standard Gauge or Wide Gauge until the beginning of the Great Depression which virtually wiped out the more expensive Standard Gauge trains being manufactured.  O Scale is still being produced today by many manufacturers.  This scale offers realism as well as reliability for most layuts.