TT Scale Model Railroads & Trains

TT scale is 1:120 scale. As far as model railroads are concerned, TT scale is 33% larger than N scale, but still quite a bit smaller than HO scale. The TT stands for tabletop, so named because a TT scale model railroad set can easily fit on the top of a table.

TT scale was invented by an automotive engineer named Hal Joyce in 1945. At the time, it was the smallest scale in model railroading. Joyce founded H.P. Products of Hartford City, Indiana, which produced TT scale model train kits out of stamped metal. These kits did not gain popularity in the United States, probably due to the lower quality detail that metal stamping offers. H.P. Products did not stay in the model train business, but continues to operate as a manufacturer of metal stampings.

While TT scale lost hobbyists in the United States, it gained a large following in the Soviet Union. TT scale continues to be a popular model railroading scale in Russia, Germany, and other Eastern European countries. Tillig Bahn of Germany is now the largest manufacturer of TT scale model railroad products. Mehano, located in Slovania, also makes TT scale model trains in European prototypes.

Quick Facts

• TT scale failed in the United Stated due to the fact that no one produced TT scale models with injection molding, which produces a much higher level of detail than metal stamping. Ready-to-run stock was also hard to come by. American hobbyists abandoned TT scale in favor of the N scale
• The original TT scale model trains produced by H.P. Products are now on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institute
• Hobbyists who favor TT scale report that it is the smallest practical scale for model railroad enthusiasts who like to build models from scratch