N scale emerged in the 1960’s and developed in Europe where living quarters tend to be smaller than those in the States. N was given its name because its rails are spaced 9mm apart and the world for nine begins with "n" in most European languages. At roughly half the size of HO, you can pack a lot of railroad action in a little bit of space with N scale." (Basic Model Railroading, Kalmbach Books ©”).