HOn3 Anyone?

[West Virginia Midland Man]

Say WVM,
I understrand your frustration and sense of reasoning but I honestly have no answer for you, but it does seem a bit odd.


Are you looking for someone to build cars for you?
I'm not sure which cars your looking for, or if I can get them through my supplier or not but maybe we can work something out. I'd have to check what Blackstone is selling their cars for to get an idea.

One thing I want to inform about is that I won't do any weathering as I haven't even started using the Air brush I have and certainly don't call my crued brush weathering anything great in anyway.



These are the manufactures of freight cars my supplier listed in the past but I'm not certain what they might be offering at present as I've been inactive for awhile. I'll check tomorrow and make additions or deletions.

I'm also unsure if any of these Mfgs produce kits in On30 as the suppliers catalog isn't broken down in that catagory.

1. Accurail;
2. A-Line;
3. Broadway Limited;
4. Bowser;
5. Detail Assoc;
6. Delux Innovationa;
7. Eel River Models;
8. Overland Models;
9. Precision scale;
10. The Railline C.;
11. Speedwitch Media;
13. Stewart Hobbies;
14. Tichy Train Group;

Hope this helps.

I'm in HOn3. I was lamenting the availability of RTR for Western NG modelers while none is available for Eastern modelers of roads like EBT, Tweetsie, OR&W, and so forth. Everything the major manufacturers make is Western prototype in HOn3. Bachman has a good balance in On30 that the HOn3 makers need to look at.

Size is a major factor in On30's popularity. Easy convertability to On3 is another. And variety in models is number 3. IF Bachman were to launch HOn30 models as they have done in On30, there would be modelers flocking to buy it, mostly new guys looking to try narrow gauge on the cheap. If ANY manufacturer were to produce HOn30 as Bachman has in On30, they'd get a good response. IF any of the current HOn3 manufacturers were to follow Blackstone's lead with a variety of NG offerings, they'd make money.

As long as manufacturers give narrow gaugers no option but Colorado, NG will be a niche. HOn3 is only alive and well for Colorado modelers. The rest of us have to make do with whatever we can find. C&BT isn't making their fine EBT hopper kit anymore and they never made it RTR. No Eastern rolling stock has ever been made RTR in HOn3. Everything is Colorado, and occasionally, California (NCNG, PCR, SPNG etc). It's literally like none of the Eastern NG lines ever existed.

Are you referring to OR&W when you say the second largest common carrier NG? They were part of PRR, as was the Washington & Waynesburg. Again, Bachman has made cars for them and their first loco was a W&W offering in PRR livery in On30. There were 3 foot NG lines everywhere in the East, mostly loggers, but not only. Tweetsie and EBT have large followings. George Pierson's work has brought to light the Tuscarora Valley and the Pennsylvania affiliated narrow gauges, but no manufacturer has ever ventured into Eastern territory with HOn3. Only On30. If a modeler want to model dual gauge or narrow and standard gauge on the same layout, O scale can be prohibitively expensive especially in this economy. HO is a good scale for that.

The usual response to "No Eastern NG" is "most people model Western". Well if that's the only choice they're given, I guess so. If someone makes it, the modelers will come, just as they did in On30.

 

[mdcustom]

WVM:

Not the OR&W but the 3' gauge T&StL (Texas & St. Louis Railway) whose mainline streached 725 miles from Bird's Point, Missouri (opposite Cario, Il) to Gatesville, Texas. It was the westernmost portion of the "Grand Narrow Gauge Trunk Line" which was a narrow gauge lines beginning in Toledo, Ohio and extending to Gatesville.

You might reconize the T&StL after its reorganization in 1891 as the St. Louis Southwestern, it's more common name after it was converted to standard gauge as the "Cotton Belt". Most of the former narrow gauge alignment is still in use by the UP.

Matt Dillow
MD Custom Models

 

[RGSfan]

thanks

For RGS Fan,

Hi Duane,

Your correct that On30 does indeed run on HO std gauge track but there are three things about using std HO track that won't look right.

1st. Is that the ties are not only too small in size as far as width and length goes so HO ties are way out of proportion.

2nd. Is that the tie spacing is way too close together on HO to look right, and the On30 ties are about twiice a wide and half again as long. So to use anything else would look way out of place.

3rd. I'm almost sure that On30 switches have less of a radius per any given size than std HO switches. I can verify this as I porinted up some templates to build a friend a couple of On30 switches.
I'll check, actually no are about the same turn-out radius so that would hold true to being Narrow Guage.

Trussrod,

thanks for the info, makes sense given that it's a bigger scale.

 

[Trussrod]

A bit of NG history I just recalled,

I believe this took place as my Dad drove back to Calif from Mass on the East Coast and his fathers funeral but then again I was pretty young too, about six I think?

I do remember that Dad stoped at some location enroute that took us by some cattle loading pens along a railroad sidding, which must have been NG with a string of cattle cars waiting on the siding. I remember there was a photographer there setting up to take a picture and I wanted to climp up on the cattle pens to get a better look at the train cars and Dad who had been quite involved in pohotography himself told me not to interfer with the fellows picture but the guy said that my being there was fine as it added to the picture.

I totally forgot all about that incident till I picked up the book, 'Twilight on the Narrow Gage' and there was a picture just like what I remember seeing. The caption reads, 'A young lad makes a memory for Himself', if I remember correctly and shows the string of cattle cars off to the left beyond the loading pens.

The photographer said that was going to be the last run of those cars as they were closing the line down.

I can't say positively that was me in that picture that had climbed up on the pens to get a better look at the cattle cars but the image sure is vivid in my mind!


Oh, I do have two NG locos in HOn3, an RGS #14 O-6-0T by Precision Scale and a D&RGW K27 2-8-2 Compound by Westside Model Co. I may try and work in a bit of NG into the layout I'm building but I'll probably only keep the RGS 14.

 

[Trussrod]

HOn3 and not anything larger.

I'm in HOn3. I was lamenting the availability of RTR for Western NG modelers while none is available for Eastern modelers of roads like EBT, Tweetsie, OR&W, and so forth. Everything the major manufacturers make is Western prototype in HOn3. Bachman has a good balance in On30 that the HOn3 makers need to look at.


Sorry WVMM, I did get side-tracked and mixed-up, I'll have to admit.

I'm pretty sure my supplier does have some HOn3 car kits available, I'll check
today 12-29-09 and let you know.

Are you looking for anything specifically? Let me know as the supplier handles a lot of craftsman kits.

Let me know, David

 

[West Virginia Midland Man]

East Broad Top steel hoppers. They've become tough to find. The WVM uses the design of her Northern cousin (thanks to the Pardee connection) for 2 and 3 bay hoppers. Ours are oxide red though. We have the Western Maryland to thank for that. The Bachman On30 oxide red hoppers are actually WVM cars. (I wonder if Lee knew that when he had 'em done in oxide, LOL.) If I didn't want the standard gauge connection, I'd switch to On30 in a heartbeat. (OK, that and the thought of having to
start all over with track and structures and clearances, etc.)

BTW...the express is gone, your local is now in the clear. Don't forget to realign the turnouts when you come off the sidetrack.

 

[malletman]

Now if Blackstone or MMI would just do a nice C&S 2-6-0 with DCC and Sound from the factory in HOn3 diecast I would be super happy, till then I will stick with my old PFM brass ones. It is good to see more RTR in HOn3, hopefully its enough to get the narrow gauge side of HO to expand to even more offerings. We really need to see more than just DRGW though. How about eastern prototypes to, EBT Mikados, ET&WNC ten wheeler, or non DRGW western stuff like C&S 2-8-0 and 2-6-0 engines, Unitah 2-6-6-2T ect. Or how about just some smooth running generic 2-6-0 and 4-4-0 engines like the old FED Spartan series, but with proper can motors. Lots of possiblities in the micro layout world using small 2-6-0's and 4-4-0's for engines. Cheers Mike

 

[Hillwilliam]

WVMM: I sympathize with you on the lack of HOn3 rolling stock availability. I'm currently without a layout but drool lavishly at the photos in MR about EBT, Fiddletown & Great Divide and their extensive track plans. Should the opportunity arise, I plan to devise a layout modelling the ET&WNC from Johnson City, TN to Grandfather's Mountain, NC. I'm hoping sometime to get access to the photos and files that were donated to ETSU concerning this NG RR. Some scaling would have to be done and I believe it feasible to scratchbuild models of the rolling stock of this RR. If it can get it done before the shakes deprive me of the ability to work the details.

Best

edj

 

[malletman]

Wasnt that just a beautifull EBT/PRR layout in Model Railroader! Just the cost of all his engines makes me shiver. That is one beautifull layout that isnt totaly huge in size, just a nice average size layout with incredible detail. Cheers Mike

 

[West Virginia Midland Man]

I agree, my wallet hasn't stopped crying since I read the article

Great modeling too, although I must confess, seeing an EBT train cross Pogue bridge with a city in the background was VERY WEIRD.

 

[malletman]

My wallet is crying just trying to pick up a couple of the older PFM/United C&S narrow gauge imports. I only have one of the 2-6-0's so far, along with one of the FED Spartan series moguls. I want another 2-6-0 and the 2-8-0 from PFM. I plan to resell the FED engine once I make some power pickup mods to allow it to run better. I got it painted today and it just got done baking in the oven for an hour. Looks good, I will post up some pics later. Here is one of my C&S Mogul prior to tear down and painting. Mike

 

[JoeJ]

Most of the west is just as neglected. I'd love to see some models representing Nevada Central, E&P, Death Valley RR, or N-C-O (although I'd prefer good kits to RTR). Or, hey, just to be different, how about some C&C (NOT falling apart SPNG)?

Joe

 

[West Virginia Midland Man]

Lots of that stuff was made by Binkley and LaBelle. You can find it on EvilBay. I've seen almost all of the roads you mentioned. There's also a neat US Navy narrow gauge car under HOn3 kits.

http://cgi.ebay.com/LaBelle-HOn3-10...ewItem&pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item1c099921fb

http://cgi.ebay.com/LaBelle-HOn3-10...ewItem&pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item588128e565

http://cgi.ebay.com/LaBelle-UPD-G-B...ewItem&pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item1c03e5cb4f

There's also Montana Southern and a mooseload of other weird little NG roads listed under HOn3 cars. Some are RTR, others are kits. Use 'Price & Shipping lowest first to find them all.

 

[JoeJ]

Lots of that stuff was made by Binkley and LaBelle. You can find it on EvilBay. I've seen almost all of the roads you mentioned. There's also a neat US Navy narrow gauge car under HOn3 kits.

http://cgi.ebay.com/LaBelle-HOn3-10...ewItem&pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item1c099921fb

http://cgi.ebay.com/LaBelle-HOn3-10...ewItem&pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item588128e565

http://cgi.ebay.com/LaBelle-UPD-G-B...ewItem&pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item1c03e5cb4f

There's also Montana Southern and a mooseload of other weird little NG roads listed under HOn3 cars. Some are RTR, others are kits. Use 'Price & Shipping lowest first to find them all.

These are models of the ex-FCC cars, right? Thanks for letting me know about them.