Hello, Looking at getting started in on30 logging soon. Can anyone show me some simple point to point shelf layouts that could be fun. How well does the porters and shays run on the normal atlas ho track from the local hobby store?? Ive done a lot of looking around But its just to darn easy to get lost researching ha. This is a tight budget and i know that you get what ya pay for. If I bought a starter o-Gage train set how hard would it be to convert the trucks to Ho on some of the cars?
On30 noob questions
- Thread starter 2Beers
- Start date
rlundy90
Armchair Engineer
Ho scale trucks will not look right on Oscale cars. The wheels are too small and the wheels will be too close together. Also O gauge cars will be too long for On30. You can buy On30 trucks to fit, but most cars you will get in an O scale set will be too big to look right for narrow gauge. Bachmann carries 3 different On30 sets, but they are pricey at about $400 each. I am building all my On30 cars and locos from kits. It is quite a bit cheaper for me to do it this way and a lot more fun as well. I get most of my stuff from http://www.bouldervalleymodels.com/. Great guy to deal with and some really nice models at a reasonable prices. With a donor loco and the kit, you can have a nice loco for around $100.
All the On30 stuff will run fine on regular HO track but the ties are the wrong size. If that bothers you, you can purchase 0n30 track or handlay your own using the proper size and spacing of ties.
All the On30 stuff will run fine on regular HO track but the ties are the wrong size. If that bothers you, you can purchase 0n30 track or handlay your own using the proper size and spacing of ties.
You can get great deals on On30 equipment from eBay and that is, without a doubt the best prices on a daily basis. If you are getting started, you can be up and running with flex On30 track (proper tie spacing and size) from various suppliers or you can simply use any HO track (atlas, Bachmann, Peco, etc etc).
If you have not bought anything yet - take a look at thefavoritespot.com
He is a huge Bachmann dealer out of Texas and sells on his website and on eBay. I have dealt with him for a long time as have many On30 guys I know. Excellent deals, way cheaper than your local hobby shop.
I just completed a small mini exhibition layout (not shelf), but a great track plan to get started with. You can see it here http://youtu.be/uNt4KlpWWlg on my youtube channel - other videos of it and my On30 stuff as well.
It's a great scale and gauge to get into (or back into modeling), especially logging and mini interests.
A layout with curves as tight as the mini will limit you to Porters and Davenports, but you can incorporate it into a future (larger layout) as I have done. The previous reply dude is correct, don't waste your time trying to convert O standard gauge into narrow gauge or try to run HO trucks.
Now having said that, I scratch build a lot and using HO trucks for builds of rolling stock in On30 is fun and it fits. Also see video on my channel of my box cab that I did where the trailing car is an example of a scratch using HO trucks.
If you have not bought anything yet - take a look at thefavoritespot.com
He is a huge Bachmann dealer out of Texas and sells on his website and on eBay. I have dealt with him for a long time as have many On30 guys I know. Excellent deals, way cheaper than your local hobby shop.
I just completed a small mini exhibition layout (not shelf), but a great track plan to get started with. You can see it here http://youtu.be/uNt4KlpWWlg on my youtube channel - other videos of it and my On30 stuff as well.
It's a great scale and gauge to get into (or back into modeling), especially logging and mini interests.
A layout with curves as tight as the mini will limit you to Porters and Davenports, but you can incorporate it into a future (larger layout) as I have done. The previous reply dude is correct, don't waste your time trying to convert O standard gauge into narrow gauge or try to run HO trucks.
Now having said that, I scratch build a lot and using HO trucks for builds of rolling stock in On30 is fun and it fits. Also see video on my channel of my box cab that I did where the trailing car is an example of a scratch using HO trucks.
Awesome information guys. Thank you,thank you, I believe this is going to be the scale for me for sure, The Details that their doing on these are just mind blowing and so inspirational,makes me want to go buy buy buy hahahaha... Ive been just waiting to take over my 12'x24', bully barn for such a project. I really do like the Hon3 too though. Narrow gage rules....
I've been collecting some ON30 stuff for a while now. I'm debating selling some of mine so I can fund my shelf layout. I love the stuff spectrum is making now for the ON30 modeling. On30 is nice because it uses HO gauge track, so technically you could use that. Although the tie spacing would be way too close and the tie width way too narrow.
I'd advise against HON3 just because the cost is so much greater than that of ON30. I bought 1 HON3 locomotive for the same price as I scored 4 ON30's on Ebay later on.
I'd advise against HON3 just because the cost is so much greater than that of ON30. I bought 1 HON3 locomotive for the same price as I scored 4 ON30's on Ebay later on.
