Sn3


I'd still go with On30 (HO track). You would have to modify (kitbash) your locomotives. but working with 1/48 is easy on the eyes - and you can get as detailed as you wish.

Why does it have to be a "certain" Railroad?
Freelance it like Chet, Greg, and others.

Right now I'm simply thinking about using On30 track for another scale! Making HO track some type of 3 foot gauge. This would make the foot equal .2166666.
 
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Right now I'm simply looking at using On30 track for another scale! Making HO track some type of 3 foot gauge. This would make the foot equal .2166666.
That is Scale55 or 5.5mm/ft, developed in the UK in the early 60's.

Have had extensive postings about using it for three foot narrow gauge on HO track going back to Nov 2009.

http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/...n3-reboot-proof-of-concept.30505/#post-437376

track_2.jpg


4-4-0.jpg


Even have a website.

Modeling Three Foot Narrow Gauge on HO Track

Thank you if you visit
Harold
 
This works out to 1/55 scale. I think this is a scale that hminky has discussed.
 
I am really struggling with continuing with my HO layout. My interest in continuing, is waning as I have been working on this layout for 31 years and it has gotten pretty stale as of late. However, the thought of tearing down and starting over is daunting! I have talked to other modelers about this and their responses have been very helpful. However, the decision to proceed still needs to come from myself. I am totally capable of painting myself into a corner and then doing something completely unexpected, anyway.
 
Sometime in February I will need to send my Digitrax Zephyr Xtra in to Digitrax for repair as I can not program with it. During this time, when I can't use DCC to operate the layout, I plan to see if I can design an Sn3 layout in the spaces the present layout occupies. My feelings are that I want to work on models that are larger than HO, now that my eyes and abilities seem to want larger. However, Sn3 is not that much bigger than HO, so there are many features of Sn3 which attract me to this scale other than it being slightly larger. The biggest attraction is the fact that very little available in this scale is in anything but kits! Therefore I consider it to be a "Modelers Scale". I'm also attracted to the fact that it isn't a very popular scale and I like the idea of it being somewhat outside the realm of the popular. I would not be attracted to HOn3 as this would be a smaller size than my present HO Layout. However, Doug Tagsold's 1/72 size might work; too, even though it is the same size as HO. If this change actually occurs, I would be designing the layout with the idea of it being built modular so it could fairly easily be removed from my basement. Any choice I make would be to go Narrow Gauge.
 
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Right now I'm looking at HOn3, just to make sure I'm not overlooking this size/gauge and the reason for this is something I had been overlooking and that is that all of my HO structures would be usable in HOn3. The cost of structures and the time it takes to build them, I can not overlook! I was 38 years old when I started my present HO layout and that was 31 years ago! It's a known fact (in my estimation) that I will never re-coup the costs of anything I have in HO and the best that can be hoped for, would be that selling many items would maybe allow the purchase of items in a new scale; or, gauge. How many items it will take, is the question. There are many variables and questions that need to be answered before simply starting over. Some questions take a while to surface, so the process of musing over what will occur is a very good thing! Given how slowly I tend to build things and my enthusiasm for taking my time and enjoying the process, makes me wonder about the wisdom of starting over, no matter what Scale/Gauge I start over in.

To go on even further, I wonder about the wisdom of staying in Model Railroading, as the focus (for me) of this hobby has changed from what it was when I started. That is, that I am a Model Builder! I want to build my models, not buy them ready made from a manufacturer, as it appears those in the hobby today seem to want to do! I was involved with Radio Control Model Airplanes for more years than I have been interested in Model Railroading. I left that hobby for the same reasons I am considering leaving Model Railroading and that is that the building of models lost out to the almost ready to Fly; or, ready to fly type of models! There are very few kits available anymore. Maybe I could find a hobby where honing the skills of model building is more the focus and more popular!

This entire forum thread is my musings over the future of my participation in the Model Railroading Hobby. It started with: "Where I to start over again today, I would model in Sn3 and I would model the Rio Grande Southern". When they were suggesting Scales in this Scale Specific Discussion forum, I feel it is unfortunate that S Scale was overlooked. American Flyer S Scale was fairly popular back in the 50s and 60s. I think there are quite a few Sn3 modelers out there. PBL is a business catering to the Sn3 modeler. Sn3 is a builders scale, similar to how HO used to be!
 
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Since I have downloaded both JMRI's Decoder Pro and Digitrax's Soundloader, the need to send my Digitrax Zephyr Xtra back to Digitrax for repair has decreased. I can do all the programming I need, with the two downloaded programs. Therefore it makes sense to me to send of the Zephyr Xtra during the summer, when it is not being used.

So, although I am scoping things out for a switch to a new layout, I will not be actively pursuing designing a new layout, at this time!
 
MARK -- Maybe you should try dollhouse building?
I would suggest lawnmower racing, but you have too much snow for that!
 
I have built a doll house for HO scale workers. You can see my work at the end of "My Northern Pacific Butte Montana" thread.
 
One of the biggest fears I have with Sn3 is that the biggest supporter of this Scale and Gauge is PBL. PBL is a wonderful producer of Sn3 kits and other equipment for Sn3 and also sells Brass locomotives for this scale, obviously produced for people a bit more affluent than I am. PBL is celebrating it's 40th year as a producer of Sn3 products. PBL is not the only producer of kits for Sn3; but, the rest of the producers are very, very small operations. My concern is that the owner of PBL might decide it's time to retire and sell the company, and it would be hopeful that someone would take over the business and continue operations as successfully as the current owner. Or, the owner of PBL might simply cease production and sell off his inventory and equipment, if a suitable buyer can's be found. PBL just purchased a new injection molding machine, last year and this should be taken as a good sign about the owners intentions. Still, I find the fact that Sn3 is so dependant on PBL to be somewhat scary and I am not a risk taker! My current Scale/Gauge is HO standard gauge, there are many, many producers of equipment in this scale. This fact makes me far more confident in the future for HO!
 



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