I’m not too knowledgeable in scale compatibility. I got interested in a Galloping Ghost loco ad offer. It is offered in ON3 and ON30. Is it true that ON30 can run on an HO layout? Will there be any problems in doing this? Thanks for your replies.
Hal
On30 equipment is designed to run on HO track - that’s kinda the purpose of it, there really weren’t that many 30" gauge railroads (compared to 36" or even 24" lines) but the advantages of being able to use HO track, wheelsets etc. made it worth the compromise in fidelity.
Keep in mind if you’re talking about a completed HO layout, O scale stuff is still built to a larger scale than HO (“Half O”), so an On30 engine or other equipment may not fit thru an HO tunnel, or under a bridge, etc. on an HO layout.
Thanks Stix, just the kind of info I need. I suppose the size then would look kind of weird on an HO layout? Sounds like it is only good if I just can’t really do without it, and bring it out now and then to run around off the bridge and tunnel routes! I’ve never seen a Galloping Goose offered in HO. Am I right about that?
Hal
Con-cor makes them in HO and N.
Enjoy
Paul
Since Mark Newton is probably sleeping (it’s ridiculous AM in Oz at the moment,) let me take a swipe at this one.
On the 7% of the world’s land surface where the Stars and Stripes flies, 30 inch (or its close Metric equivalents) gauge wasn’t very common. On the other 70% of the world’s land surface where people actually live, there are a LOT of 30 inch, 760mm, 762mm and closely matching gauge rail lines - and they aren’t all mine tramways, by any means. Granted that various manufacturers with a greater concern for the bottom line than for prototype fidelity have put US prototype 3 foot and 2 foot gauge superstructures on 762mm gauge mechanisms, they are NOT typical of 30" gauge modeling world wide.
While it is true that On30 wheels will roll on HO track, the models are still 1:48 (or 1:45) scale. They will tower over the scenic elements of a true HO gauge model railroad like Gulliver in Lilliputia. Under an On30 model, HO flex track RAILS look good - but the ties look like too-short, too-closely-spaced 4-bys. If you are going to go to On30, you will have to go whole-hog or the results just won’t be convincing.
If I ever change scales, I will practice what I preach. My choice of prototype? The Kiso Forestry Railway and the Kurobe Gorge Railway, both 762mm gauge, both extensive systems and, IMHO, both offering fantastic modeling possibilities. In the meantime, I will model both (in static form under different names) as connections to the HOj mainline I am currently building.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - including 762mm gauge prototypes)
There were a bunch of 30"-gauge railroads, at least in the northern half of California. All the ones a know of were mining or logging railroads (Yosemite Short Line [which also had dreams of being a mover of tourists], Yosemite Portland Cement, Empire City, Mt. Hebron Lumber, California Chrome, Delamar, etc.) They were in out-of-the-way places and short-lived. I believe there have been a series of articles not long ago in the Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette on 30" railroads. Check those out if you’re interested.
In California, there was even at least one meter-gauged railroad (Nine Lumber, because the owners had previously acquired a meter-wide locomotive)! in addition to the large number of yard-wide ones. There was at least one 42" railroad: J. N. Durney.
The very-short-lived Yosemite Short Line intended to be a common carrier. It would make a very interesting “what-could-have-been railroad” to model.
Mark
OK we’ve had this discussion before, let’s not go there again. Yes there were some real 30" railroads in the US…totalling about 80 miles of total trackage IIRC, most were just tiny logging or mining industrial lines (not common carriers). As far as the world at large, I don’t think Galloping Geese were common in Africa or Indonesia or Outer Slobovia !!
Anyway…O scale means different things to different people. The correct scale (based on track width of 1-1/4" for standard gauge) is 1:43.55 (or something like that. In the UK they often round the scale off to 7mm = 1 ft (1:45 scale IIRC?), here in America we tend to use 1/4" = 1 ft. for a scale of 1:48. HO is “Half O”, half of 1:43.55 = 1:87.1 HO scale. So give or take a few percent, O scale is twice as big as HO.
Which means, yes, an On30 engine or whatever running on HO track will look VERY BIG - as will the people inside it !!
Course I’ve thought it would be fun to run an On30 logging engine on an HO layout and say it belongs to Paul Bunyan but that’s just me. [swg]
My question triggered really some interesting information about scale I hadn’t even anticipated! You guys make it very interesting. I’m sure now the ON30/HO isn’t a very good match. Liked the Paul Bunyon thing…maybe a theme park. Thanks for pointing me to COC-COR, thats probably the way to satisfy my thirst.
Hal
Walthers lists the Con-Cor Galloping Goose in many variations @$189.95, all out of stock:
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/223-4100
On Con-Cor’s website they lis them too, and say there will be sound decoders for them in thr future, extra bucks of course.
Can’t beat the On30 Precision Scale Goose, on sale now for $100.00, with DCC and sound! I have three of them.
Bridges and tunnels.[:P]
The proper scale for 1.25" track is actually very close to 1:45. 1.25*45 comes out to 56.25, which is a quarter-inch short of 4’8.5" (56.5 inches). British 1:43 is also a compromise, 7mm = 1’ works out to about 1:43.
I´ve a PCM On30 Galloping Goose, that runs on my HO layout. Is a nice and cheap model, but take care with the buildings aside the HO rails: the model will touch most of them!!! I´ve the inexistent Santa Fe paint scheme, but it is funny. Bye
The biggest problem is that according to the guru’s at MR 0n30 doesn’t exist!, even if the rest of the world knows it does. Talk about everyone being out of step but MR. No MR insists that is 0n2 1/2.
[(-D][(-D][(-D]
In my little subset of the universe it’s On762. I guess that MR would think that the rails are 2.5 football fields and a fumble apart…[:-^]
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)