One common misconception I see a lot (here and elsewhere) is that On30 is HO-scale. On30 is narrow-gauge O scale (1/48) which means all buildings, miniatures, cars, and other scenic elements will be O scale. This means that, while the track one runs on is as wide as HO standard-gauge track, everything else will be twice as big–and HO track won’t look right if used on an On30 layout–the ties are too small and too close together.
On30 is not for people who run modern-era layouts. As mentioned above, anything past the 1940’s will look right out of place.
On30 has some popularity but there is not a lot of rolling stock out there yet. If you really like narrow gauge and want something with more heft than HO narrow gauge but hefts your pocketbook and space constraints considerably less than G, or you want a small garden layout for a mild climate, then On30 could be the way to go.
Re Department 56: If On30 is the same “scale” as Department 56, then so is O scale. Which means that, if you wanted to, you could use O-gauge toy-train tinplate stuff with Department 56. Considering the revival in toy-train items this might be a more economical and flexible option.
Hey krump- I was just looking thru my Aug 04 RMC, and theres a good article about kitbashing HOn30 engines that would work in any scale. Simple and fun looking. This could be just the ticket in On30. Check it out and see what you think.If you take his (author James Foster) methods and adapt them to whichever locomotive you might want, it would seem you could have just about any power you wanted.
It’s early, and I might not be thinking straight, so let me know what you think.
well I’ll be… thanks for all the recent interest in this topic. Good info guys.
philnrunt - I’ll need to go and get that Aug 04 RMC mag - your thoughts make sense re converting the kitbash, so I’ll check it out. ( and yes, I’ve been away drinking camp coffee, also our printer isn’t working) How’s Summer in Indiana?
I’m surprised that Bachmann hasn’t introduced O scale narrow gauge track components such as flex track and a few different manual switches (#4s, #5s, #6s and some curved ones) that would accept good switch machines. Serious modelers will probably not want to use HO track w/ its way too short and too narrow ties that are too close together. I know Peco makes some track components, but most of their stuff has been more typical of European practice, although I am not real familair w/ their On30 track.
What’s needed is typical uneven spaced ties that are not 100% parallel to each other, of uneven spacing and almost as long as standard gauge ties. Narrow gauge ties were often more “beat-up” looking than the manufactured look of standard gauge ties. Hopefully if Bachmann or someone else steps up and produces On30 track they’ll pay attention to the details such as molded on rail spikes and tie plates, rail height and cross-section, and even how the track is ‘nailed’ to the roadbed.
One of the best things about O scale is how details pop out, and the opportunity to add more of them when modeling. That can be its worst attribute if the manufacturer cuts corners and omits important ones, or botches how they execute them.
One of the things that kept HOn30 from ever becoming a reasonably popular gauge to model was having to use the mostly clunky looking N scale track available when it first made a splash on the scene back in the late '60s when the Carrabasset & Dead River was first featured in the hobby press. The other obvious issue were wheel sizes (flanges, diameter, etc), the lack of US prototype models, and just how awful most early N scale ran, which we converted over to HOn30. Today we are fortunate to have most of that covered in On30, plus there’s plenty of room in the larger scale for decent can motors, DCC components, and smooth mechanisms.
FundayNorthern was, in an earlier post questioning the distinction between On30 and On 2 1/2. To me On2 1/2 is a scale model of a genuine 2’ 6" prototype whereas On30 generally in its commercial form are either freelance or models of 3’ gauge prototypes bastarderized to run on a scale 30" track (HO gauge). Not that there is anything wrong with that, the object is to have fun!
Micro Engineering makes flex track for On30 in codes 70, 82, and 100. It is available either weathered on non-weathered.The ties have the proper spacing and they are not all parallel to each other. I’ve used this track and it is super; both it it’s appearance and quality. By the way B&k Enterprises makes a variety of turnouts and crossings specifically designed for On30. While you can use HO trucks for On30, several companies make trucks specifically designed for On30. They have more proper wheelbases and wheel diameters that HO trucks have. What I like about On30 is that you can use a lot of HO components and still have the heft and great detailing possibilities of O scale.- and it’s very affordable (especially the high quality locomotives available) and easy to work with even for a beginner, compared to other narrow gauge scales.