ON30...have I got this right?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

If I understand this… ON30 is O scale size rolling stock on trucks that run on HO scale track? Is this even close? My main question being if the ON30 scale stock rides on standard HO rail.

2

Yes you have it right, mostly. On30 CAN run on HO scale track because it is the right width. If you really want to get into it and have it look more prototypical, there is flex track made specially for this gauge, by Peco in England and Micro Engineering in the US. They have larger ties that are spaced farther apart than HO ones, and generally look better. But you can run On30 just fine on the cheaper HO track.

3

Thanks for the info, that’s what I was wondering. The reason being I want to model a motorized Brandt Industries Rail Hauler for my HO scale layout. I was chasing a kitbashed motorized rail hauler on eBay that would have been nearly ideal but unfortunately someone else got it. I haven’t seen anything suitable anywhere else. Then I saw the Bachmann ON30 scale rail trucks on eBay and thought one of those might be a good starting point for kitbashing this with a kit for a conventional cab White Freightliner. Thanks again for the clarification.

Any ideas, tips, links, or sources related to this subject would be GREATLY appreciated! [:)]

4

Glad to help! Bachmann has an HO scale powered truck with mounted boom that might be more suitable for your conversion. Here it is on the Walthers site:

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/160-16948

It has a plastic chassis that would be easier to kitbash, the On30 railtruck is cast metal and the wheels would probably be too large. It can be had cheaper than the Walthers price I imagine. Think I paid $35.00 for mine at a train show last year.

Good luck!

5

Thanks for the heads up on the Bachmann rail truck and for the link, I’ll check it out. I wasn’t aware that rail truck was diecast and never thought about the wheel size either…boy this is going to be an adventure! [:)]