Hi,
I’ve been browsing various sites lately researching small steam engines for ideas to build a live steamer…along the way i’ve seen 009 pop up a number of times…it’s clearly a European thing and APPEARS to be what we in the states would call HOn3… or HO on N track…am I right in the assumption or is it different? I’d like to make a small layout in this scale if it is, I’ve always loved European narrow gauge, but couldnt find much in the smaller scales till now… THANKS!
009 is called HOn30 in the USA. It is HO scale that runs on N scale track which is 9mm gauge, hence the number 009. This usually represents the Maine two footers or any other railroad that uses two foot gauge.
Also known as HOe or HOn762, it is commonly used to model 762mm (30 inch) gauge Japanese prototypes - of which there were many, ranging from log haulers and country tramways to busy commuter lines. Its larger cousin, On30, can also be used to model the same prototypes on 16.5mm gauge track.
Taiwan had an extensive 762mm gauge system, including steam as big as 2-10-2s - as well as the same-gauge Alishan Forest Railway (Shays, 4% ruling grade and a 1:1 scale helix. What’s not to love?)
It’s amazing what you find when you think outside the box - and off the North American continent.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I’ve always loved narrow gauge modelling, it’s what lead me into garden railways, if I’d known about the market for narrowgauge models other than US prototypes I’d never have took the dive…but too late to turn back now, lol… THANKS and I’ll be sure to post picks once I get something built… OH… what are some resources for locomovites and rolling stock for it?
Speak up, my good man! Speak up! Don’t let the cat get your tongue!
Actually 009, while a ‘European’ scale is actually a British narrow gauge scale and is 4mm/ft (00) scale stock running on 9mm gauge (N) track.
Remember that British modellers have long, for early technical reasons, used 4mm/ft instead of 3.5mm/ft for stock and structures. British scenic accesories are also usually made to 4mm rather than 3.5mm scale. There is quite a noticeable difference between the two scales.
009 is NOT also known as HOe which is a different scale with HO (3.5mm) models running on 9mm (N) track.
Another European model narrow gauge is H0m which is H0 on 12mm gauge track to represent metre gauge, which is the most common prototype narrow gauge on the continent.
The German firm of Bemo has on extensive range of H0m models of mainly Swiss and some German prototypes while, among others, Roco and Liliput have done H0e models. Other small volume manufacturers have also done European H0e and H0m models, the ranges sometimes swapping about among makers.
Peco, among others do/have done 009 models.
You will find that 009 models are of British prototypes running on approximately 2’ (accurately 2’-3" ) gauge track.
The most commonly modelled Railways are the Talyllyn which is actually 2’-3" and the Festiniog at 1’ 11 1/2". Both these are in west Wales and are former slate railways which were built to connect the quarries to the sea and have been converted into tourist passenger carrying lines since WWII.
There is a new 1’-11 1/2" line just recently reopened and extended which is the Welsh Highland Railway which is connected to the Festiniog. This is a total rebuild of the long closed railway of the same name. As it has just reopened, I don’t know of any models of its stock. Two of its locos are ex SAR (South African Railways) 2’ gauge, a Garrat and a ‘Funkey’ diesel which
My I add my [2c] to this topic?
Gauge 009 is the denomination for British narrow gauge based on 9 mm track, roughly equaling a 2´ 1/4" gauge track in reality. The same track width is used in HOe scale of continental European prototype, representing a gauge of 750 mm or 762 mm (Austrian prototype).
Here are some links for locos and rolling stock:
For 009 equipment:
http://www.backwoodsminiatures.com/009kits.htm
For HOe equipment:
http://www.bemo-modellbahn.de/ and
Liliput (Bachmann) and Roco also offer HOe equipment and are not as pricey as Bemo. Bemo´s steamer are in the area of 800 to 1,000 USD!
Do a Google search using HOe scale and you will find many an interesting page!
Stuff like Talyllyn is EXACTLY what I’ve wanted to model for a long time! 
I’m ok with going to OO(what is it scale wise compared to HO which is 1:87 ? ) even if it means I’ll have to wait(and probably pay a premium) for shipping from Europe. I just needed to know if it ran on N scale track so I could go ahead and get a track plan made, and possibly laid out.
Darktalon,
yes, the stuff runs on any 9 mm track, but remember that regular N scale track will not look right, as the ties are to short and the tie spacing is incorrect. Peco offers the right kind of track, but I am not sure where you could buy it in the States.
The scale is 4 mm to 1 foot, i.e. 1/76, so you won´t be able to use your regular HO scale structures, cars and figures.
A word to Backwood Miniature Kits - these kits do require a high degree of craftsmanship - much more than a Bowser kit does. They are not a screwdriver type of kits and you need to understand how to bend sheet metal properly, how to build jigs and fixtures ( a must for the frames) and how to solder with a micro torch.
I built a kit some years ago - took me 2 years to complete.
Edit: You have wetted my appetite - I just love those Beyer-Garrats!
There is, I have just discovered, an 009 Society at http://www.009society.com/links.php
This caters for modellers in all the somewhat similar scales such as H0e and H0m, H0n3 etc.
It is again mainly UK oriented but welcomes members from anywhere.
A perusal of their website will yield lists of suppliers and links to members own sites with pictures of their layouts and models. A look may provide some inspiration.
Hope this helps,
Alex
I KNEW this was the right place to ask, thanks you all for all the useful information! I’m find with not being able to use HO structures and whatnot, as I do not have any anymore, plus since getting into large scale trains I’ve been really enjoying kitbuilding, so any foray that involves that is well worth the time
Glad I could contribute!
Don´t hesitate to show us your work here - some of us will be eager to see!
Sure thing! I’m sure it’ll take a bit though…but JUST to verify… 009 is 1:74 scale and not near 1:87
009 is 4 mm to the foot, equating to 1/76 scale. Track gauge is 9 mm , equating to 2´ 1/4" narrow gauge, so close to the 2´ of the famous Welsh narrow gauge lines like the Ffestiniog Rlwy. or the Talyllyn Rlwy.
Yea, I figured that out by the math, BUT I know that in model railroading, people sometimes don’t run exactly to scale, but it works (like standard gauge 1:29 on G1 track) I have no problem with it being a bit bigger than HO, in fact that makes it easier for me since there’s a room for more details! 
Resurrecting this… I’ve started making a list of stuff to buy to get a small portable layout going, but I noticed a small problem you all can help me with… I noticed there’s a decided LACK of building kits out there for 1:74(at least through the sites I went through…) so that raises a question… is 00 itself 1:74? I’d assumed all this time that it was the SAME as HO, because everyone seemed to compare them… THANKS
DarkTalon,
it is one of those thing we will never understand, why the British went for that scale, liking driving on the wrong side of the street - [swg] Oh, yes, they will explain, that it conveniently equates to 4 mm to the foot, making a scale conversion easy to compute! [(-D] The scale is 1:76, making everything about 10 % larger than your regular HO scale. You will most likely not find any kits for structures, vehicles or figures in that scale in your LHS. If you decide to go for this scale, you will have to mail order all of this from the UK, making it an expensive venture. The supply of 1:76 scale accessories in Britain is overwhelming, though.
I know there are people in this forum that run some British trains on their layouts - it does not really look that far off as British locos have a much lower clearance than US or continental European locos, so they look just right next to your HO scale equipment. But again, it is 1:76, not 1:87!