Curious about On30

There are ON3 (ON36) cars available and there were or still are separate trucks from Bachman and I think maybe some others.     The bachman cars tend to be based on smaller prototypes.   

The only minor gotcha I can think of is that the scale is 1:48 (similar european 1:45), so buildings and vehicles and scenery are much bigger and more massive than HO or N.   

It's very convenient to use HO track, but the tie size and spacing is wrong.  Not sure how difficult it is to find proper On30 track - I just use HO and don't worry about it.

I'm working on a concept - I have a scenicked 4x6 On30 portable layout on which I have planted only a couple of buildings (none permanently).  I'm thinking of making interchangeable building foundations so that I can swap out some OO or HO buildings and run the smaller trains.  However, most of my OO is larger prototypes, so might not look good on the 18" radius curves.  Nothing final yet.

Peco Makes ON30 track with proper ties spacing and appearance and some switches.

I just did some searches.    San Juan Car Company has a large line of ON3 and ON30 rolling stock built up and kits.   They also have wheelsets to convert ON3 trucks and they have ON30 trucks built up.      http://sanjuancarco.com

Also Labelle Woodworking has kits for ON3 passenger cars which would work on ON30 trucks.

Mainline Models used to have some very nice ON3 kits - you provide trucks and couplers.   However, they have been bought out by someone, and I am not sure who.   I think it might be Labelle, but it does not show up on the main  Labelle web site.

Another good source appeasrs to be the ON30 Annual from White River Publications.   It would probably have lots of ads for suppliers.

To me the hidden assets of ON30 are all related to size.  Yes you can use ho track (read cheap).  If you don't like the tie spacing simply cut off some ties and hand spike to some wooden ties.  Next because of it being o scale you need fewer structures to make a believable scene.  Because it's o scale you need fewer pieces of rolling stock to make a visibly realistic looking train branchline.  Also because it's narrow gauge you aren't running at mach II, you're cruising along at just a few MPH!.  Love ON30!  Russ 

A lot of good info here! I'm going to have to go looking for a prototype now, start figuring things out. Usually when I design a layout I start with geographic location, then time period, then the industry (or industries) to be served, and the locomotive and rolling stock last. To start off with "I want THIS engine!" is a bit of a break from the past!

I converted quite a few of my On30 cars to San Juan trucks, and have used mount blue models kits to convert some cabooses (brake vans?) to more prototypical size and appearance.

In terms of magazines/books, you might be interested in White River Publications' offerings specific to narrow gauge (Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette... a bi-monthly publication), and their On30 Annual (available for many years as far back as 2006)

Also, Narrow Gauge Down Under, a quarterly Australian publication has a lot of On30 articles.

Of course OGR has published many articles about On30 layouts/modelers through the years, too.  Aside from the railroad equipment, though, anything and everything O scale is relevant...structures, vehicles, figures, etc..  If you venture down the On30 road, though, after having spent years in O standard gauge, the engines, railroad cars, trackwork, etc. will be a bit of an adjustment in perspective. 

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Micro-Engineering also makes/sells On30 track/switches properly proportioned.

If you're just starting out in this scale, I would strongly recommend avoiding the temptation to simply use HO track for its cost and 'convenience'.  You'll regret that choice...IMHO, of course.

But, having fun is guaranteed!

KD

OGR readers will see more On30 articles in the magazine in the near future, with one possibly appearing as soon as the Dec. issue. I have some great On30 articles in the hopper now, and they are done by some of the most creative and accomplished modelers in that segment of the hobby.

I am a big fan of On30 for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the gorgeous modeling that folks seem to accomplish in that scale. I only wish that Bachmann had continued to expand the On30 line that they offer. Bachmann truly popularized that scale in the U.S., and when Lee Riley was still around, he made sure the line kept growing.

@dkdkrd posted:

In terms of magazines/books, you might be interested in White River Publications' offerings specific to narrow gauge (Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette... a bi-monthly publication), and their On30 Annual (available for many years as far back as 2006)

Also, Narrow Gauge Down Under, a quarterly Australian publication has a lot of On30 articles.

There are your top resources,