On30 rough dimensions

Look for info on narrow gauge sights.

I think what you are trying to do is the devil's folly.  On30 is O scale equipment (not HO scale) that basically runs on HO "gauge" track.  I will admit that On30 scale equipment runs on the smaller side (for the most part), but even custom built HO scale equipment running on HO gauge track will never look like an On30 model.  You might be better off completely scratch-building the equipment you want to run.

My $.02.

Chuck

Hi There ! 

Ogr  does have on30 articles !  I wish they had more .   

But Try this Magazine  https://ngslgazette.com/

I do have  on30 trains myself .    I buy mostly  Bachman trains that already made . 

The key is to remember that, though the gauge is narrow, the rest of the world is still 1/48 in proportion.   EVERYTHING else but the gauge/wheels and a very few related parts is bigger than HO:  cabs, cars, buildings, trees, autos, bridges (for the most part), loads, hills, water features. . . .  On30 gets you some nice, tight curves and smallish rolling stock, but it still is going to essentially dwarf HO.

Here's a pic from the upper (On30) level of our layout.  (Please ignore the loose roof on the tower!)  The tracks you see at the bottom and the right are On30.  The rolling stock is standard Bachmann stuff.   The buildings, trees, wagon are all 1/48 scale.  The orange ore train in the left center on top of the tram trestle is On16--N gauge track--and you can see the motorman towering over his motor and dump cars.

Thanks for the help guys. So basically just take an HO locomotive and make some body modifications like wider walkways a bigger cab and a taller stack and it would look ok?

@Matt Bollinger posted:

Thanks for the help guys. So basically just take an HO locomotive and make some body modifications like wider walkways a bigger cab and a taller stack and it would look ok?

not that simple!   Make your life easy and pick up a nice used Bachmann set or engine and a few cars in On30 , you will see its not HO

@Matt Bollinger posted:

Thanks for the help guys. So basically just take an HO locomotive and make some body modifications like wider walkways a bigger cab and a taller stack and it would look ok?

Many, Many On30 engines have been built just that way!

But follow Dave Koehler's advice and pick up a set so that you can get a feel for what you're doing.  Set a few pieces between HO and O equivalents so that you can get a sense of the relationships.

@Matt Bollinger posted:

Thanks for the help guys. So basically just take an HO locomotive and make some body modifications like wider walkways a bigger cab and a taller stack and it would look ok?

If you are looking to get in O gauge narrow on the cheap, it really doesn't look to terrible. It will never be scale but, if you're satisfied with somewhere in between OK, after all, they are your trains.

Ray

I think it all depends on whether you are satisfied with an interesting "critter' based on your imagination rather than a specific prototype.

Here are two I created from a Bachmann 44 ton diesel and the SP switcher shown in a before and after photo.

By the way, the track in the photos is regular HO code 100 flex with every other tie removed (something more difficult than I expected! )

If you have access to the OGR digital library, check Run 231 for more photos and a description of the On30 branch line I incorporated into my 3 rail layout.

Jim

@palallin posted:

Many, Many On30 engines have been built just that way!

But follow Dave Koehler's advice and pick up a set so that you can get a feel for what you're doing.  Set a few pieces between HO and O equivalents so that you can get a sense of the relationships.

I will also add , that S scale cars can easily be converted. as well as some  American Flyer car bodies.

Search around for a set of plans or drawings for a real narrow gauge loco, probable a small 3 ft gauge one.   You could use those to get dimensions for a new cab and other stuff.

Here are side-by-side pics of similar billboard reefers in HO, On30, and O.

On a recent tour of the East Broad Top, it was mentioned that the EBT cars are about 3/4 the size of standard gauge cars.  Note that the EBT was 3-foot gauge, not 30", but I think that's because they couldn't buy HO track when it was being built.

If you work out the numbers, HO gauge track is about 32 inch gauge in O scale.    O gauge track is actually 5 ft in O scale  4 ft 8 1/2 inches for prototype.     So the 32 inch HO gauge is about 4 inches off 36 inch which was the most used common carrier gauge in the USA.    O gauge track is about 3 1/2 inches off scale for O scale.

The Bachman models are based on smaller 3 ft gauge prototypes in many cases.

While the HO track is too small, it is not much farther off than the O gauge track most of use.

So I think you can use HO track gauge to represent a believable narrow gauge common carrier.    But you probably want to change the tie size and spacing.   You want to use Narrow gauge O scale trucks, not HO trucks.   You want to put O scale details on the locos you convert.  

So give it a try.

Micro Engineering has On30 track with more or less accurate spacing and tie size.

,,,and Matt;

You can take an old athearn ho scale "blue box" sw-7 switcher,remove the shell, and place an On30 shell from Shapeways and have a very passable On30 "Critter"

...for a lot less cost

There are some "Critters" made from Athearn HO Scale motors/frames and  Shapeways castings that are fun and loaded by the builders with detail. They overhang the track and roadbed realistically..

With Bachmann steamers; I tend to remove most of the detail and re-detail them with 1:48 scale wiseman parts, again improving the believability. This is an easy way to get a much more realistic steamer

Lately I have been occupied with stripping plastic detail off of On30 Bachmann locos and replacing with more true- to-scale brass fittings. Much happier with the appearance

@C.M McMahon posted:

Lately I have been occupied with stripping plastic detail off of On30 Bachmann locos and replacing with more true- to-scale brass fittings. Much happier with the appearance

Pictures?

What HO gauge (.650" / 16.5mm) works out to in O scale depends on which "O scale" you use. As noted in the earlier post, if you use American O scale (1:48 scale, 1/4" = 1 foot) then it does work out to just about 32" (31.2"). If you use European O scale (1:43.55 scale, or 7mm = 1 foot) then it's 28.2". If you use the correct O scale (1:45, or 17/64" = 1 foot) it's 29.3".

Bachmann has changed a bit over time. Originally, they produced On30 equipment based on 3'-gauge equipment but adjusted to run on 30" track. In recent years, they seem to have gone more to taking prototype equipment for Maine 2'-gauge railroads and adjusting them up to fit the 30" track.

A problem is, although there were some 30"-gauge railroads in the US, it was far less common than 3' gauge (and even rarer than 2'-gauge) in terms of miles of track laid. So there isn't a lot of prototype 30"-gauge equipment to model.