HOn3 Anyone?


I'm decades into N but I think I'd sell it all in a heartbeat if the HOn3 or HOn30 rolling stock and motive power were 30% less and track similarly priced and available.

Maybe what I've paid for all my locos in N could have been spent on two or three narrow gauge locos with sound. Tradeoff works for me. Likewise for the cars.

Drawback to narrow gauge is lack of interchange to relieve monotony of the same cars going back and forth.

The C&DR is one of my favorite layouts to view (tape or mag photos).
 
Something a bit different, this is a collapsed narrow gauge tunnel. It is done in HOn3 scale and is going on a large transition era standard gauge layout to give some "history" to the pike. Started building this this afternoon and will deliver it tomorrow before his operating session. The tunnel lining was built intact then crushed to give the splintered appearance. The piece of civil war shell acting as a weight is not going to Jon's, its holding down the wood as the glue dries on the rock rubble.
 
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Finished HOn3 abandoned tunnel for a transition era standard gauge layout. Nice piece of "history" to add detail to a layout.
 
Here's a small group of friends who are interested in H0n3. I like track work.
So I participate in this group. My first task is a transition track, only a small module.
09-05-16_IMG_7376_262.jpg


But I've the idea for a station.

Wolfgang
 
I am very intrigued by HOn3, I have to admit Blackstone models are absolutely stunning! I'm very tempted to rip up my HO layout and start over with a small neatly detailed narrow guage layout.

One question, would a #6 HOn3 turnout be more closer in size (length) to an N scale #6 turnout than an HO #6? I understand HOn3 guage is 10,5mm which is close to N scale's 9mm guage as opposed to HO's 16,5mm. Obviously a #6 frog angle remains the same regardless of scale but how would gauge affect it?

The reason I ask is that my track planning software doesn't cater for HOn3 and I'd love to know how much can be squeezed into a given space.
 
Well, not sure how many modelers on this forum are interested in narrow guage, but judging by how fast the Blackstone Models Cabooses (Cabeese?) sold out, I'd say HOn3 is very much alive and kicking. Fortunately I managed to get my hands on some, unfortunately not the weathered versions that I wanted but none the less.

I plan to build up a nice roster for my next layout which is definitely going to be narrow guage!!
 
My biggest gripe about narrow gauge is that the only stuff which gets produced is WESTERN. A Tweetsie (ET&WNC) 4-6-0 has recently hit the market, but all of the EBT stuff has dried up. If you model Eastern narrow gauge, forget it. I can't get EBT hoppers or boxcars RTR like the Western guys can. The manufacturers need to spread some of that love around.
 
Your EBT Kits.

West Virginia Midland Man said:
My biggest gripe about narrow gauge is that the only stuff which gets produced is WESTERN. A Tweetsie (ET&WNC) 4-6-0 has recently hit the market, but all of the EBT stuff has dried up. If you model Eastern narrow gauge, forget it. I can't get EBT hoppers or boxcars RTR like the Western guys can. The manufacturers need to spread some of that love around.
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Say WVMM,

I may have a source for the EBT stuff through my supplier, I'll check and let you know.

Hope I can help you & the other guys out to locate the various things your looking for.


Talk with you later,

David
 
That would be great Dave, however, it still doesn't explain why the Western guys get RTR stuff while the Eastern guys get diddly. I'd pay the Blackstone RTR price for EBT 2 & 3 bay hoppers, cabooses and steel boxcars and flatcars if someone would make 'em. I run a 2-8-0 as primary motive power on the WVM, so the EBT's Mikes are not a need for me, but there are other guys who missed out on the Hallmark run of Mikes who'd love to have someone do them again.

Shoot, I'd buy from Spectrum if they'd do HOn3 the way they've done On30.
 
West Virginia Midland Man: CB&T makes the three bay as a kit for $24 with a very nicely detailed one piece body casting. Many of the buildings for the EBT had been made by White Ground Models and show up weekly on eBay. Also Funago & Camerlengo makes several different kits in resin for various flats/box cars and a tank car all for specific EBT prototypes.

Starting next month I have to start building the Orbisonia shop complex for the Galveston Model Railroad Club. That will consist of the roundhouse, turntable, paint shop, store house, suberintendents office, blacksmiths shop, electrical shop, foundry, pattern storage building, machine shop, carpentry shop. Should be quite a project.

Matt Dillow
MD Custom Models
 
I'm aware of F&C's offerings. I had one of their very first kits...ugh. After the mess that I had with that kit, I never tried F&C stuff again. C&BT shops kits are real nice...try finding them. There is also a mitigating factor; my hands aren't what they used to be. That's why I'm frustrated with manufacturers who offer RTR rolling stock for Western roads, but nothing for EBT or ET&WNC. The West wasn't the only place with narrow gauge, but the manufacturers seem to think so...except for Bachman. I suspect that Bachman's fair balance of Eastern and Western NG in On30 has a lot to do with the large numbers of modelers leaving HOn3 for On30.
 
I feel that many of the converts to On30 are going there for the size, O is so much easier to work with then HO. I converted after 35 years to O and the size and detail possibilities were what motivated me.

As for East/West, no matter what only a tiny fraction of the hundreds of common carrier narrow gauge lines will ever have equipment made in kit or rtr form. Nothing has ever been manufactured for the second largest narrow gauge line in the country (and it was not in either the east or west but in the heartland).

Matt Dillow
MD Custom Models
 
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For RGS Fan,

Hi Duane,

Your correct that On30 does indeed run on HO std gauge track but there are three things about using std HO track that won't look right.

1st. Is that the ties are not only too small in size as far as width and length goes so HO ties are way out of proportion.

2nd. Is that the tie spacing is way too close together on HO to look right, and the On30 ties are about twiice a wide and half again as long. So to use anything else would look way out of place.

3rd. I'm almost sure that On30 switches have less of a radius per any given size than std HO switches. I can verify this as I porinted up some templates to build a friend a couple of On30 switches.
I'll check, actually no are about the same turn-out radius so that would hold true to being Narrow Guage.


RGSfan said:
Doesn't On30 run on HO track? If so then IMO whatever brand you prefer would be fine.
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West Virginia Midland Man said:
That would be great Dave, however, it still doesn't explain why the Western guys get RTR stuff while the Eastern guys get diddly. I'd pay the Blackstone RTR price for EBT 2 & 3 bay hoppers, cabooses and steel boxcars and flatcars if someone would make 'em. I run a 2-8-0 as primary motive power on the WVM, so the EBT's Mikes are not a need for me, but there are other guys who missed out on the Hallmark run of Mikes who'd love to have someone do them again.

Shoot, I'd buy from Spectrum if they'd do HOn3 the way they've done On30.
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Say WVM,
I understrand your frustration and sense of reasoning but I honestly have no answer for you, but it does seem a bit odd.


Are you looking for someone to build cars for you?
I'm not sure which cars your looking for, or if I can get them through my supplier or not but maybe we can work something out. I'd have to check what Blackstone is selling their cars for to get an idea.

One thing I want to inform about is that I won't do any weathering as I haven't even started using the Air brush I have and certainly don't call my crued brush wathering anything great in anyway.

These are the manufactures of freight cars my supplier listed in the past but I'm not certain what they might be offering at present as I've been inactive for awhile. I'll check tomorrow and make additions or deletions.

I'm also unsure if any of these Mfgs produce kits in On30 as the suppliers catalog isn't broken down in that catagory.

1. Accurail;
2. A-Line;
3. Broadway Limited;
4. Bowser;
5. Detail Assoc;
6. Delux Innovationa;
7. Eel River Models;
8. Overland Models;
9. Precision scale;
10. The Railline C.;
11. Speedwitch Media;
13. Stewart Hobbies;
14. Tichy Train Group;

Hope this helps.
 
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