New On30 Layout.


Ash Pit

Well-Known Member
I am considering tearing out my 30+ year old Northern Pacific layout and starting over in On30. Why you might ask? The truth is other than operating my HO layout, I really haven't done much work on the layout in a couple years. Planely stated, I guess I'm board with it. I enjoy the planing and building parts of model railroading far more than continuing on with a project that has lost it's vitality. I may scrap this whole idea and go back to the HO layout, as I haven't commited to the new layout, yet! A few years back, the wife and I went to Colorado and we rode the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge. The narrow gauge really appealed to me as I have been a reader of The Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette for many-many years. A couple of years back I felt if I did switch to narrow gauge I would like to do Sn3. I built a PBL Stock Car and really felt that I loved building these car kits. However, the cost of PBL Locomotives put me off. About a year ago, I bought three On30 cars: a Bachmann Caboose, a Bachmann Reefer and a an Accucraft Box car. I now have bought another Accucraft car and a Bachmann Stearns Heisler locomotive. I purchased AnyRail 6 and have drawn out a point to loop mainline with a switch back to a Logging Camp at the far end. Although this layout is very simple, it would be built using the TOMA (The One Modual Approch) and it would be built on 7 moduals that would be easily carried out of my basement and there would be no Duck Unders.

I have talked about this idea before; but, possibly not here at this forum.
 
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BigGRacing, There is no room without tearing out the old layout. Right now; however, I can run my On30 trains on the old HO layout, where clearance isn't a problem.

I have not actually built any freight/passenger car kits. All of the cars I have are ready to run cars. I know there are O scale freight cars available in kit form, however, their cost is what I feel to be to high, so I have gone with Bachmann and Accucraft RTR cars and strip them down (Remove truck, wheels and undersides and other details that are easily removeable) previous to painting and weathering. This allows me to feel as though I have built them and ceratinly made them individual with the painting and weathering. I have only bought the Bachmann Cars off of Ebay at well under Bachmann's Suggested Retail. I am in love with the Accucraft cars as their price is O.K.; but, their details are wonderful. Actually, the Accucraft cars are really made by AMS (American Model Supply). These cars are 34 feet in length which I feel is the proper length for Narrow Gauge Box Cars.

At present, because I am still fighting off Covid 19, the little amount of painting and weathering I'm doing to my On30 equipment is enough to keep the Iron in the Fire.
 
Your just finding out the truth about model railroading , operating gets boring after you run the train around the layout a couple of times , the scenery doesn't change much. They used to say half the fun was building , thats not true , 95% of the fun is building . Ideally the layout should never be finished.

If you use RTR to much you don't have an "emotional" investment in the layout , so you ready to part with it . Right now it sounds like you have more "emotional" investment in the trip to the Durango & Silverton than your layout . There are ways to overcome that but you have to want to.

The real fun in HO is not building the Class 1's but the branch lines that interchange with them . If it were me I would tear out only half and start my branch line where everything is open to interpretation.

In anything other than HO , your going to have to fork out eventually, the volumes in other scales is considerably less and the manufacturers tend to be boutique type ( low volume labor intensive) , so if you have pockets deep enough for it I would say go ahead.


I try to scratch or kit build as much as I can, I have at least 2 dozen projects that are 30 + years old ,There's no chance of me being bored on my current layout because I am still working on stuff for the layout 2 layouts ago.
 
GeeTee, your not telling me anything I don't already know. I have been involved for more than 30 years in my present Northern Pacific HO layout. I have had fun with it, learned a S-Pile from it and understand how much both scales cost. O.K., we all have our own opinions and you are certainly intitled to yours. Changing scales makes the entire process a new and interesting and exciting proposition!
 
GeeTee, your not telling me anything I don't already know. I have been involved for more than 30 years in my present Northern Pacific HO layout. I have had fun with it, learned a S-Pile from it and understand how much both scales cost. O.K., we all have our own opinions and you are certainly intitled to yours. Changing scales makes the entire process a new and interesting and exciting proposition!

Why open up a thread in the forum if you've already made up your mind and your familiar with costs ? I dont see the purpose in discussing it. What do you want from us if you don't want our ideas or opinions?
 
I'm mainly HO but I do have a fair bit of On30, much of which I will be parting with shortly.
I do plan on doing a shelf layout with what I end up keeping however which if the bug takes hold can be made into a larger layout later.
I understand the investment you have in your layout, geez thirty years, wow!
I've had various layouts over about the same time I suppose but never kept one more than a few years.
 
Your just finding out the truth about model railroading , operating gets boring after you run the train around the layout a couple of times , the scenery doesn't change much. They used to say half the fun was building , thats not true , 95% of the fun is building . Ideally the layout should never be finished.

Contrary to what GT posted, I am not seeing myself getting tired or bored with running trains on my present layout. Over the course of building past layouts, I realized that switching interests me the most when it comes to running trains. That's why I have 70+ industries in 11 towns to keep things interesting. Scenery can change. As I run trains, I take notes about improvements that I could make with some of the newer and better materials that come on the market.
I have often wondered though, what I might do when I come close to finishing the layout. I do like building structures and doing scenery. Fortunately it looks like the present double-decker 20' x 32' will keep me occupied for a while longer. Presently, only about 50% of my layout scenery is done.
If running trains over and over doesn't seem satisfying, rebuild or find another hobby.
 
I just wanted to discuss what is on my mind! Is that wasting anyones time? I think I have the right to state what's on my mind, too.


I am on layout 4 and I don't regret tearing any one of them out. (usually I was forced to due to a move).

However, if you like building projects it is kind of nice carrying a building over to the new layout. I say go for the new scale if you are wanting a new project. I also like the bulldozer idea, creating new scenes as you gradually replace the old layout.

Dave LASM
 
I am in the process of weathering my newest AMS RGS Box Car. I have painted the trucks wheels and underside of the car almost all of it Roof Brown, Black Wash and Rust. I guess I need to take some photos for posterity; as, like some will say: "If there ain't photos, it ain't happening". I have loaded my camera into my shirt pocet, so when I go downstarirs, I will have it. When and if I get farther into this project, I plan to build a few On30 Freight Car kits and even build a few from scratch. I am a builder of models as that is the impetus for my being in this hobby!

Some have talked about modifying the old HO layout with some Cat Equipment, push around some dirt and start anew. The problem with this is I would still be running the new On30 equipment around on the old HO layout, which was designed using what I knew about operations when I started that layout in 1988, which wasn't much. I now know more about how I want to operate and what I need, to do so. So, If I am going to start over, it will be using a new track design, designed for Narrow Gauge.

Per GeeTee: If you use RTR to much you don't have an "emotional" investment in the layout , so you ready to part with it . Right now it sounds like you have more "emotional" investment in the trip to the Durango & Silverton than your layout . There are ways to overcome that but you have to want to.

RTR is a fact of life, if you have been involved in model railroading since 2,000; or, there abouts. The truth is that I've felt a strong urge to MODEL in Narrow Gauge for years before I rode the Durango and Silverton. In fact one of the reasons I did not jump to the change to narrow gauge at some earlier times was I realized that my HO Standard Gauge Layout was more like Narrow Gauge than Stanadard Gauge and so that kept me at it! I also started thinking (at 70 years of age) that I do not want to leave a big clean up job for my wife and two sons, when I die. GeeTee, I don't do anything without thoroghly thinking things through. And I still in the process of thinking it through!
 
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Here is a photo of the underframe of the AMS Rio Grande Southern Box Car. Check out the K-Brake Hardware?? The underframe has been painted with Microlux Roof Brown and with Microlux Rust in places that might rust-up.
HPIM8333.JPG

Below are the Trucks which have small screws holding the Side Frames to the Bolsters. Also notice the Brake Shoes on the forward and back ends of the trucks! I have painted the Truck Frames and wheels Microlux Roof Brown with Rust spots on the Journal Covers and Bolster Springs.
HPIM8334.JPG

This ofcourse is not the Rio Grande Southern Car, but the older AMS D&RGW Box Car. I love the Sturrup Steps, Hand Grabs and other details provided by the manufacturer. Weathering has started with this car, using my Black Wash System, using deluted Acrylic Black with water. I will continue weathering once my Pan Pastels chalks arrive.
HPIM8335.JPG
 
ASH PIT -- Did the trucks come with the kit? Can a person purchase them separate?

Nice build - Love the underbody detail.
 



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