Why?

[MT Hopper]

THE BACKROUND: While perusing some of the other forums and some other websites it suddenly occurred to me. I used to envy the On2 equipment I would see in the magazines but I was a kid and couldn't afford it. Then as a teen, girls and cars were the prime target for fund expenditures and I didn't have the skills to scratchbuild so I still couldn't afford it. Then as an adult, I still don't have the skills to scratchbuild mechanisims but now I could almost afford to buy On2 equipment BUT then University, career and family and in a way I still couldn't afford it. SO now I still can't afford it in money and especially time, I still don't have the skills to scratchbuild mechanisims, BUT! Bachman to the rescue. I finally have a SR&RL Forney. It may be 30" gauge but I don't care I HAVE A FORNEY and it has DCC and sound! I had built a 12 foot by 21 foot layout in HOn30 but that scale gauge combo never quite satisfied what I perceived the two foot experience to be. I am hoping HOn30 s' big cousin On30 will be the palette that allows me to colour my vision of two foot railroading.
THE POINT is do others model in On30 because it is a more economical to model
1/three foot gauge,
2/or two foot gauge,
3/or just an economical way to express yourself and do some funky and/or chunky equipment?
Cheers from the Heart of the Continent
Will

 

[sumpter250]

My guess would be: On30 is openly freelance. "What you build is what it is". 2 foot gauge, and 3 foot gauge have limited known prototypes, so modeling there is mostly one of the few prototypes. 3foot gauge product, is almost exclusively D&RG, and 2foot, primarily SR&RL.
The Wiscasset,Waterville & Farmington, however, is the primary reason why I chose to freelance the "Wiscasset Bucksport & Schoodic Point" 30" gauge line. Well, that, and the wrecks of the Hesper and the Luther Little.
Pete

 

[MT Hopper]

Can you imagine a diorama with a sailing vessel dockside and the loading booms set as the narrow gauge comes alongside to load up?
Cheers from the Heart of the Continent
MT

 

[sumpter250]

Can you imagine a diorama with a sailing vessel dockside and the loading booms set as the narrow gauge comes alongside to load up?

Actually, yes I can. Only it would be the thirty inch gauge, hauling cut lumber up to the transfer tower, where it could be highlined to a lumber schooner, anchored in the "dog hole". In On30, the two mast schooner model would be 24" long. If I were to build up something along the lines of the "Hellen Barnet Gring", a four masted schooner, I'd be looking at about 42".

 

[MT Hopper]

Makes me think back to the NG&SL Gazette article about a dog hole steamer that a chap built in 3/8" scale. There were a couple of B&W photos with one showing a schooner standing off shore and some passengers being high lined to the vessel. From the look on the mustachioed male passengers face, one wasn't certain how he felt about his impending "little trip"! The photos were taken at a couple of locations on the California coast. There was also a three view drawing of the dog hole steamer. You should "diorama" it Sumpter. The high lining of the passengers would offer an excellent opportunity to add some character and drama to the diorama. Could be a prize winner! I'm still "wed" to the North Shore of Lake Superior so it wouldn't work for me. BUT I can "see" a "Furlowesque" touch to such a California diorama as being just totally sweet. Any way it's just an idea to get your muse going.
Cheers from the Heart of the Continent.
MT

 

[Canopus]

I model in 1:43 (british O scale) which gives us 7mm to the foot.
That makes HO track 2 foot 4 inches (or 28inch gauge).
The difference between that and true 2 foot gauge is a mere 2.5 mm, or 1.25mm either side - which makes me wonder, is it even visible, and even if it was, is it really worthwhile going to all that trouble regauging everything and hand laying track? I mean it IS a tiny tiny difference.

Lets face it, the wheels under my locos will only be 1.25mm closer to the frame than they're supposed to be... thats barely noticible even on particularly narrow locomotives.

So personally I fail to see the point in it. I have enough work on my hands scratchbuilding every single piece of rolling stock and locomotive and sourcing wheels, couplers and motor chassis. To think of hand laying the track too is just insane and takes all the fun out of it. I mean I like building the locos and like the challenge but I don't like it THAT much.

I'd say it wasn't about building funky or chunky stuff - sure the models are more substantial and that can be satisfying... but for me the real reason is that I can build realistic models of very very small prototypes (like 7 to 15 foot long). Another attraction is black beetle, tenshodo spud, and hanazono motor bogies/trucks, which make motorising so easy and allow me to model full cab details. One final thing is that I have a bit of a thing about putting animals, details, people, and other such small items on my layouts, which is always more effective in this scale.

 

[sumpter250]

That makes HO track 2 foot 4 inches (or 28inch gauge).

And, before anyone chooses to take exception, HO scale track, (standard gauge/ 4'8-1/2") measures 31-13/16" (31.824") in O (1/48th) scale, so, in a sense, there is no "O scale-thirty-inch-gauge".
And, before we get on about scale, remember that there are a lot of model kits out there, that are "box scale"...that is, the model is just the right size to fit into a "standard size" box! One,a ship model, that I am working on for an N scale module, is not 1/160 scale, it actually figures out as 1/168-1/172 scale, depending on where exactly you take your reference measurement from. N scale figures look just fine when placed on board.
One should also remember that HO really was, and still is, HalfO. 3.5mm, is half of 7.0 mm. Just like a 1/4" socket can be used in place of a 7 mm socket, Americans decided that 1/4" is "approximately = to" 7 mm, so O scale can be either. Neither will be eliminated, in favor of the other, especially in light of the existance of the different measuring systems.
It is interesting that a micrometer is at the same time, 1/1000th of a meter, a device for precise measurement (in, inches, and metric units), and an extremely small device for measuring electrical properties.
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: