Any of you who are older than dirt, will remember the RMC articles in the late sixties, where these two guys built a portable narrow gauge HOn30 layout for a friend depicting a Maine two foot RR using the old HOn30 train sets then produced by AHM.
I had one of these train sets, and for while used it to depict a narrow gauge tram working the sawmill on my logging railroad. Later that HOn30 operation was abandoned and the locomotive, on 0-4-0T had it's wheels spread to HOn3, had dummy coupelers intstalled to replace the stock hook and loop couplers.
That locomotive was my best running lHon3 locomotive for twenty years or so until the motor played, out, the motor was a part of the frame, so motor replacement was not an easy fix, I finally got the motor working, but the gears on the axles had split.
I noticed recently that these have been re released by Big City Hobbies, and marketed under the Minitrains brand, just as they were in the dark ages . these should be a lot of fun for an industrial or mine railroad on the side or for a mini or a micro layout.
I hunted through my files, and have not found a stock photo of the little tank engine I have, since it's demise it has been a static model either at the ore transfer in Ridgemont, or a flat car load. It made the trip to the work bench to study the prospect of fixing it, and is burred there.
I'll post a photo if I find it, otherwise google Big city hobbies or minitrains to check it out.
according to the literature, these have a new design mechanism. with short wheel bases and small equipment they can do very short radius curves.
Bill Nelson
I had one of these train sets, and for while used it to depict a narrow gauge tram working the sawmill on my logging railroad. Later that HOn30 operation was abandoned and the locomotive, on 0-4-0T had it's wheels spread to HOn3, had dummy coupelers intstalled to replace the stock hook and loop couplers.
That locomotive was my best running lHon3 locomotive for twenty years or so until the motor played, out, the motor was a part of the frame, so motor replacement was not an easy fix, I finally got the motor working, but the gears on the axles had split.
I noticed recently that these have been re released by Big City Hobbies, and marketed under the Minitrains brand, just as they were in the dark ages . these should be a lot of fun for an industrial or mine railroad on the side or for a mini or a micro layout.
I hunted through my files, and have not found a stock photo of the little tank engine I have, since it's demise it has been a static model either at the ore transfer in Ridgemont, or a flat car load. It made the trip to the work bench to study the prospect of fixing it, and is burred there.
I'll post a photo if I find it, otherwise google Big city hobbies or minitrains to check it out.
according to the literature, these have a new design mechanism. with short wheel bases and small equipment they can do very short radius curves.
Bill Nelson