I am finally going through the boxes of train stuff that my uncle left behind, deciding what to keep and what to give away. There are a number of boxes of BEMO rolling stock that has HOe - HOm on the box. What does it mean?
The following is a sample:
Richard
It´s the track gauge.
HOe is HO scale running on 9mm gauge track. In the US, this is called HOn30 for 30 inch gauge. This is uncommon in the US exept for industrial railroads, but is sometimes used in the US to represent 2 foot gauge. Elsewhere in the world, 30 inch - 760 mm - 750 mm gauge is pretty common, so you will see European commercial models for prototypes in this gauge. HOm is HO scale running on 12 mmm gauge, representing meter gauge. This is almost unknown in North America but is very common in Europe and elsewhere, so you have the same situation, European manufacturers bringing out models for prototypes in meter gauge.
RideOnRoadThere are a number of boxes of BEMO rolling stock that has HOe - HOm on the box. What does it mean?
It's actually about two different narrowgauge modeling gauges. Bemo primarily produces Swiss pattern NG models in HOm. HOm is the same as TT gauge, 12 mm, and represents meter gauge prototype as is commonly found in Switzerland.
HOe is the European designation for what we North Americans call HOn30. It's 9 mm gauge, the same as N scale standard gauge. It's more commonly modeled in countries other than Switzerland and represents a variety of gauges under 1 meter, primarily 750 cm, IIRC.
Modelers wanted to use HOm Bemo stuff on their HOe layouts. Bemo started divesifying its offerings to outside of Swiss prototypes. They started making convesion axle sets so that their HOm rolling stock could be converted to HOe easily. There are also some locos that can do the same thing, but these are diesel and electric ones, not steam AFAIK.
So Bemo lists both HOm and HOe on boxes for items that are compatible.
BTW, there is a Yahoo Bemo newsgroup and Bemo items usually bring pretty good prices on ebay, depdning on your plans.
Finally, the convertibility feature is something a few other manufacturers and some modelers take advanatge of. Liliput started producing a modern NG diesel a few years back, available for around $150 in the US, that comes in HOe, but converts to HOm with a conversion kit. What's neat about the two gauges you ask about is that they barcket another popular narrowgauge, HOn3 at 10.5 mm. In most cases, a model that can be either HOe or HOm can also be HOn3 with a little work. That's how my diesel #82 came about.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
JOHN BRUCE III this is called HOn30 for 30 inch gauge. This is uncommon in the US exept for industrial railroads
HOn30 is used to represent 2 foot narrow gauge, the common narrow gauge in Maine and Wales. The track spacing is the same a standard gauge in N scale, so N scacle mechanisms can be used to save costs in this niche market. We have an HOn30 loop to loop layout under construction to go along with our standard gauge layout at the Boothbay Railway Village in Maine
This is a size comparison of an MEC standard gauge light Mikado loco with a brass HOn30 loco that ran on Sandy River & Rangley Lakes RR. Both of these locomotives are HO scale
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
Those little S.R.& R.L. locos are the cutest of the cute. The relative size comparison photo is something many new to MR'ing are going to have to wrap there heads around. They are both HO engines! Two foot gauge ran some very small, human sized, locos and rolling stock.
The current issue of The Narrow Gauge Gazette has detailed drawings of the S.R.&R.L. Carrasbasset depot and a number of images of 2 foot operations.
I'll bet that brass loco is worth a pile, far more than the big standard gauge loco that sits next to it. Good, HO scale, two foot gauge locos are naturally rare, short runs, and expensive. I don't think any 2 foot gauge, U.S. road, HO scale steam loco's were ever made that weren't brass. Correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks for sharing, especially the comparison image. A teachable moment.
If I can't fix it, I can fix it so it can't be fixed