Is anyone else here modeling the narrow gauge?

[Anonymous]

I am also into NG model railroading, following Swiss metre- gauge prototype in HO scale, running on 12mm gauge track.

[middleman]

Hi Mike,

I'm currently building an On3 layout based on the D&RGW. I think 1/48 is a great scale to work in - much easier on the hands and eyes than HO.The only drawback I've found is that there are very few 1/48 scale vehicles out there,and a 1/43 scale car or truck looks HUGE next to a 1/48 narrow gauge engine. I'm hoping Shapeways,or similar 3D printing sites,will come to the rescue.

 

Mike

[mlehman]

tomikawaTT

Narrow gauge means anything with rails less than 56 1/2 inches apart. It doesn't mean obsolete, decrepit or about to die.

Chuck,

I couldn't agree more. I do have lots of the typical NG look, sure, some is long in tooth. At the same time, I see NG as very much a going concern. That's why you see diesels (GASP!) on my line. There is even piggyback service, plus a luxury cruise train...

[G Paine]

At Boothbay Railway Village we are modeling Maine railroads. Most of our layout is standard gauge, but we also have an HOn30 loop which represents 2 foot gauge.

SRRL Forney passing by a standard gauge freight

A Minitrains forney

A critter kitbashed from and Athearn Hustler body

Some Sandy River & Rangley Lakes RR rolling stock

 

[tomikawaTT]

And now let me introduce the 800 pound gorilla...

I model prototypes that are narrow gauge (1067mm, aka 42") and narrower gauge (762mm, aka 30") that violate all the 'rules' of North American narrow gauge.  The Japan National Railways (the wider gauge) is actually a line through a sparsely populated area.  It only has about 100 scheduled train movements every 24 hours.  Not exactly the laid back, bucolic wander through the weeds - more like the PRR when it was 'The Standard Railroad of the World.'

So let's look at the narrow(er) gauge logger.  Don't think of a system that dodged the bigger stumps on the way through the woods.  Think steel bridges, hard-rock tunnels and heavy-duty embankments faced with cut stone.  By way of contrast, all the non-powered rolling stock had wheels a foot in diameter!  Massive fixed plant, miniature rolling stock.

Then there's the Harukawa Electric Railway, based on the Kurobe Gorge Railway.  Electrified from the start (originally with battery motors) it is mostly sub-surface, leaving a tunnel to cross a massive steel arch capable of supporting Big Boy, just to plunge into another tunnel on the other side.  It still provides logistic support to a gorgeful of hydroelectric facilities in between the tourist trains.  I have a screen saver photo of a Kurobe catenary motor, new in 1970, with a link in its front coupler, mid 20th century juiceburner with couplers right out of the mid 19th century!

Narrow gauge means anything with rails less than 56 1/2 inches apart.  It doesn't mean obsolete, decrepit or about to die.

Chuck (Modeling the narrow gauge railways of Central Japan in September, 1964)

[trainnut1250]

Most of my local buddies are narrow gaugers - mostly Colorado prototype. I love the beat up, hunkered down look of narrow gauge but am too heavily invested in standard gauge to convert at this point.

Instead I model the rustic qualities of narrow gauge in standard gauge. I do have some dual gauge track on the layout, but it is more for show than operation.

I find that the narrow gauge community has some great modelers that have influenced my modeling quite a bit in terms of techniques and scratchbuilding...

BTW: The SP laws line is an awesome choice..

 

Guy

[SouthCoastRail]

Hi Mike,

Good to see you wearing the Aspergers badge. Nothing to be ashamed of. Some of the brightest people in the world are gifted with it.

My son has it as well, so I am familiar. I only had him interested in model railways for a short time, now his main focus is computers and he is good with them.

I am modelling the Victorian Puffing Billy type 2' 6' gauge railways and enjoying the change from HO. The layout has only just started and I hope to eventually fill the shed. It is in On30.

 

[IRONROOSTER]

I have some Sn2 equipment - brass Forney and some Roundhouse HOn3 kits to convert to Sn2.  Also have some Sn2 freight car kits and a brass Sn2 passenger car.  Since I'm moving in a few months, I'm not sure how these will be worked in to the new layout - or maybe I'll have a small Sn2 layout.

Paul

[hon30critter]

I will have two areas with HOn30 track on my HO scale layout. One will be a mine scene, and the other will be a short industrial track running between the roundhouse, machine shop and wheel house in my service facility. I have scratch built two 'critters' for the mine:

This one I did several years ago (apologies to those who have seen it before):

This is the second one under construction:

The service facility critters will cabless electical motors with a single seat for the driver.

I use older Bachmann 4-4-0 steam locomotives (the ones with the motor in the tender) as a starting point.

All that gets retained from the 4-4-0s are the drive wheels, worm and chassis, and the tender is redone to look like a gondola with a load.

Dave

[SouthPenn]

I have about 7 feet of dual gauge track ( HO & HOn3 ) where the East Broad Top rail road meets my fictitious Blacklog rail road in Neelyton.

[mlehman]

We're mostly narrowgauge here, although we do have some standard gauge (HOn3, HO).

Also have some outdoor stuff, but it hasn't been run in years. Finally thinking about going ahead and making my big ol' Bachmann Shay radio-control and battery powered, then laying some track this spring.

[emdmike]

Curious who our narrow gauge guy are here and in what scale?   I have some 1:20.3 narrow gauge trains I run on my garden railway and am starting a HOn3 mini layout indoors.  The garden line is loosely based for now, hope to in time focus more on the SP narrow gauge from Keeler to Laws.   The HOn3 is based on the SP near the end of operations with just the #9 and, eventully the diesel, handling the duties.     Mike