The first 55n3 site was put on the web in 2010. Due to medical problems I couldn't pursue this endeavor further. Time went by and I let the domain lapse. Now my medical problems have been under control, none of which were life threatening, just debilitating.Been in and out of the hobby since 2010 and can't believe how such a short period has brought so much change. Most of the items discussed on the 55n3 website are no longer available and have to be sourced on E-bay.I write web-articles on the net. The satisfaction comes not in praise or an "atta-boy" post but someone using the information that was presented. It is nice to see someone applying the techniques that I bloviated about even if no credit is given to me. Stuff comes up in magazines that I recognize as my contribution to the hobby.It was warming to see Ronald Halma's American Civil War 55n3 Layout on the net. Ronald showed the concept of 28mm war gaming items and On30 Bachmann equipment is a viable concept.Thank you, RonaldVist Ronald's blog:http://metusajunction.blogspot.com/There are videos of Ronald's efforts two at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3qV380BOnwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=Xm7yRD0asz8Our 55n3 website is now 55n3.info and no longer 55n3.orghttp://www.55n3.info/28mm gaming has grown and there are more figures and vehicles available.Thank you if you visitHarold
I love thinking out of the box with narrow gauge stuff. I read your first 55n3 site several times with interest. Glad to see you're back at it.
I've been toying with modeling some On2, but using Sn3 track and trucks. This measures 27" in O scale, so it's close enough for me.
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
Seems there are fewer "box heads" around today.
Eight years ago when the idea of 55n3 was first posted, seems I was one of the four horseman eating babies and puppies.
Lot calmer this time.
Harold
Hello Harold,
I for one have certainly have enjoyed your work and ideas for scenery etc over a number of years and thought you rather inventive going from On30 to HO to Sn3.5 and then 55n3 all on the same 4x8 basic layout and have directed a number of others to your pacificairline pages...
Thanks for an entertaining ride and I look forward to "renewing" the acquaintance, and I look forward to seeing the layout advance to the ultimate shape you have planned.
Regards from Australia
Trevor
Interesting idea. I did not realize 28mm wargaming was so popular and had so much equipment. While I don't model narrow gauge, I enjoy your efforts and am glad to see you back at it. Your scenery ideas work in any scale, and I'm happy to see your websites on 1870s and 1905 still up.
Gary
Isn't this the same as Sn3 ( 1/56 )?
S is 1/64, for a start.
I know 'S' is ( 1/64 ). Sn3 works out to ( 1/56 ). Multiply ( 56 ) times the width of HO scale track ( 0.66 ) and you get 36.9". 55n3 works out to 36.3".
SouthPenn I know 'S' is ( 1/64 ). Sn3 works out to ( 1/56 ). Multiply ( 56 ) times the width of HO scale track ( 0.66 ) and you get 36.9". 55n3 works out to 36.3".
Scale55 is 5.5mm(0.216535 in) to the foot, HO gauge is 16.5mm(0.649606 in).
16.5/5.5 = 3
Sn3 is 3 x 3/16"/foot = 9/16"(.5625 in)
The figures from the front HO, OO, S, Scale55, O.
The track is ModelPower Code 83 HO gauge and On3.
Hi there. From what I can understand (my head is spinning between scales and gauges!), there is a compromise to be made if we are to model narrow gauge using track from another scale. If I understand this correctly, 55n3 is actually about using another scale... of course, the issue is to find accessories in that scale. I can understand the advantages of using accessories from the wargaming world if one is to use their scale... But my pike is mostly set in the civilian world. So I would rather compromise on the gauge and continue to have access to HO (or O) scale accessories. There were in fact many gauges used in North America. In my neck of the woods, for example, there was 30'' track used in the Anticosti islands in the St. Laurence Gulf (Eastern Canada) in the early 1900s. That is a sufficient excuse for me to have a Hon30 line of track on my HO scale Eastern Canada layout.
But maybe I'm missing out on something in this thread...
Simon
If you visit the website there is a whole page discussing examples of HO structures that fit Scale55, there are probably others:
http://www.55n3.info/structures/resources/
There are whole bunches of available vehicles:
The 28mm gaming portion is mainly the figures but also vehicles:
The website has all the information, please visit.
30" gauge is an anomaly in North America, THREE foot is essentily North American Narrow gauge.
SouthPenn Isn't this the same as Sn3 ( 1/56 )?
Objects aren't "N, HO...S, O, etc. SCALE". An object is what it measures.
That is the premise! There is no adjustment in SCALE. The object is what it measures.
The Bachmann small 4-4-0 is that locomotive in Scale55.
Notice the appliances, air pump, etc. are Scale55.
When that loco came out the "O" scale people thought it was the wrong scale.
I must be thick.
If I am reading all this and other links about Scale55, The premise is you are pretending standard HO gauge is 3' wide in the real world. Then you use your Scale55 ruler to find equipment and scenery that can be used with little or no modification and still fit the Scale55 size. IE: a 50' HO scale boxcar becomes a 28' boxcar in Scale55.
( pretending is not a good word but's all I could think of, sorry )
One of the things I found interesting is that 5.5mm is OO scale in England.
Right...Wrong ??????
OO scale is 4mm/ft
HO gauge is 3ft in 5.5mm scale. 16.5mm/5.5mm=3 feet, no pretending.
Here are the guys that originated 5.5mm scale:
http://www.55ng.co.uk/
It can be confusing, maybe a little background will help (or will make it worse!). It's important to understand most scales involve some compromise.
1-1/4" wide "O gauge" track and trains were originally made by a German toy train maker, who just picked it as a convenient size without worrying about scale. If you divide real standard gauge (56.5") by O gauge (1.25") you get a ratio or scale of 1:45.2, or 17/64" = 1 foot. When early model railroaders a century ago tried to convert toy O gauge trains to scale, they found 1:45 difficult to work with. In Europe, they decided to use 7mm = 1 ft, or 1:43.55 scale (which is why so many of the European made "O scale" automobiles you see are 1:43 scale). In North America, we weren't into the metric system, so we chose 1/4" = 1 ft, or 1:48 scale. If 1/4" = 1 foot, then O gauge track of 1-1/4" is 5' (or 60").
When "Half-O" scale (HO) came along, people realized that it's track gauge worked out in 1:48 scale to be about 30", and that they could use that to build On30 models by using HO wheelsets, track, and even locomotive motors and chassis. This was a lot easier than building everything from scratch.
What the "55" folks are doing is taking On30 equipment, and modifying to fit a slightly smaller scale (1:55 instead of 1:48) so that instead of HO track being 30" gauge, it's 36" gauge, which was a much more common gauge used by narrow gauge railroads in the US. Since some On30 products are based on 3' gauge real trains, adjusted to fit 30" gauge track, it turns out many "On30" models can be transformed to "55n3" fairly easily.
If you find the concept confusing then 55n3 isn't for you.
The concept is fairly simple.
Bachmann has built another 55n3 caboose.Got a logging caboose and it fits 55n3 perfectly. The original caboose was too high and required modification.Before you look, no Bachmann doesn't really build 55n3 cars. Remember how that leading statement caused hair on fire in 2010 when I said it about the 55n3 sidedoor caboose.http://www.55n3.info/sidedoor/Thank you if you visitHarold
Got some new stuff from Shapeways shops.Found this S Scale cab at the "Willy Monaghan S Scale" shop on Shapeways that will convert the Bachmann Mogul to 55n3. There are S Scale domes available also on Shapeways that will make a complete conversion to a Baldwin catalog Mogul. The Bachmann domes will also work with no mods.The On30 Mogul is mechanically close to the Brooks Colorado and Northwestern #1 and Baldwin Catalog moguls. The 44" drivers match the Brooks. Found these figures listed as "1/56" from the "Panzer VS Tanks" shop they are from the Merchant Navy series. The figures are really fine. Harold
An addition to the previous post about an S-Scale cab.
A Bachmann Mogul converted to S-Scale with the original cab shortened for S-Scale.Shows what the loco would look like with an S-Scale cab and stock domes.The stock cab is too wide.
Examining examples of narrow gauge moguls found these two examples in the Brooks catalog:A MexicanQuincy and Torch LakeLooking at the Bachmann Mogul if the running board is extended all the way back a reasonable model can be produced.The running boards fit into slots in the boiler so replacement would be easy.There is an article about making the Q&TL Mogul in On30 in the Jul/Aug 2018 Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette. So it can be done with a better three foot cab.Harold
Eventually in a strange scale endeavor one finds the holy grail, a plan, a piece of information that makes a model viable.Searching about the Quincy and Torch Lake Moguls I finally ran across a plan in the August 1985 Railroad Model Craftsman of Mogul #1 & #4.YES!!! The Bachmann On30 Mogul is 55n3 as made:Harold
Now that the Bachmann Mogul is 55n3:Can resurrect this conversion utilizing the Mogul gear tower and a Bowser HO frame: Makes this locomotive:
Never was a good On30 model but great 55n3.Harold
While looking thru the July-August 2018 Walthers Flyer, I thought it was interesting to find a listing "HO Bridge Ties - 25' Stringers" by Central Valley (Walthers Part # 210-19088). The description noted it was HO standard gauge "or 55 3' narrow gauge". I don't recall seeing any "55" scale references in the Walthers catalogue or Flyer before....
https://www.walthers.com/bridge-ties-narrow-gauge
wjstix While looking thru the July-August 2018 Walthers Flyer, I thought it was interesting to find a listing "HO Bridge Ties - 25' Stringers" by Central Valley (Walthers Part # 210-19088). The description noted it was HO standard gauge "or 55 3' narrow gauge". I don't recall seeing any "55" scale references in the Walthers catalogue or Flyer before.... https://www.walthers.com/bridge-ties-narrow-gauge
The ties are code 55 rail for HOn3.
There will NEVER be a reference in Walthers for Scale55.
Geez
OK don't get excited. I see now how the line break in the flyer confused me (not that it's hard to do).
210-19088 Code 70
or 55 3' narrow gauge
I didn't notice the first line. So it's bridge ties / stringers for code 70 or code 55 rail.
Is 55n3 illegal in Wisconsin or something? I'd guess if it catches on, Walthers will have 55 products in their catalogue and website. Unless your goal is to drive people away?
Knuckleduster has a "32mm Gun Fighters Ball" series. Tried them as their 28mm figures were "short". They are the guys on the bases comparing to figures in earlier posts.Wargaming figures must be tried to see if they are suitable for all purposes.These are really very good.Harold
The Bachmann On30 catalog has dwindled considerably with the collapse of the On30 bubble.A locomotive that always flew under the radar was their little freelance 2-4-4-2 Mallet. Probably one of Bachmann's best efforts. A perfect 55n3 loco, actually a little cramped for O-scale.There are two similar prototypes.A Baldwin narrow gauge version of the Little River 2-4-4-2.An Alco New ZealanderReally like this little loco.Harold
The 2-6-6-2 was one of the locos I bought in the On30 fire sale of 2010.Another loco no one in On30 wanted but a great little 55n3 loco.Not in Bachmann's catalog but still out there and with shopping available inexpensively.Harold
Going thru my old On30 stuff, found a Bachmann On30 Inside Frame 4-4-0 boiler. Allowed me to check the S Scale cab from the "Willy Monaghan S Scale" shop on Shapeways as a replacement for the funky original cab. Makes the 4-4-0 closer to this 1897 Rogers.Harold