Over the Holidays I acquired a DRGW K27 loc and a DRGW C-19. These are great little engines however my layout is HO gauge, the new engines are HON3.
As these engines are gifts there is no way I can change them.
The more I look at these engines the more I like them, these are the outside frame with the large counterweights located on the outside of the drive wheels. They look fantastic when the are running, I had the chance to run them on my old break in/test track, after I made a dash to the hobby shop for the new track.
I decided that in order to add these engines to my layout I will have to relay a portion of the layout with dual trackage. That will allow me to run these engines from an Industrial site to a locomotive service site located on the layout.,
I had originally intended to run my Shay and Climax engines to this site. I can still run these engines once I have laid the new dual trackage rail.
This will actually add more interest to the layout I think than if i had just gone with the HON3 track change.
Any of you run dual trackage on your layout? Anyone have any trouble with Dual trackage on a layout?
We have HOn3 on a portion of the club layout. It interchanges w/ the standard gauge on what we call Leg2. There's not too much of the dual gauge, but it's fun to run and the Narrow gauge equipment looks fantastic.
The most troublesome items are the turnouts and trackwork needs to be rather impeccable as those 'lil beasts can be rather finicky
The HOn3 services the waterfront
New turntable and facility
So if you have the space or can incorporate an interchange, you really don't need to go to any extreme in relaying all trackage, HOn3 could share some of the more easily modified/ changed track and branch off where needed. Our is hand laid so I'm not real familiar w/ all the production offerings.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
bogp40
Thanks for the pictures, is that engine a K27? It sure is a beaut.
The layout looks great, the waterfront and associated buildings look great.
I notice that on your turntable you have 4 raiils, the 2 outside for the regular HO and the 2 inside rails for the HON3. The track that I ordered is dual gauge but there is only 3 rails, there is one outside rail common to both gauges, the turnouts are labeled narrow gauge right and narrow gauge right. The turnouts at times will require the narrow gauge to switch sides, so the narrow gauge will go to the right hand side from the left hand side with transition pieces.
Where you have dual gauge is your trackage the same with the narrow gauge on one side (3 rails) or is your dual gauge like your turntable 4 rails?
Heh, heh, another convert to narrowgauge. Welcome!
I've got some fairly extensive dual-gauge, all of with code 70 Shinohara turnouts and ME track. The Shinoharas are the only RTR HO/HOn3 turnouts available. That was pretty much it years ago, except for custom builders or handlaying. Since then, the Fast Tracks turnout jigs make it possible to build them yourself, even if you've never done anything like that before.
The Shinoharas are pretty reliable, just lay everything carefully as was already noted, a good goal with any track, but especially necessary in this case. Shinohara frogs tend to be a little wide, so you get a bit of a clunk and bob when narrowgauge rolling stock goes through them. Some people find that troubling and If I was starting over, I'd probably go with Fast Tracks and solve it with the closer tolerances found there or through custom builders. None of these options are cheap, with Shinoharas going for around $45 and up.
When you get serious about planning, then you get to have the fun of deciding which side the common rail will be on. It's REALLY, REALLY important to think through carefully how its oriented as this affects platforms and station tracks, clearances, etc. It's also the case that the prototype had it on one side and your layout need to be oriented to reflect that if it not being right will bother you.
Once you've figured that out, then specify which style turnout is needed at each location, as there are 4 in dual gauge. You have L and R, of course, but each of those has to be available in two versions, depending on which side of the track the common rail is on when it passes through the turnout. Triple check what you need BEFORE ordering or you'll be kicking yourself for getting the wrong $45 turnouts.
There are some trackwork complications. Loops and wyes don't work well in dual-gauge. Trace the common rail around each and you'll discover that things just don't work right. You can solve that by installing one of what's called a draw or transition, which swaps the common rail to the opposite side, solving the mismatched rail issues dual-guage introduces. For turntables, you can make the bridge 4-rail, but you'll need a half-draw to end the common rail and transition as the track approaches the turntable. In my case, I just kept my turntable and loop HOn3 only to simplify things. Those modern SG diesels don't really need a roundhouse or turntable.
Dual-gauge idler cars are available from Rio Grande Models. Add all the weight you can to them, as they can be tricky to use otherwise. I do run locals with cars of both gauges in the consist. I have a Bachmann 44-tonner that I converted to dual-gauge couplers, so I only need one idler car for a mixed gauge train. If the loco doesn't have dual gauge couplers, then you need 2 idler cars to run a mixed gauge train.
There's plenty more. Building and operating dual gauge is something a little different, but worth the hassle IMO.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
No one but a cold hearted iconoclast could possibly not fall in loved with a Blackstone K-27 "mudhen" or the little C-19 once they hold and behold one in real life. With sound in them you are an HOn3 convert for life.
I ran HO for years 1959-1995, but always had a deeply buried lust for HOn3. Starting in the 70's I started picking up tiny little HOn3 items, spikes, rail, a couple of 3 foot flex sections, a LaBelle car kit here and there, squirreling the stuff away for some future date. I dropped out of MR in 1995, chasing other rainbows. The only reason I am back, (2010), is due solely to the Blackstones.
I have always loved the "monkey motion" on the outside frame mikes with their whipping counterwieghts and side rods powering invisible drivers. Lots going on when these little cuties are movin'.
My large holdings of HO remain stored away and my HOn3 road is still in the barely started stage, but I have enough track down to steam around a bit to keep me going.
I was originally planning dual gauge track, but decided to go pure HOn3 and WWII era.
Welcome to the club.
K-27 "mudhen" leaves the roundhouse.
C-19 pulls into Naturita-Nucla yards on the Paradox Uravan & Placerville.
Richard
If I can't fix it, I can fix it so it can't be fixed
Like youall I'm a HOn3 convert. I need help with uncouplers. Any ideas will be appreciated. Thank you.
Murphy,
Sorry, didn't see your post sooner.
What kind of troubles are you having with uncoupling?
There are basically three viable options with HOn3 couplers. The Kadee 714, M-T N scale couplers or the Sergent Sharon coupler. All have benefits, drawbacks, and a share of what people actuially use. I run the 714, but have been considering the leap to Sergent. I use only manual uncoupling with the 714, which is required with the Sergents, so not a big transition there if I move that way.