At Boothbay Railway Village, we are starting to put togehter some narrow gauge rolling stock. When I checked coupler heights on some of our factory built locos and rolling stock, I found a number of different heights.
We are using MicroTrains couplers, and I thought using the N scale MicroTrains coupler height gauge would be the way to go, but now I am not so sure.
Any help would be appreciated.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
What factory built rolling stock are you using? I have had some experience with HOn30 and I had some of the Joe Works stuff from the 80's. They were all N scale height. I am currently working on a Mount Blue boxcar and it is also N scale height.
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
I'm *sort of* a HOn30 modeler, running narrowed HO-size equipment on N-gauge 9mm track...but my equipment is NOT HO scale- 3 feet=9mm and vice-versa, so 3mm= 1 foot, rather than the 3.5mm to 1 foot of HO/HOn3/HOn30 equipment.
All that out of the way, I've got an assortment of n trucks/wheelsets, regauged HOn3, and HOn30. Come to think of it, that sort of hodgepodge was not unknown on prototype NG shortlines that eused and recycled anything they had in the backpile lot behind the workshed.
It's far more important that YOU pick a standard and stick with it. Most HOn30 equipment tries to follow the Maine 2-foot cranberry bog NG lines, not my cup of tea. But the relatively smaller rail width does seem to make a common n-scale coupler height *look right.*
If you're going to be using the "gladhands" dangling, then, yes, gotta be close to N scale height. Otherwise, too low snags and too high just looks weird. Makes me wonder if any mfg's put the mounting pad substantially above N height? That would seem to indicate some expectation of operation without "gladhands." Otherwise, go with N IMO.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
NMRA standard S-2 doesn't have a coupler height (coupler centerline above railtop) for HOn30, but it does have standards for On3, On30, etc. If one does some interpolation and ratios and the like, it appears that the N scale standard (.216 +- .01) comes awfully close to the extrapolation from the other scales (.21 and .22).
I don't work in the scale, and thus am not in the "know" about where/who is leaning towards. And it does seem ominous that HOn30 isn't listed when On30 is.
But, it's a start. And I would adjust glad hands, coupler mount pads, etc. to conform. And, as a bonus, you could use an N scale coupler height gage.
Any HOn30 people out there with opinions????
Ed
Mike probably has it right. HOn30, HOn21/2, is a rare gauge in HO. I doubt if their is a genuine standard, as such, for coupler height. I am unaware of any real decent selection of loco's in this gauge, much like On30 where Bachmann is the only real supplier of locos, but, at least that oddball gauge is now well established in MR'ing, in spite of the fact that there were near zero 30" gauge railroads in the US outside of short line amusement parks or Hawaii. Two foot gauge was a far more common outsize narrow gauge in the U.S..
Still, all the best in you efforts in this rare gauge within HO scale.
Richard
If I can't fix it, I can fix it so it can't be fixed
There actually are some neat little locos out in HOe (Eurospeak for HOn30) recently. Although mostly European prototypes, they or their chassis can be adapted.
Liliput is made by Bachman and is a good quality line of both steam and diesel: http://www.reynaulds.com/catalog/dept_221.aspx
Bemo is mostly HOm (12 mm) but has a few high quality locos available in HOe: http://www.bemo-modellbahn.de/produkte/deutsche-bahnen-h0e.html
Some of their extensive HOm line of locos can be converted to HOe with conversion wheelsets, etc. My German is rusty, but here you go: http://www.bemo-modellbahn.de/produkte/schweizer-bahnen-h0m.html?tx_userbemocatalogue_rubriclist[vehicle]=45&tx_userbemocatalogue_rubriclist[action]=show&tx_userbemocatalogue_rubriclist[controller]=Vehicle&cHash=5e6b9db4492bf17684898cc2475801b0
Roco's line has a few items that are familiar, but many new and exciting ones, too: http://www.reynaulds.com/catalog/dept_656.aspx
There are others, but those three mfg's offer high quality, yet affordable locos in HOn30/HOe.
Old style, people just used Micro-Train trucks with couplers.
That was back in the Hayden and Frary days. Things may have changed, but don't think there is much interchange traffic going on, so use what you want.
I've always used HO specs for coupler height on 0n30 and N scale specs for HOn30. I stopped doing that when I downsized to strictly Z,N,& HO standard gauge.
All of the HOn30 guys in West Michigan also use the N specs.
George:
I'm curious to know what is causing the uncertainty?
Personally I am using the N scale standard simply because all of my rolling stock is derived from N scale product. For me changing coupler height would be a waste of time just to lower them by a couple of mm for appearances, especially if there is no standard height.
I can see wanting to have coupler height as accurate as possible if you are modelling a specific prototype engine or train to museum specs, but if you are building the critters from scratch it would seem logical to do what the prototype railroads did, i.e. do what works.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
A lot of the wooden kits, such as yours and even LaBelle car kits, need modifications to get them to sit at the right height. I always mount the coupler first so I can place it where it should be on the body. Then, I mount and modify the bolsters, if necessary, to put the coupler at the correct height.
I have built many LaBelle kits and this is the way I do all of them.
I had one of the HOn30 Train & Trooper brass 2-6-2's and it also had the N scale coupler height.
Have fun with your trains
That is what I was thinking, I just did not want to go down the wrong path is there was a better way. Thanks for the input everyone!!