ON3 vs ON30 - Check my math

It is a difference of only 6 scale inches, and there is a lot more product available for On30.

The thing I've always been amused by, is in the US, all O gaugers modeling standard gauge, 4'8 1/2", are quite happy to accept that their detailed "scale" trains are running on scale 5' 0" track.

The gauge of the track (On3 vs. On30) being the only real difference, and in light of the bounty of "stuff" being available in On30 from Bachmann at affordable prices, it's little wonder that On30 is the leader in overall popularity, even though fewer prototype roads used a 30" track gauge.

I'm in the On30 crowd myself, and perfectly content to be there.

I have to agree with you Allan. If we are talking about such a small difference, I am may be willing to give a little on gauge to make more products available to me. Must be the 3 Rail O still in me

It would be one thing if I could only get what I want in ON3, but it seems to me that MMI is offering everything they make essentially in both gauges.

Your math is correct, and it's true that On30 has lots more available "stuff" than On3. It looks pretty good with the smaller 3' gauge prototypes as well. Big narrow gauge power looks a little "knock-kneed" to me on too-narrow track though. Just my opinion I wish the "rubber gauge" had went the other way (to 42") instead of 30"...

Cheers,

Ken

I am very excited about narrow gauge and, specifically, On3. I purchased a collection of On3 about six months ago and I am very anxious to get started. Why would I go with On3 rather than On30? Very simple, really.

MMI and the San Juan Car company make wonderful models. Now I know that San Juan Car Company has interchangeable trucks for On30, but MMI has outstanding models of the types of locos I want to run. To me, the On30 is too toylike and I strive for much more realism. That's just me. The structures available are fine for both as they are O.

If I saw the loco below in On30, I might have thought differently. This is the level of detail I want to see. 

It's not totally accurate to say that the Bachmann On30 offerings are 3 foot gauge equipment gauged to 30" between the rails, as Ken pointed out.

Prototype narrow gauge equipment was generally either 3 foot gaugers or 2 foot gaugers. The 2 foot gauge equipment was substantially smaller than the 3 foot gauge equipment.

The Bachmann equipment seems to be based on many of the smaller prototypes that existed in the narrow gauge world, maybe not true 2 foot gauge, but definitely smaller than the typical equipment found on 3 foot gauge lines. 

For example, if Eliot were to place his collection of true 3 foot gauge equipment next to Bachmann, they would be a bit bigger overall. Those Mudhens were big, for example. A 3 foot gauge layout would require larger radius curves than the 18" - 22" normally used with On30.

But still, IMO, the variety and availability of Bachmann On30 equipment definitely makes this the best choice for all but the true die-hard narrow gauger, even if it a bit of a hybrid in terms of size.

Jim

I can certainly appreciate your position. My point was that everything MMI makes in ON3 seems to be available in ON30. I'm not sure I could even notice a 0.125" difference in gauge at a glance. Of course if you aren't interested in Bachmann ON30 products that it doesn't really matter and I can understand going with ON3 to be more accurate.

While ON30 is only .125 inches different than ON3 - - Guess what, that is 6 scale inches.    That is exactly the difference between prototype 30 inch gauge and 36 inch gauge (3 ft).   To me it seems siginificant.  

And while there are a lot of things available in ON30, they are often based on odd prototypes, or no protoype such as fore-shortened passenger and freight cars.   

mostly smaller steam engines often based on industrial or foreign (export) prototypes have been done.   None of the common big narrow gauge (3ft) prototypes such as EBT Mikados or the variety of mikados on the D&RG and RGS have been done.   Even the bigger consolidations have been ignored by the ON30 mfg.    

It is all a matter of choice and what you want to accomplish.   I like to see/have models of real prototypes even if lettered for private roadnames.   

I'm new to narrow gauge so forgive my ignorance, but I thought MMI had made the K-27 and K-28 Mikes in both ON3 and ON30?

I think it's interesting that the pix of 452, that some say looks better on ON3 track than it does on ON30 track.  Number 452 is a STANDARD gauge locomotive that was rebuilt for the DRGW as a 36 inch NARROW gauge loco!  I model in ON30 and in the past I modeled in ON3.  When the prices of ON3 exceeded my budget I switched to ON30 and find the modeleing to be just as rewarding at about half the costs and the models just as accurate.    Russ

Ummm...  Not really.  452 was a K27, which was built by Baldwin as narrow gauge Vauclainian Compound locomotive in 1903.  It converted to single expansion locomotive somewhere between 1907-1909

The K37's were rebuilt from standard gauge 2-8-0's during 1928-1930.

Rusty

Folks, we are blessed to have choices of the gauge we want to use, or each his own.

90 percent of my visitors do not know which gauge I am using, which is ON30.  They are looking at the trains and not the track.

Al

Great discussion here. It reminds me of the debate about how HOn30 did not accurately represent the more notable 24" and 36" American narrow gauge prototypes. In both cases, HOn30 and On30 represent artistic license to make use of readily available track to represent narrow gauge. The folks who want better scale accuracy go with HOn3 or On3.

It's an interesting possibility to change existing layout trackage from one scale to another just by changing trains, for example:

N gauge layout becomes HOn30

HO gauge layout becomes On30

HO gauge layout becomes Sn42

S gauge layout becomes On42

42" Cape Gauge is common in many countries.

I adapted an N-gauge micro-layout to HOn30 just by moving a siding for wider track spacing. My train is modified HO items on N-gauge wheelsets using artistic license. It actually started out as a joke, but the idea grew on me. No scenery here yet!

It's interesting to note, as previously mentioned, that some D&RGW narrow-gauge locos were actually adapted from standard gauge designs. As another example of gauge conversion, the larger car in this Puffing Billy train was originally 42" gauge, now converted to 30" gauge.

I believe these two diesel locos were also converted from 42" to 30" gauge. 

Puffing Billy Railway, Belgrave Victoria (outside Melbourne)

Well said, Al!  The only people who usually pay any attention to such minutia are the hobbyists themselves, meaning the person(s) who actually built the layout.

Allan,

I wish I was On3 when I get on the scale

While I would love to go On3 for more true to scale 3' modeling, my eyes cant tell the differance and I have view both side by side.  The choice of motive power is much more digestable to the common modeler on On30, even the MMI stuff isnt cheap.  BLI C16's, Bachmann geared power are more in my budget.  I have even see the lowely Bachmann mogul beautifully redetailed to its chosen prototype C&S with butterfly plow and beartrap spark catcher.  The detail on my Climax rivals brass at a fraction of the cost.  My BLI C16 will do the same when I am done with it, and it has full sound/dcc in it already.  For the more well healed, On3 is the choice with MMI or brass imports.  For the rest of us, On30's more affordable options, that keep growing every year, is the answer.  I believe the modeling public at large have spoken and On30 will be the more common scale.  This will espicaly be true if Bachmann does a EBT Mikado, D&RGW/C&S power or we see MMI finaly do Westside Lumber shays in On30.  I have seen Bachmann's outside frame 2-8-0 turned into a pretty resonable clone of a C25 that to me passes the 3 foot test.  Painted and weathered it looks the part at the fraction of cost that a brass import would cost. On30's popularty comes down to cost, and I believe that is the future of this hobby. Cheaper is better.   Cheers   Mike